USA Fetterman Slams Mamdani After Primary Win: “Not Even a Democrat”

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Fetterman Slams Mamdani After Primary Win: “Not Even a Democrat”

 

Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania didn’t hold back in his criticism of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on Thursday, calling the self-described socialist “not even a Democrat” and accusing him of offering Republicans a political gift with his primary win.

 

“Everything that I’ve read on him, I don’t really agree with virtually any of it, politically,” Fetterman said during an interview with Fox News, referring to Mamdani. “That’s just where I’m at as a Democrat. He’s not even a Democrat, honestly.”

 

Mamdani, a Queens assemblyman backed by progressive and socialist groups, pulled off a surprise upset in the city’s Democratic primary, defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo. But Fetterman wasn’t celebrating. Instead, he warned that Mamdani’s victory could be a damaging development for Democrats nationwide. “Christmas in July for the GOP,” he said of the outcome.

 

Throughout his campaign, Mamdani proposed sweeping reforms that have energized the city’s left-wing voters. His platform included eliminating fares on city buses, making tuition at the City University of New York free, freezing rent citywide, and expanding taxpayer-funded services such as child care and grocery stores. But while these policies resonated in the five boroughs, Fetterman argued that Mamdani’s success does not represent the national political landscape.

 

“It’s definitely not Pennsylvania. It’s not Wisconsin. It’s not Nevada,” Fetterman said. “If you look at any of the battleground states, New York City has no actual relevance to the kinds of states and the kind of races which determine that in 2028.”

 

Fetterman added that Republicans would almost certainly use Mamdani’s agenda in future attack ads across the country. “Is it going to be useful for attack campaigns? Absolutely,” he said. “He’s a gift to the Republicans in that way, but there’s no lessons to be learned.”

 

He further dismissed the political implications of Mamdani’s win, suggesting it reflects more on New York’s unique political climate than any broader trend. “There’s no special kind of insight. For New York City, politically, that’s a circus mirror of the reality of politics and the politics of our country,” he said.

 

The general election for New York City mayor is shaping up to be a chaotic contest, with Mamdani likely to face a number of high-profile challengers. Independent former federal prosecutor Jim Walden has entered the race, as has current Mayor Eric Adams, who is also running as an independent after growing alienated from the Democratic Party. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo may also continue his campaign as an independent.

On the Republican side, Guardian Angels co-founder Curtis Sliwa is running once again for the city’s top job.

 

Mamdani’s unexpected primary victory has intensified debates within the Democratic Party over the direction of its urban politics. But for Fetterman, the message is clear: Mamdani’s politics may resonate in Queens, but they don’t belong in the national conversation.

 

Related Topics:

Zohran Mamdani’s Campus Group Hosted Speaker Who Blamed U.S. for 9/11

NYC Mayoral Hopeful Under Fire for Past Comments Defending Al Qaeda Cleric

Zohran Mamdani NYC mayoral candidate Under Fire for Praising Convicted Hamas Funders

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from NYP  2025-07-12

 

 

[pegman]

"Not even a Dem", as if Fetterman can talk. 

[HappyExpat57]

12 minutes ago, pegman said:

"Not even a Dem", as if Fetterman can talk. 

The cheese done slid off his cracker. Unfortunately, having a fully functional brain is no longer important. The human race really needs a major cull.

[thaipo7]

19 minutes ago, pegman said:

"Not even a Dem", as if Fetterman can talk. 

Who wants to be a Dem?  Thank God I am not one.

[Purdey]

If he wins it will difficult to explain. 

If he gains popular support it will be a clue for Democrats.

[Srikcir]

Just now, Purdey said:

If he wins it will difficult to explain. 

If he gains popular support it will be a clue for Democrats.

Don't discount the Independent voters who have no issue crossing establishment political lines.

[Chomper Higgot]

Fetterman, worth every red cent lobbyists pay him.

[Chomper Higgot]

49 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

Don't discount the Independent voters who have no issue crossing establishment political lines.

And the young vote Mandani is mobilizing.

[WDSmart]

Zohran Mamdani may not be a Democrat, but I do support the social and economic policies he's spoken about - at least the one's I've read online.

[Patong2021]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Fetterman, worth every red cent lobbyists pay him.

 

Did you even take the time to look at the man's voting record. The man is more aligned with the Democrat party than other, well known Democrat members of Congress.

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/john_fetterman/456877

because he doesn't  meet your own biased assumption you  accuse him of being bought by Republican lobbyists. That is just ignorant.

 

[Chomper Higgot]

36 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

 

Did you even take the time to look at the man's voting record. The man is more aligned with the Democrat party than other, well known Democrat members of Congress.

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/john_fetterman/456877

because he doesn't  meet your own biased assumption you  accuse him of being bought by Republican lobbyists. That is just ignorant.

 

I’m very aware of Fetterman’s voting record.

 

I don’t know whether you’ve noticed but Mamdani’s positions are left of most of the Democratic Party, though seemingly popular with NY voters.

Addressing my actual comment, I also pay attention to who funds Fetterman.

 

 

[kingstonkid]

4 hours ago, pegman said:

"Not even a Dem", as if Fetterman can talk. 

FETTERMAN for PRESIDENT  OF THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF u.s.

 

The radical left has taken over the present DNC, so either the right or the center have to speak up or decide to form separately.

 

Right now of those talking Fetterman seems the most level-headed 

 

 

[TedG]

4 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

The cheese done slid off his cracker. Unfortunately, having a fully functional brain is no longer important. The human race really needs a major cull.

You can start with yourself.  

[TedG]

4 hours ago, Purdey said:

If he wins it will difficult to explain. 

If he gains popular support it will be a clue for Democrats.

What plays in NYC maybe not play in rest of the USA.  

[TedG]

2 hours ago, WDSmart said:

Zohran Mamdani may not be a Democrat, but I do support the social and economic policies he's spoken about - at least the one's I've read online.

You support polices that will never work. 

[Will B Good]

Why does Fetterman get so much coverage every time he utters something?

 

Does he pay these media outlets?

[bubblegum]

They do not seem to understand the popularity of of more left leading Democrats. Look at AOC. No the Dems are still hanging on the good old Clinton's and the like. Will they ever wake up?

[billd766]

25 minutes ago, kingstonkid said:

FETTERMAN for PRESIDENT  OF THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF u.s.

 

The radical left has taken over the present DNC, so either the right or the center have to speak up or decide to form separately.

 

Right now of those talking Fetterman seems the most level-headed 

 

 

He seems to be able to spout BS like a politician.

 

So he can talk the talk, but can he walk the walk as well?

 

First he has to quit his very well paid day job, then he has to form a "new" party, then the new party has to win an overall majority in the house AND the senate, then if all that happens h can become the potus and run the country.

 

Do you think he will be able to do that in just over 3 years?

[Chomper Higgot]

38 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

Why does Fetterman get so much coverage every time he utters something?

 

Does he pay these media outlets?

More to the point, why is the rightwing media paying so much attention to Mamdani?

 

 

[Chomper Higgot]

32 minutes ago, bubblegum said:

They do not seem to understand the popularity of of more left leading Democrats. Look at AOC. No the Dems are still hanging on the good old Clinton's and the like. Will they ever wake up?

Precisely.

 

AOC overthrew the ‘establishment’ candidate, speaks for ordinary working Americans and packs out auditoriums across America.

 

 

[Patong2021]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I’m very aware of Fetterman’s voting record.

 

I don’t know whether you’ve noticed but Mamdani’s positions are left of most of the Democratic Party, though seemingly popular with NY voters.

Addressing my actual comment, I also pay attention to who funds Fetterman.

 

 

 

Ok, please tell us who the  the big Republican lobby contributions are coming from.

What I can see is that his top contributors are not what you claim. 1/2 of his contributions are from individual small donations of less than $200.   He gets a very small amount of contributions from PACs. - approx. 1% of his donations.

His largest contributors are not Republican strategists or lobbyists.

JStreet PAC $175,021

Google Inc $154,387

University Of Pennsylvania $138,520 

University Of Pittsburgh $100,609

Penn State University $98,165

 

[Chomper Higgot]

7 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

 

Ok, please tell us who the  the big Republican lobby contributions are coming from.

What I can see is that his top contributors are not what you claim. 1/2 of his contributions are from individual small donations of less than $200.   He gets a very small amount of contributions from PACs. - approx. 1% of his donations.

His largest contributors are not Republican strategists or lobbyists.

JStreet PAC $175,021

Google Inc $154,387

University Of Pennsylvania $138,520 

University Of Pittsburgh $100,609

Penn State University $98,165

 

Did I say ‘big Republican lobby donations’?

 

 

[Patong2021]

1 hour ago, Will B Good said:

Why does Fetterman get so much coverage every time he utters something?

Does he pay these media outlets?

 

Because his positions reflect the views of a lot of voters. He is representative of what the Democrat party once was, a party that cared about the workers and that presented socially responsible economic policies. He speaks hs mind.

 

58 minutes ago, bubblegum said:

They do not seem to understand the popularity of of more left leading Democrats. Look at AOC. No the Dems are still hanging on the good old Clinton's and the like. Will they ever wake up?

 

The popularity of the  "left" leaning democrats does not represent the majority of Democrat party members. The Progressive group of Congressional  members are not all radical leftists.  Many are considered progressive because of their positions on women's reproductive rights, or health care access or the environment. The radical democrats like  AOC, Omar, Tiab, Mfume etc. reflect ethnic political views specific to their ethnic enclaves. The high concentration of  blacks, latinos and muslims in their districts  foster  political positions specific to their own communities and do not reflect the needs of other communities in the USA.

 

26 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

More to the point, why is the rightwing media paying so much attention to Mamdani?

Because he offers views that resonate with tens of millions of  citizens.

 

25 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Precisely.

AOC overthrew the ‘establishment’ candidate, speaks for ordinary working Americans and packs out auditoriums across America.

 

AOC only "packs" auditoriums in certain areas that have  a large population of people that are attracted by her ethnic  focused policies. The radical white college kids that come out to cheer her on, will soon change their support once they start paying large portions of their income in taxes or are directly negatively impacted by the policies she promotes. It's called a phase.

[Patong2021]

7 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Did I say ‘big Republican lobby donations’?

 

No you did not. I did see "red cent" which is often taken to mean  Republican funds, a "Blue cent" would be interpreted as Democrat funds.  

Ok, so some groups seeking to influence his positions contribute. What's your point? AOC receives large contributions from similar groups as Fetterman such as Google, New York City Dept of Education, Kaiser Permanente, City University of New York and the US Postal Service. Bernie Sanders had similar large  donations.

Why are Fetterman's donations questionable and not Sanders or AOC's?

[unblocktheplanet]

So few people understand the meaning of 'radical' or 'leftist'. Mamdani represents the people of NYC. They don't care about Nevada, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania. Why should they?

 

There's a New Democrat Party in Canada. They started out socialist and have been corrupted into the mainstream, meaning same-old same-old. Tired policies. Same as Fetterman's.

 

The Damns have their heads in the sand. They really believe, or profess to, that Trump will give up in 2028. Wake up! The Trump dynasty is solely based on grabbing bucks, no more, no less.

 

Time for somebody different. Somebody with a sense of humour and no hate, who knows what 'party' means.   

[spidermike007]

This man is an absolute joke, the amount of racist hatred and establishment nonsense coming out of both the left and the right toward Mamdami is astonishing, very ugly, and says a lot about America in 2025. 

[Bkk Brian]

52 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

More to the point, why is the rightwing media paying so much attention to Mamdani?

 

 

You need an alternative point:

 

Is the New York Times trying to wreck Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral bid?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/07/is-the-new-york-times-trying-to-wreck-zohran-mamdanis-mayoral-bid

[Screaming]

6 hours ago, thaipo7 said:

Who wants to be a Dem?  Thank God I am not one.

Yes, thank you Lord I am not a socialist Dem. It seems that the Democrats are going full-blown antisemitic socialist with the choice of Zohran Mamdani as their candidate for mayor. The Dems are no longer even trying to hide the fact that they are not capitalists. 

[Chomper Higgot]

35 minutes ago, Screaming said:

Yes, thank you Lord I am not a socialist Dem. It seems that the Democrats are going full-blown antisemitic socialist with the choice of Zohran Mamdani as their candidate for mayor. The Dems are no longer even trying to hide the fact that they are not capitalists. 

 On of that makes sense.

 

 

[unblocktheplanet]

I'm really surprised Giuliani isn't running. I have the rare distinction of being prosecuted by Giuliani myself. For the SDS-organised Columbia University siege in 1967. It was sure fun on acid! Conspiracy to disrupt the economy of New York State. Acquitted. But I got to know my first transvestite, play blackjack & trade pouches of Bull Durham for my gambling debts in The Tombs.