WASHINGTON — Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen on Saturday tore into “spineless” Dem pols in New York who have yet to back socialist mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani, demanding they coalesce behind him.
Van Hollen, speaking at a political fundraiser in Iowa, bemoaned both the state of the country and the Democratic Party, declaring that neither is going to “fix itself by itself.
“Many Democratic members of the Senate and the House representing New York have stayed on the sidelines,” the senator griped during the Polk County Democratic Party’s Steak Fry in Des Moines.
“That kind of spineless politics is what people are sick of. They need to get behind him and get behind him now.”
The senator drew national attention earlier this year when he met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an El Salvadoran man who illegally entered the US and was deported by the Trump administration in a move that sparked an outcry among progressives. Garcia has since been sent back to the US amid a legal battle.
Top New York Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Gov. Kathy Hochul, have eschewed an endorsement of left-wing New York City mayoral candidate Mamdani.
Some members of the New York Democratic delegation, such as Reps. Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen, have even outright distanced themselves from the Democratic mayoral nominee.
The tiptoeing around the radical candidate comes amid concerns about his lefty agenda supporting such things as government-run grocery stores and massive tax increases and his past antagonism toward the New York Police Department.
But Van Hollen rationalized Mamdani’s appeal.
“[Mamdani] is focused on ensuring that people can afford to live in the place that they work,” the Maryland pol said. “That should be our goal in New York City, Des Moines and every town and city and place across the United States of America.
“Donald Trump and New York’s financial elites see that as a threat, the idea that everybody who works in New York City should be able to afford to live in New York City, and they have mobilized to defeat [Mamdani].”
Mamdani is squaring off against Mayor Eric Adams and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, both of whom had been leading Democratic figures in the Empire State.
Top New York Democrats have been contemplating for months whether to endorse Mamdani. Jeffries met with him at least twice this summer, and Schumer recently huddled with the candidate last week. Hochul claims that she has been having conversations with him.
GOP strategists have made clear that they hope to link Democrats to Mamdani ahead of the 2026 midterm elections to try to overcome historical headwinds.
Van Hollen on Saturday faulted his party for being too cautious.
“We’ve become a party that too often trims its sails. Too cautious, too rudderless. Too attached to poll-washed, pundit-rinsed and donor-dried messages,” he said. “What comes out of the wash is all bleached and blow-dried.
“This finger-in-the-wind stuff has got to end. We also need to stop deluding ourselves that the problem is all about messaging or about volume or style,” he said. “We don’t just need to fight. We need to fight for something.”
Despite Iowa being dethroned as the kickoff state in Democratic presidential contests, Van Hollen is one of several prominent pols to visit the Hawkeye State in recent months, joining the likes of Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and more.
