Mamdani’s New York victory exposes fault lines in US Jewish Democratic politics

NEW YORK - Mr Zohran Mamdani’s election as New York’s next mayor exposed a deepening rift between traditional Democratic Jewish voters and younger progressives — one that could reshape politics for years in the metropolitan area with the world’s largest Jewish population outside Israel.

Mr Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, handily defeated Mr Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic former governor of New York who ran as an independent, while beating back accusations of antisemitism over his support of Palestinians in the conflict in Gaza.

A Muslim immigrant, Mr Mamdani benefited from a wave of anger over Israel’s conduct in Gaza among some Democrats and Jewish Americans who had initially supported it but grew disillusioned. That shift manifested itself in

spring protests at Columbia University

in 2024 that Mr Mamdani supported and politically benefited from.

A Pew Research Centre poll in 2024 found that just half of Jewish Americans under 35 said the way Israel has carried out the war has been acceptable, while 68 per cent of Jews ages 50 and older said it was acceptable.

In New York, about one-third of Jewish voters

in Nov 4’s election

supported Mr Mamdani, exit polls showed, powering a victory that alarmed his Jewish opponents unaccustomed to backing the losing candidate. 

“The morning after the election, many members of our community woke up with a sense of unease,” said Ms Hindy Poupko, a senior vice-president at the UJA-Federation of New York, a major Jewish nonprofit. “There's a lot of uncertainty about how Mayor Mamdani might act once in City Hall.”

Mr Mamdani was tested quickly. When in the hours after his election antisemitic graffiti was scrawled on a Brooklyn Jewish Day School, the mayor-elect condemned the act. 

“As Mayor, I will always stand steadfast with our Jewish neighbours to root the scourge of antisemitism out of our city,” he posted on X. 

'Globalise the Intifada'

Jewish opponents of Mr Mamdani expressed concern about his refusal to condemn the phrase "globalise the intifada," a slogan of support for Palestinians that some interpret as a call to violence against Jewish people. After his nomination, Mr Mamdani privately told a group of business leaders that he would not use the phrase and would discourage others from using it, according to a July New York Times report.

He has said he supports the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions, or BDS, movement, which calls for the economic and cultural boycott of Israel.

The Anti-Defamation League last week launched a “Mamdani Monitor” to track his executive appointments and other actions for potential harm to the Jewish community. It also established a tip line for New York residents to report incidents of antisemitism.

“Our job is quite simple - to protect the Jewish people,” said Mr Jonathan Greenblatt, the group's chief executive.

Courting voters

Amidst the Democratic divisions over Israel's conduct in Gaza, Republican President Donald Trump, an ardent backer of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has made the case to Jewish voters that his party is a better home.

That appeal came despite the fact that Mr Trump's 2024 rival, Democrat Kamala Harris, won 79 per cent of the white, Jewish vote in 2024, according to exit polls.

Mr Trump said on Nov 4 any Jewish voter who supported Mr Mamdani

was a "stupid person.”

The Republican Party was rocked by accusations of antisemitism after right-wing pundit Tucker Carlson hosted white nationalist Nick Fuentes in October for a sympathetic interview on his podcast.

Mr Carlson, a former Fox News Channel personality, was denounced by Republican lawmakers including US Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who this week said, “a handful of voices are spreading this garbage, and it is giving every one of us a time for choosing.”

Republicans plan to seize on Mr Mamdani’s election to court more Jewish support in 2026’s midterms, when control of Congress is at stake. That backing could prove pivotal in swing districts like the one north of New York City held by Republican Mike Lawler.

“Mamdani’s ascent to Gracie Mansion could rewrite the playbook for Republicans, tightening their hold on the US House,” said Mr Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist, referring to the New York mayor's official residence.

Mr Mamdani also promises to be a factor in 2026's race for New York governor. Ms Elise Stefanik, a top Trump ally, said last week she will seek the Republican nomination and assailed Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul for endorsing Mr Mamdani.

A splintering bloc

The city's expense and high cost of living were central to Mr Mamdani's campaign, fuelling a surge of support among young progressive voters. Even some of Mr Mamdani’s detractors, like Mr Greenblatt, credit his victory to his relentless focus on pocketbook issues.

Mr Mamdani’s Jewish supporters said the election proves that the Jewish vote is far from monolithic.

“I support Mamdani not in spite of his views on Israel and Palestine but because of them,” said Ms Roni Zahavi-Brunner, 26, an Israeli who canvassed for the candidate. “I don’t think that speaking out against genocide is that big of a risk.”

Others rallied to Mr Cuomo, 67, because of his support for Israel.

“I feel deflated,” said Ms Alison Devlin, 50, a Jewish resident of Manhattan's Upper East Side who voted for Mr Cuomo. “I definitely feel concerned because I am openly Jewish, I am openly Zionist.”

She added: “I don't know what is going to happen. I don't know if I'm staying in the city after this.”

Ms Corinne Greenblatt, 27, who works in higher education in the city, said she appreciated the way Mr Mamdani was “interested in reaching out to a really broad range of the Jewish community, not just those who are completely in political agreement with him, because the Jewish community is very politically diverse.”

The war in Gaza, Ms Corinne Greenblatt said, has brought a “sea change in Jewish politics now, where it's very clear that there are pro-Palestine Jews, there are pro-Israel Jews. There are Jews who have no relationship to Israel.” 

Brooklyn rabbi, Andrue Kahn, said that Mr Mamdani has repeatedly affirmed his commitment to fight antisemitism and criticised groups such as the ADL for “deepening division by using Jewish fear as a reason for surveillance.”

“Let's give him a chance to show that his commitment to fighting antisemitism is legitimate, and work with him to build the kinds of cross-community solidarity that make all New Yorkers safer,” Mr Kahn said. REUTERS