Antisemitic activist Linda Sarsour is playing a huge role in trying to get socialist Zohran Mamdani elected NYC’s next mayor.
The Hamas-supporting, Palestinian-American firebrand is pushing Mamdani by spreading a message of anti-Israel hate and leaning on lefties to join the Democratic Party in time for the June 24 primary.
Sarsour – a longtime advocate of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign under fire for her extreme views on the Israel-Hamas War – has been campaigning for Mamdani for months, including routinely sending out social-media blasts asking her hundreds of thousands of followers to donate to his campaign.
Sarsour and Mamdani, both card-carrying members of the Democratic Socialists of America, were big supporters of the “Uncommitted National Movement” and “Leave it Blank NY” campaign during last year’s presidential race, which urged Democrats not to vote in the presidential primary to protest then-President Joe Biden’s refusal to condemn Israel defending itself in Gaza.
“As proud Democrats and elected officials and New Yorkers, we endorse the Leave it Blank campaign,” Mamdani, a Queens state assemblyman, said in a video posted with other lefty legislators on X in March 2024.
The same initiatives are also widely credited with ultimately spurring many Democrats not to vote in the general election – won by Republican Donald Trump — and switch to the more radical Working Families Party or other “third parties.”
Now Sarsour and Mamdani are begging the same far-left base to register as Dems and vote for the Ugandan-born Mamdani in the highly contested Democratic mayoral primary.
“I know some of us aren’t feeling any political parties right now but in New York State we have closed primaries and this unfortunately is how it works here! Only Democrats can participate in our primary!” Sarsour posted to her 302,000 Instagram followers on Jan. 25, urging them to register as Dems.
“Tell everyone! Let’s shock the whole system and send Zohran to City Hall!”
Hank Sheinkopf, a longtime Democratic consultant, said Sarsour and the rest of the “anti-Israel far left” see Mamdani as a “great opportunity” to seize control of America’s largest city.
“This is their moment to try and capture the city’s government and turn it into what they want, which is less about progressive politics and more about Jew-hating than anything else,” said Sheinkopf, who is Jewish.
“Linda Sarsour is not running him because he’s a great progressive and believes in some kind of redistribution of wealth. She’s running him because he’s a great antisemite.”
Mamdani is no stranger to fighting on the frontline for causes he believes in, whether it was notoriously being arrested at a pro-Palestine protest outside US Sen. Chuck Schumer’s house in 2023 or being caught on video earlier this month trying to push past New York State police troopers while shouting at border czar Tom Homan to complain about President Trump’s immigration policies.
However, he typically uses more low-key tactics to push his anti-Israel agenda than Sarsour, who’s been “out on the streets protesting for the destruction of Israel” for decades, said Sara Forman, executive director of the pro-Israel New York Solidarity Network and treasurer of its Solidarity PAC that raises money for candidates backing Jewish causes.
“Mamdani shares her ideology, [but] he certainly does not share her tactics,” she said. “Instead of a bullhorn, he uses a charm-and-disarm strategy to calmly state his extreme anti-Israel position — much like his approach to the ‘Uncommitted Movement.’’’
Mamdani, 33, might be a political novice in the mayoral race compared to older, more established Democratic pols like ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Eric Adams, Comptroller Brad Lander and ex-Comptroller Scott Stringer.
However, he’s already proven to be a prolific fundraiser – with plenty of help from Sarsour and the DSA.
He raised $846,949 over a two-month period ending March 13, second only to Cuomo, the presumptive frontrunner who entered the race last month, records show.
Mamdani’s warchest had $3.67 million on hand as of March 13, trailing only Lander by $70,000. It includes a $2,100 donation from Sarsour, the maximum allowed by law, and $200 from Hesham El-Meligy, co-founder of Leave it Blank NY.
He’s also gaining some steam in the polls.
A survey of likely Democratic voters conducted for Tusk Strategies released last month showed Mamdani in second place with 12% support, trailing only Cuomo, who was way ahead at 38%.
Mamdani did not return messages.
Jewish communities citywide will be galvanized to come out and vote in huge numbers against Mamdani if they believe he has a serious chance to win, predicted Rabbi Yaacov Behrman, a longtime politically connected community leader in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and founder of the Jewish Future Alliance.
“He’s a radical leftist who tweets vile things about the Jewish state and shows no empathy for the Jewish community,” he said. “I don’t need Linda Sarsour to convince me to be disgusted by his campaign, rhetoric, and behavior. He disgusts me all on his own!”
