His hate for Israel is paying off.
Socialist Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani — who was notoriously arrested at a pro-Palestine protest outdoors US Sen. Chuck Schumer’s home — has raised $641,816 since starting his mayoral marketing campaign three months in the past, probably the most of any candidate throughout this stretch within the closely contested race.
The Ugandan-born, card-carrying Democratic Socialist of America member’s staggering haul features a jaw-dropping 1,426 donations totaling $97,254 from jobless supporters who declared themselves “unemployed” or “not employed,” a Publish assessment of NYC marketing campaign filings discovered.
He landed one other 289 donations totaling almost $30,000 from professors and different staff of Columbia College, New York College and the Metropolis College of New York – all targets of hate-filled pro-Palestine campus protests since Hamas’ invasion of Israel.
Mamdani, the 33-year-old son of a Columbia College professor of presidency and an award-winning Indian filmmaker, raked in one other $20,839 from over 200 donors who classify themselves as writers, journalists, reporters and editors at dozens of media shops.
One other $1,050 got here from “Sex And The City” actress and ex-gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon, whereas $500 was gifted by “Harold and Kumar” actor and ex-Obama administration staffer Kal Penn.
Mamdani — endorsed by the DSA — additionally scored a deluge of marketing campaign funds from lefty unions and elected officers in addition to their staff.
This consists of seven marketing campaign staffers for fellow socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who gave a mixed $645.
Julian Gerson, a senior speechwriter for Gov. Hochul, donated $100.
“There’s no question now that Zohran is the standard bearer of the far-left” within the race to unseat centrist Democratic Mayor Adams, longtime Democratic strategist Chris Coffey instructed The Publish.
Mamdani’s windfall partially has been fueled by his extremist anti-Israel positions, critics mentioned.
He was arrested in October 2023 for taking part in a protest outdoors Senate Majority Chief Schumer’s Brooklyn residence, demanding a cease-fire after Israel struck Gaza in response to Hamas’ brutal terror assault per week earlier.
He additionally launched the “Not on Our Dime!: Ending New York Funding of Israeli Settler Violence Act” — laws aimed toward barring New York-based charitable teams from partaking in “unauthorized support of Israeli settlement activity.”
“It seems like Zohran is trying to fan the flames of hatred and antisemitism solely to propel fundraising in his campaign,” mentioned David Greenfield, CEO of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty and a former Brooklyn councilman.
An awesome majority of Mamdani’s donations are $250 or under, so he stands to ultimately make a killing via the town’s public matching-funds program that awards $8 for every buck contributed on small donations.
Mamdani took a victory lap on social media final week exhibiting he took in probably the most particular person donors in 101 ZIP codes throughout the town and racked up 6,518 distinctive contributions — by far exceeding all different mayoral candidates since Oct. 8.
The unconventional pol has branded himself because the champion for “working-class New Yorkers” since getting into the more and more crowded area, promising sooner, free buses; a hire freeze for rent-stabilized residences; and common childcare.
His pie-in-the-sky insurance policies and slick marketing campaign movies bemoaning $10 halal plates have positioned him to overhaul metropolis Comptroller and fellow socialist Brad Lander because the far-left’s hope and outdo different far lefties within the race, together with Sens. Zellnor Myrie (D-Brooklyn) and Jessica Ramos (D-Queens), Coffey added.
“He’s out-raised all the other progressive candidates [since entering the race]; he’s out-campaigned all the progressive candidates, and he’s run a good race,” Coffey mentioned.
In addition to Adams, different high-profile Democratic candidates lean to the middle, together with former Comptroller Scott Stringer and doubtlessly ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Together with public matching funds, Lander’s marketing campaign has raised $4.1 million and had $3.2 million in hand as of final week — probably the most of any candidate and barely surpassing Adams’ struggle chest of $3.1 million, which was denied tens of millions of {dollars} extra in matching funds due to the felony indictment towards Adams.
A pair of current polls confirmed almost a 3rd of potential voters would again Cuomo for mayor, regardless of him but to formally declare his candidacy.
Mamdani’s spokesman Andrew Epstein mentioned their marketing campaign is “proud” of its “vision for a more affordable New York City. Ours is a universal, humane vision for all New Yorkers.”
