Hudson Valley Rep. Mike Lawler believes that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other top New York Democrats are “freaking out” over socialist Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the mayoral primary.
Lawler (R-NY) said he believes reporting from journalist Mark Halperin that Jeffries (D-NY) quietly feels that if Mamdani becomes mayor, Democrats won’t be able to take back control of the House.
“I think that’s right,” Lawler told “Fox & Friends” Wednesday when asked about Halperin’s report. “I think they are betwixt and between. You see Kathy Hochul, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries freaking out about the prospects of having a Marxist lead the financial capital of the world.”
“They understand this is a disaster, not only for Democrats, but for the country.”
Halperin had claimed this week that “Hakeem Jeffries strongly believes that if Mamdani wins, he [Jeffries] can’t win the majority” and cited “people who’ve spoken directly with the leader.”
Spokespeople for Jeffries have called that report “patently false.”
So far, Jeffries has declined to endorse Mamdani, who once compared the minority leader to notorious segregationist George Wallace and questioned his progressive bona fides.
The two Democrats met in person last week and Jeffries plans to have another confab with Mamdani after he returns from his marriage celebration in Uganda.
Lawler, who announced Wednesday that he will vie for his swing seat again in 2026 rather than challenge Gov. Kathy Hochul, gloated over the predicament mainstream Democrats face.
“This is absolute insanity to have somebody who says that he wants to seize the means of production, that he wants to ban private property ownership, that he wants to freeze the rent, that he wants free bussing and mass transit, and he wants government-run grocery stores,” he said of Mamdani.
“They understand this is a disaster in the suburban districts like mine that determine the outcome of control of Congress, and that’s why they haven’t yet endorsed him. But at the same token, they can’t run too far away from him.”
Jeffries has been crusading to flip control of the House, where Republicans have a threadbare 219 to 212-seat majority.
Historically, the party in control of the White House loses a chunk of House seats during the midterms. This has been the trend in every midterm election since 1938, with two main exceptions: 1998 and 2002.
Republicans are hoping that other factors, such as Mamdani, could change that dynamic. Mamdani is the clear favorite to become mayor of the Big Apple, but he still must win a general election, though some polls show a tightening race.
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