‘Don’t Know How He’s Still In Office’: New York Congresswoman Slams Zohran Mamdani

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney sharply criticized New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in an interview with The Daily Wire on Tuesday, as Democrats remain slow to endorse him.

The New York Republican called Mamdani a “Marxist antisemite” over his failure to condemn the slogan “globalize the intifada,” widely seen as a call for violence against Jews.

Mamdani, a New York State Assemblyman who represents parts of Queens, won the Democratic primary last month in an upset that threw the mayoral race into chaos. He is now running against incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and disgraced former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

“I don’t know how he’s still in office,” Tenney told The Daily Wire, reflecting on his use of “globalize the intifada.” “I mean, I don’t know how that’s not a breach of the Constitution and your oath, but that’s something I’ll be discussing in the future.”

Tenney, who represents a large district along the Canadian border, warned that New York’s sanctuary policies are turning the state into a magnet for drugs and human trafficking.

“These are the kind of people that are helping, aiding and abetting the criminal cartels that are trafficking children, trafficking women,” she said of Mamdani.

“Cartels are going to go where the money is,” she said, noting that in New York City, criminals can “hide out” and “do whatever they want.”

Tenney also had harsh words for Governor Kathy Hochul, labeling her “as bad or worse than Cuomo,” and noted that powerful Democrats like Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) have remained largely silent on Mamdani so far.

“People are really concerned about this Mamdani thing,” she said of her constituents. “They’re just starting to get wind of it.”

Tenney argued that public safety will be the defining issue of the 2026 elections, noting that her constituents are worried about the lack of respect for police officers.

“The police have been essentially unable to do their job to keep our community safe. So you’re seeing this is a big issue. Security, I think, is going to be the issue of the next election, 2026,” she said.

Mamdani has proposed deploying mental health professionals in crisis situations rather than police officers and wants to create a “Department of Community Safety.”

The safety crisis is not confined to New York City either, she said.

“When you see tent cities and crime being committed in New York City, it’s happening all over the state because those laws have been statewide,” she said, “so they’re affecting everyone.”

Democrats are “siding with criminal gang members over innocent people,” Tenney added. “They’re supporting rapists and murderers and extortionists over their own citizens. I think that’s going to be a problem for the Democrats next year.”