Zohran Mamdani shakes politics far away from New York City

These days, everyone wants a piece of Zohran Mamdani. 

Progressives hang on to his every word and say more Democratic politicians should be like him.

Moderates fear him and worry he has too much control of their party. And conservative Republicans, including his frenemy President Trump, have cast him as a communist, making the New York mayor their newest foil. 

That was all on display this week after Mamdani, in an interview with The New York Times, said he was examining whether he could have Benjamin Netanyahu arrested when the Israeli prime minister visits New York for the United Nations General Assembly later this year. Instantly, every side sought to use Mamdani to their advantage. 

“Love him or loathe him, Mamdani figured out how to become a national brand,” said Steve Israel, the former congressman from New York. “He dominates one of the most powerful media markets in the world, his views are clear and quotable, and he’s figured out how to exploit a news cycle.”

Israel pointed to the mayor’s comments on Netanyahu this week as proof. “We don’t know if he was ever going to do that, but he got 48 hours of attention when he floated it,” he said. 

One Democratic strategist added that Mamdani “is an easy story telling device for everybody.”

“Progressives love the generational change and the telling of the story of economics. For Republicans, they want to tell a story about a scary outsider who is making things different,” the strategist said. “I think he might be an interesting case where both sides think they can get what they want out of him.”

As the midterms inch closer, the rhetoric is ramping up on all sides. Republicans are using Mamdani to frame their argument that the Democratic Party is heading toward communism. 

At a press conference this week at the Republican National........

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