GOP candidates across the country have sought to tie their opponents to the 34-year-old mayor, his anti-Israel views and his brand of socialism \u2014 a bet that American voters will reject the Democratic Party\u2019s leftward tilt.<\/p>\n

The effort began in earnest last year when the House Republicans\u2019 campaign arm wasted little time launching ads<\/u><\/a> in 49 swing seats nationwide, tying the then-mayor elect to Democratic candidates and warning that a \u201cradical-left earthquake just hit America.\u201d In the race for a hotly contested suburban New York City district held by Rep. Mike Lawler, a House GOP super PAC launched an ad<\/u><\/a> linking his Democratic challenger Cait Conley to the mayor. On Long Island, Republican Mike LiPetri has slammed Mamdani’s \u201csocialist wish list.\u201d<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

Such attacks are significantly harder to make after Trump, who retains tremendous sway over the Republican base, stood beside Mamdani at Gracie Mansion<\/u><\/a> on Monday and said the mayor has “great potential” and that he\u2019s rooting for his success. The plaudits from the president could not have come at a worse time for a GOP struggling to maintain control of Congress.<\/p>\n

\u201cMamdani is one of the most popular politicians on planet earth right now,\u201d said Chapin Fay, a GOP operative working for a super PAC allied with New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman. \u201cEverything that comes out of his mouth I stand against, but he\u2019s good looking, he knows how to operate the media, he\u2019s an incredibly dangerous threat. But you need a good villain to run against in politics, and he\u2019s just not a good villain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Republicans aren\u2019t making adjustments. GOP campaigns don\u2019t necessarily expect voters to be turned off by Mamdani specifically, but by a broader concern over the perception that the far left is surging after a string of primary victories by candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America. Running against a rising socialist tide is viewed as much easier than competing against the New York City mayor himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat dynamic hasn\u2019t changed,\u201d said one New York Republican operative who was granted anonymity to discuss strategy. \u201cIt\u2019s still a very salient issue in the New York City suburbs.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement, a White House spokesperson touted Trump\u2019s economic record, including tax cuts and addressing prescription drug costs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe President\u2019s top priority is always improving the lives of Americans everywhere,\u201d White House spokesperson Allison Schuster said.<\/p>\n

The jarring union between two deeply polarizing politicians is an unwelcome splitscreen for Republicans in tough races trying to yoke their moderate opponents to Mamdani\u2019s hard-left image. And their bond has effectively neutralized what could have been a potent weapon for Republicans in a midterm election that increasingly appears dire for the GOP. Polls are showing tightening races in deep red states, while swing seat Republicans need every bit of political ammunition they can muster to counter Democratic attacks over affordability.<\/p>\n

The conundrum is particularly complicated for Republicans in deep blue New York, home to several swing districts where the upcoming electoral outcomes stand to determine which party controls the House and the direction of the president\u2019s final two years in office.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an especially thorny challenge for Blakeman, who\u2019s running an uphill campaign against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and has tried to paint the incumbent as a Mamdani fellow traveler. Blakeman\u2019s campaign has released artificial intelligence-generated videos of Blakeman and Mamdani walking side by side, accusing them both of enabling New York City\u2019s destruction. He\u2019s admonished the governor for helping bolster the city\u2019s finances \u2014 enabling the mayor\u2019s agenda as a result.<\/p>\n

Losing Mamdani as an effective foil, GOP strategists warn, undermines Blakeman\u2019s ability to make that argument against the Democratic governor, who\u2019s leading in the polls.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very bad for him,\u201d said a Republican operative granted anonymity to speak frankly about the dynamic. \u201cHe\u2019s supposed to be the Trump guy and here\u2019s Trump praising Mamdani as a guy with a lot of potential. It seems to have really shocked people all over the state. It really deflates his entire campaign basis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blakeman shrugged off the Gracie Mansion lovefest, insisting to reporters a day later that it had no impact on the race \u2014 or his effort to paint Hochul as a far-left radical aligned with the mayor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe president is a government official. He\u2019s the highest government official in the United States,\u201d Blakeman said. \u201cAnd the mayor\u2019s a government official, so I expect that the two of them would talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the first time a Trump-Mamdani sitdown sapped a Republican\u2019s effort to inject the New York City mayor into their campaign. Rep. Elise Stefanik\u2019s short-lived gubernatorial campaign was short-circuited<\/u><\/a> in part by the lovefest, when the president declined to repeat her claim that Mamdani is \u201ca jihadist.\u201d<\/p>\n

For many of those who\u2019ve been in Trump\u2019s orbit, the relationship is a broad reminder that the president continues to harbor a fixation with his hometown where for decades he was a larger-than-life real estate developer.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing you can always count on is that Donald Trump, in spite of everything, loves New York City,\u201d said Michael Caputo, a former Trump administration official and Republican strategist. \u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019d ever give up on [New York City]. If that makes it a little difficult for some people in their races, I\u2019m sorry, but that was baked into this presidency 50 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump, who had toyed with running for mayor and governor during his days as a Manhattan developer, has tried to influence New York City\u2019s fate throughout much of his life. He endorsed Mamdani\u2019s main foe in last year\u2019s mayoral election, Andrew Cuomo, warning voters in the financial capital of the world to not elect a socialist. His administration tried unsuccessfully to halt a Manhattan toll plan meant to reduce traffic. And the federal government\u2019s push to redevelop the catacomb-like Penn Station may end up with the president\u2019s name on it.<\/p>\n

His meetings with Mamdani have reflected back that intense interest in the five boroughs.<\/p>\n

The Trump-Mamdani rapport was forged months ago during their first Oval Office meeting in November.<\/a> There, the president and the incoming Gotham mayor posed in front of Franklin Roosevelt\u2019s portrait. At their second meeting in February<\/u><\/a>, Mamdani gifted Trump a fake tabloid front page with the headline \u201cTrump to City: Let\u2019s Build\u201d and discussed how to change<\/u><\/a> New York City\u2019s byzantine zoning laws to enable development.<\/p>\n

During their most recent meeting the two men discussed building thousands of housing units on top of a Queens rail yard.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe may not be one of the city\u2019s most popular residents, but he\u2019s never going to quit on New York City,\u201d Caputo said. \u201cIt\u2019s never going to matter who the mayor is.\u201d<\/p>\n

For similar reasons Mamdani has faced little political downside from the solicitous meetings with a president who most Democrats view with toxicity. The mayor entered office with scant executive experience and has been under pressure to prove he can govern. Trump\u2019s federal government can provide money to help deliver wins for him in City Hall. Much like the president, Mamdani maintains support from an enthusiastic base.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no danger \u2014 his base gives him a complete pass for this,\u201d Democratic strategist Trip Yang said. \u201cThere\u2019s no progressive organization that would criticize Mamdani for this. He\u2019s been able to demonstrate some early progress and some potential with Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interest has already started to wane in leveraging Mamdani as a villain in Republican campaigns. For suburban New York City voters concerned about public safety and antisemitism, the mayor remains a divisive figure. While a recent Siena Research Institute poll found<\/u><\/a> he has a 60% favorable rating in New York City, only 43% of voters in the suburbs feel the same way.<\/p>\n

And some Republicans believe the meetings with Mamdani may have the effect of sanding down some of Trump\u2019s rougher edges \u2014 weakening Democratic efforts to demonize the president in the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt works both ways,\u201d former GOP Rep. John Sweeney said. \u201cIf one guy is a boogeyman, the other guy is a boogeyman on the other side.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ALBANY, New York \u2014 President Donald Trump\u2019s long-term bromance with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has scrambled Republicans\u2019 collective effort to make the democratic socialist the boogeyman of the midterm elections. GOP candidates across the country have sought to tie their opponents to the 34-year-old mayor, his anti-Israel views and his brand of socialism […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-congress"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27305"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27305\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}