Few local political races have received as much attention in recent memory as the New York City mayoral race. Since defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the recent primary race, far-left candidate Zohran Mamdani has courted controversy for a range of controversial statements — both on the campaign trail and in remarks he made years before entering politics. His admittedly socialist views have received backlash even from within his own party. During a recent Fox News appearance, former Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D-TN) laid out the steps Mamdani’s eventual general-election opponent should use to expose his radical ideology, per the Daily Caller: “I didn’t understand his interview with Kristen Welker. He said that he didn’t want to add race or introduce race to this. But he is, and he doesn’t want to police speech. But I guess it’s OK for him to add any kind of speech he wants and just wrap it or defend it with the notion of free speech. I wonder what he thinks about the word slavery?” Ford asked. “Is that something you don’t want to talk about? Or what he thinks about the N-word? Does he have friends who use that word, and we may misunderstand it?” Ford asked. “To talk about wealth and race, I think, is the most racist thing to do. So I hope if he’s going to be — he is the nominee for the Democratic Party. I hope he understands that and hope he reassesses how he talks about these things because a lot of people are listening and a lot of people reacting.” During an interview ahead of New York City’s election day, Mamdani came under fire after appearing on “The Bulwark” and refusing to denounce the phrases “globalize the intifada” and “From the river to the sea” when host Tim Miller asked if they made him uncomfortable. Mamdani told Welker on Sunday that while it isn’t the “language” he uses, his beliefs are grounded in “universal human rights.” Ford went on to say: “So whomever is his leading opponent, whether it’s Andrew Cuomo or Eric Adams is certainly on the ballot, that they craft a message around these things to go after him and make him answer,” Ford said. “How are you assessing wealth through race? But you can’t condemn global intifada? You can’t condemn or acknowledge the state of Israel’s right to exist?  These are real questions I think he’s going to have.” Mamdani’s views have been widely analyzed and denounced on social media in the days since he’s become a household name: New York City is so screwed https://t.co/Yc6Ff8MYKR — Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 25, 2025 Zohran Mamdani’s plan to tax people based on skin color isn’t just wrong, it’s racism pure and simple. We’ve got a mayor who calls white people “crackers” and now a socialist pushing race based property taxes. I’ll fix the system the right way: fair, transparent and smart. No… pic.twitter.com/lQl9n4fwky — Curtis Sliwa (@CurtisSliwa) June 28, 2025 “Globalize the Intifada” is a call to violence. Full stop. Words matter—whether Mamdani cares to believe that or not. New Yorkers need to reject this lunatic. pic.twitter.com/xLk9kyR9vQ — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 30, 2025 As the New York Post reported, the Democratic Party’s leader in the House of Representatives took a clear shot at Mamdani amid intraparty squabbles over his controversial rhetoric: “Globalizing the intifada, by way of example, is not an acceptable phrasing,” Jeffries (D-NY) told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. The term “intifada” means uprising. “He’s going to have to clarify his position on that as he moves forward,” the Brooklyn Democrat continued. “With respect to the Jewish communities that I represent, I think our nominee is going to have to convince folks that he is prepared to aggressively address the rise in antisemitism in the city of New York, which has been an unacceptable development.” During his interview with the Bulwark on June 17, Mamdani refused to denounce the phrase when pressed about whether it made him uncomfortable. The Big Apple mayoral nominee then repeatedly refused to condemn it again in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday — despite many people interpreting it as a call to murder or harm Jews. “That’s not language that I use. The language that I use and the language that I will continue to use to lead this city is that which speaks clearly to my intent, which is an intent grounded in a belief in universal human rights,” he told Kristen Welker on the program. Here’s some additional coverage of Jeffries’ efforts to move away from the pro-Mamdani wing of his party: