News and Commentary

Mamdani Escalates War With Pro-Israel Democrats As He Builds His Squad

That's rich coming from a mayor whose candidates are so radical.

Hank Berrien
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Mamdani Escalates War With Pro-Israel Democrats As He Builds His Squad
Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) “monsters” at a rally for his three hand-picked democratic socialist congressional candidates — the latest eruption of anti-Israel venom from the mayor.

“Now is the time of monsters. These monsters take many forms today. … An AIPAC for whom the only thing more frightening than democracy being allowed to run its course is an end to genocide and Netanyahu’s wars,” Mamdani yelled to the crowd. “We need not live in fear of monsters any longer.”

The three candidates Mamdani is championing are among the most radical figures ever to seek congressional seats in New York: Brad Lander (NY-10), Claire Valdez (NY-7), and Darializa Avila Chevalier (NY-13) — a trio whose combined record reads like a fever dream of far-Left extremism.

Chevalier has called to “abolish the border,” eliminate police and prisons, seize private property from landlords, and nationalize the pharmaceutical industry. She deleted thousands of posts when her campaign went public, telling CNN that she has “grown considerably in the years since these tweets.”

Valdez is no shrinking violet either. She openly celebrated October 7 — liking an X post praising the Hamas massacre the day it happened — and sat for an interview with a streamer who called Jews a “demonic ethnicity.” She has called Israel an “apartheid” state committing “genocide,” was arrested protesting U.S. arms sales to Israel, and falsely accused AIPAC of secretly funding a super PAC backing her opponent — it turned out to be the teachers union.

Lander called Israel’s Lebanon operations “potentially genocide” during a mosque speech and has vowed to work hand-in-hand with Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) if elected.

The “monsters” slur is rich coming from a mayor whose candidates are so radical. And the money facts undercut the AIPAC hysteria entirely: a pro-Palestinian super PAC called American Priorities dropped $2 million boosting all three candidates.

AIPAC has backed the opponents to Mamdani’s radical team — $377,000 toward Rep. Dan Goldman in NY-10, and roughly $140,000 supporting Rep. Adriano Espaillat in NY-13. In NY-7, AIPAC isn’t involved at all.

“Monsters,” the mayor says.

New Yorkers might reasonably apply that word elsewhere.

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