Advertising placed by former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo depicting his New York City mayoral race challenger Zohran Mamdani as a "Mini-Me" of former Mayor Bill de Blasio may seem funny, but the possibility that the Democratic socialist could win the race is a "tragic situation," former Rep. Pete King told Newsmax on Sunday.
"The fact is that this man can ruin New York City," the New York Republican told Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend."
Mamdani, added King, is "anti-police, he's antisemitic. He ingratiates himself and associates with, for instance, an imam who was an unindicted coconspirator in the first World Trade Center bombing. I mean, everything about him is a disaster."
King said that as a native New Yorker who was born in Manhattan, raised in Queens, went to school in Brooklyn, and had a father who was a city police officer for more than 30 years, he's concerned about the city's safety and future if voters choose to embrace a socialist-aligned platform with Mamdani.
"If he's elected, I think in many ways it's the end of New York City," he said. "This is going to be a disaster for New York City."
He added that he hopes Mamdani's policies don't spread nationwide, as he "wouldn't wish that on my worst enemies."
Former Georgia GOP Rep. Jack Kingston, who appeared alongside King, said the shift toward far-left politics represents a broader national trend that has taken root in urban areas and education systems.
Kingston said of New York City, "It's the financial center, it's an entertainment center, it's a media center.
"Everybody in America and everybody in the world looks to New York City, and to have such a hardcore, left-wing socialist who's really, you know, kind of quasi-committed to the country on a good day leading the city, it's horrible."
King echoed Kingston's concern, adding that the movement behind the candidate is "a cause" designed to undermine traditional American values.
"You can't say that you really love America if you support him," King said. "He personifies everything bad that you have in politics. ... It's a movement which is going to undermine New York City."
King added that people such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., want to use Mamdani as a "lever to undermine the entire country."
"This is a disaster waiting to happen," he said. "I hope we can find that path to stop him. It's going to be tough, though."
Kingston added that the Democratic Socialists of America have gained ground not only in New York, but also in cities nationwide, driven by what he called "a generation of uninformed, ignorant, but educated" voters.
"It just shows it's a failure of our education system," Kingston said. "What we're seeing is a generation that believes the rhetoric of the giveaway culture and the government utopia."
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