Exclusive: Republicans plan to "weaponize" Mamdani in 2026
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New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani waves during a campaign rally at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens on Oct. 26. Photo: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
Congressional Republicans have a "battle plan to weaponize" Zohran Mamdani as the new face of the Democratic Party in House battleground races, according to a memo first shared with Axios.
Why it matters: Republicans see Mamdani — a self-described socialist from Queens — as proof that Democrats are drifting more and more to the left.
- For years, Republicans made former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) their "bogeywoman," consistently using her in attack ads to rile up the base.
- With Pelosi out of the spotlight, GOP strategists are testing new symbols of the party's left, and hope Mamdani will fill that void.
Driving the news: The new National Republican Congresssional Committee memo highlights policy areas described as "anti-police, pro-defund" "anti-capitalism," and "anti-Israel extremist." (Mamdani has backed away from his calls to defund the police, among other positions.)
- "House Republicans will make Zohran Mamdani famous in
battleground races next November," the memo reads.
Zoom in: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) endorsed Mamdani late Friday after months of pressure from the progressive base, giving Republicans fresh fodder for their messaging.
- National Democrats had been anxious about whether to back Mamdani, with some fearing his brand of politics could alienate swing voters, Axios previously reported.
- "Democrats are no longer running from the socialist label; they are embracing this toxic agenda, providing Republicans a tremendous opportunity to draw a contrast and go on offense," the NRCC wrote.
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), also from Brooklyn like Jeffries, has yet to weigh in.
The details: An internal July poll of 1,000 voters in 46 battleground districts found Mamdani had 81% name recognition — just five points behind Jeffries — but a 16-point net negative favorability (25% favorable, 41% unfavorable).
- The memo also instructs Republicans to "localize" Mamdani's policies as part of their messaging strategies, arguing that "if Mamdani's socialism can take over in New York, it can anywhere."
- "This isn't about one race in New York, it's a national story of a party bending the knee to socialism and the far left."
The bottom line: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday called Jeffries' endorsement a "seismic shift in politics."
- "We saw our clearest sign yet that this radical insurgent movement in the Democrat Party is succeeding, and they are ending what has always been known as the Democrat Party in America," he continued.
