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Mamdani moves to widen his tent ahead of New York City election

1 17
17.08.2025

Moderate Democrats have been wary of progressive upstart-turned-party-nominee Zohran Mamdani since before he secured the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor in June.

But Mamdani, the self-proclaimed Democratic socialist, has made efforts to widen his tent in recent weeks.

On Monday, he met with business leaders and gave a speech at an African Methodist Church, seeking to appeal to demographics that have been lukewarm, and even outright resistant, toward him.

Last month, he agreed to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” something that angered moderate parts of the New York electorate. And, a day earlier, he said he was open to keeping Jessica Tisch as police commissioner, a move that could upset his far-left base.

Political observers say there’s evidence Mamdani’s efforts to consolidate support with a move toward the center are succeeding.

“He’s getting more endorsements slowly. He’s getting more meetings. And people and industries are looking to gear up for a Mamdani administration,” said New-York based Republican strategist Susan Del Percio, who worked for former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, an opponent of Mamdani’s, as a special adviser in 2014. “It’s just a recognition of, ‘This is who I'm probably going to be working with in six months.’”

“They're giving it to Mamdani or they're not supporting anyone else, which is by........

© The Hill