Sure, people have been talking already about the split in Democrat loyalties happening in the NYC mayoral election since state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani’s win in the Dem primary this week. And some celebration is due for those of us on the right that these people who are usually the most team-oriented are splintering into factions. Over the past few hours, I've noticed something weird is going on - and It's even bigger than who New Yorkers pick in November's general election.
One bit of news before I dive into it in earnest, and it relates to a big deal in blue state politics: the strength of union support. The New York Times reported on Friday afternoon on what it called two "major unions" (along with a third union that abstained from endorsing in the primary season) shifting their endorsements from former NY governor, Andrew Cuomo to Mamdani.
The two endorsements, along with one from a third union that did not back a candidate in the primary, seemed to be a clear sign that traditional Democratic power brokers are beginning to consolidate behind Mr. Mamdani.
Leaders of the three unions, the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council; Local 32BJ SEIU, which represents doormen and other building workers; and the New York State Nurses Association, said they were supporting Mr. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, because he had made affordability and working people his campaign’s centerpiece. They promised to invest in boots-on-the-ground campaigns to help him beat Mayor Eric Adams in November.
Other moves have countered that one, with Mayor Adams snapping up business owners' support that was going to Cuomo previously, the report added.
But there are a few other dominoes still to fall between now and November, something that my colleague Bob Hoge picked up on in his piece earlier on Friday morning on the state of the race. He quoted an Axios story sharing Mamdani's not-too-welcoming reception by Democrat Party politicos, which also mentions that the big donors that fuel victories are cooling their heels on Cuomo or Adams for the moment:
Major Democratic donors — who poured tens of millions into a Super PAC for Cuomo — were having private discussions Wednesday about whether to back an independent run by Cuomo in November's general election, or rally behind unpopular incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who's also running as an independent.
READ MORE: Could Socialist Zohran Mamdani Be a Big, Beautiful Gift to Republicans? - VIP
The NYT piece linked above points out that some are sticking with Cuomo for now:
“I’d like Cuomo to still run,” the media executive Barry Diller told The New York Times, adding that he “won't support Zohran.” (Mr. Diller contributed $250,000 to a super PAC that supported Mr. Cuomo’s primary run.)
What about the far-left of the Democrat Party -- you know, the ones who have been trying to score political points by play-acting as victims while actually interfering with Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents protecting the American people at detention facilities and courthouses. One of those politicians was another candidate who ran in the mayor's race with Mamdani: Brad Lander.
Democrats are actors; they play for the camera. They think that by fighting ICE agents for illegals, they gain credibility. Guess what it doesn't. You just look like a traitor.
— Sadie (@Sadie_NC) June 17, 2025
Here is actor Brad Lander (Democratic mayoral candidate for NYC) getting arrested for trying to… pic.twitter.com/Smpff5IHnR
Notice I used the word "with" instead of "against." That wasn't an accident. Lander and Mamdani did something during the primary called cross-endorsement. It's pretty much self-explanatory. They directed their supporters to mark down the other Dem in ranked choice voting as the second choice.
In an interview after the NY election, Lander tipped his hand on something else - and not just the liberals' voting strategy.
I want you to listen for what Lander doesn't say because that's the weirdness I mentioned creeping in:
The line in the Democratic Party right now is not between progressives and moderates — it’s between fighters and folders. @ZohranKMamdani is a fighter, and I’m urging my fellow Democratic leaders to join me in helping him win in November. pic.twitter.com/vqEqyAoTaZ
— Brad Lander (@bradlander) June 25, 2025
Catch that? Given free rein to attack "establishment" guy Andrew Cuomo here, Lander doesn't. And he is not alone. Better-known progressives like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) have been doing the same thing since Mamdani became the Democrat nominee.
Twitchy wrote about such a clip of AOC. And wouldn't you know it, she and Lander are singing from the same hymnal. As Sandy hems and haws about the message being more important than the candidate in the NYC race, she demurs to strike when the name of Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) crosses her lips:
AOC goes after Democrat Establishment: Says they need to learn some lessons from Mamdani’s electoral performance —
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) June 27, 2025
— “and I hope that they’re learned soon."
Agree. Adopt Mamdani's policies as the national DNC platform, immediately. pic.twitter.com/BNGBEfu0KU
Why would these radicals refuse to directly attack Democrat establishment figures like Schumer or even Cuomo? I think I know why.
As usual, the leftists are in front of cameras, making a show of pushing the "it's not about the candidate" narrative; they are trying to sell the Marxist fantasy of "the working class" being handed whatever they can dream up in one of the most taxed, unlivable blue cities in the country. They aren't stupid, though; remember that progressive slogans were worked deeply into the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz presidential campaign messaging. That campaign lost. If the progressives see New York voters souring on Mamdani as the campaign goes on, they want to keep in good stead with the establishment players in their party. It truly is all about power for them, in the end.
