The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) rolled out a memo on Tuesday detailing how Republicans plan to “weaponize” a likely New York City mayoral win from Zohran Mamdani against Democrats in next year’s midterm elections.
In the two-page memo, House Republicans label Mamdani a “socialist” and argue House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’s (D-N.Y.) endorsement of him last week exposed vulnerable Democrats to “political fallout.”
The committee pledged to tie House Democrats to what they called Mamdani’s “anti-police, pro-defund,” “anti-capitalism,” and “anti-Israel extremist views.” Republicans said they would do this through “nationalizing” Mamdani as the face of the Democratic Party, “capitalizing” on Jeffries’ endorsement, “localizing” Mamdani’s win in outside districts, and “framing the choice” between Republican and Democrats.
In the memo, the NRCC cites internal polling from July showing Mamdani with 81 percent name ID and a 25 percent favorable rating. The same polling showed Mamdani with a 41 percent unfavorable rating.
“Democrats are no longer running from the socialist label; they are embracing this toxic agenda, providing Republicans a tremendous opportunity to draw a contrast and go on offense. This isn’t about one race in New York, it’s a national story of a party bending the knee to socialism and the far left,” Republicans wrote.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) fired back in a statement, calling the NRCC “lazy Republican political operatives.”
“The midterms are going to be decided by who’s going to lower prices, fix the economy, and put working families first. By every objective measure, Republicans are failing miserably,” said DCCC spokesperson Viet Shelton.
“Democrats across the country are laser focused on pocketbook issues and it’s why we’re poised to re-take the majority. If lazy Republican political operatives from DC want to waste their time screaming about out-of-state politicians while doing nothing to address the rising cost of living, they will lose,” he continued.
Democrats note that past efforts to nationalize New York mayoral races in midterm races have failed in the past, pointing to Republicans’ efforts to tie House Democrats to New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ (D) corruption charges last year. House Democrats ended up flipping four New York seats in 2024 and reelected Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.).