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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a champion of the progressive left, is praising democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani’s focus on affordability as he runs for mayor in the nation’s most populous city as a model for the Democratic Party.
Asked by Fox News as she teamed up at a campaign event at a union headquarters on Monday with the Democratic Party’s New York City mayoral nominee if Mamdani was what the future of the party should look like, Warren answered “you bet.”
“The Democratic Party needs to stand up and be clear. We are the party that fights for affordability, for working families, that means child care. That means housing. It means health care. It means making this country work better for the working people who make this country work,” Warren said.
And pointing to Mamdani, Warren said, “Democrats are the ones who every day don’t just talk the talk, but walk the walk to make our country more affordable for working people, and I’m here with the guy who’s walking the walk right now.”
MAMDANI, CUOMO, CLASH OVER POLICE SUPPORT FOLLOWING NYC MASS SHOOTING
Mamdani, the 33-year-old Ugandan-born state lawmaker from the New York City borough of Queens, shocked the political world in late June by coming from behind to top former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates to capture the Democratic Party mayoral nomination in the overwhelmingly blue city.
Thanks to an energetic campaign that put a major focus on affordability and New York City’s high cost of living, along with a massive grassroots army of supporters, and the backing of progressive champions Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Mamdani surged to a primary victory.
MAMDANI FACES BACKLASH FOR OPULENT WEDDING CELEBRATION
Mamdani made smart use of social media platforms, including TikTok, as he engaged low-propensity voters. He also proposed eliminating fares to ride New York City’s vast bus system, making CUNY (City University of New York) “tuition-free,” freezing rents on municipal housing, offering “free childcare” for children up to age 5 and setting up government-run grocery stores.
He is now the clear frontrunner in November’s general election as he aims to make history as New York City’s first Muslim and first millennial mayor.
Republicans have targeted Mamdani and tried to turn him into the new face of the Democratic Party, highlighting multiple radical policy positions he has pushed, including defunding police, anti-Israel rhetoric, and “kick[ing] the fascist ICE out of New York City.” They aim to anchor him to vulnerable Democrats across the country running in elections this year and next year.
Even though he was defeated for the Democratic Party nomination, Cuomo is running in the general election as an independent candidate. Cuomo, who stepped down as governor in 2021 during his third term amid multiple scandals, is aiming for a political comeback.
Also on the general election ballot are Mayor Eric Adams, the embattled incumbent who announced earlier this year that he would seek re-election as an independent candidate rather than seek the Democratic Party nomination amid cratering poll numbers, and Guardian Angels co-founder Curtis Sliwa, who for a second straight election is the Republican mayoral nominee.
Warren took aim at Cuomo, arguing that the former governor’s “whole path here seems to be to go to a handful of billionaires, have them give you a bunch of money, and hope that you will be able to flood the city with a bunch of negative ads.”
Cuomo, at a campaign event on Monday, continued to target Mamdani as he unveiled his own public safety proposal for the city.
The former governor has called Mamdani “anti-police,” arguing he “doesn’t understand the need for public safety.”
Mamdani, in the wake of last week’s mass shooting in a midtown Manhattan office building, has faced renewed scrutiny over past statements made on social media in 2020 when he called for defunding the police multiple times.
Warren’s event with Mamdani was part of a multipronged push to support him in his push for New York City mayor.
The senator, who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nomination, also released a social media video praising Mamdani and wrote an opinion piece that appeared in Rolling Stone.
Fox News’ Emma Woodhead contributed to this story
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