Democrats hold socialist Zohran Mamdani at arm’s length after he declares victory over the ‘soul’ of the party

Avowed socialist Zohran Mamdani says his mayoral campaign has put progressives in the driver’s seat of the Democratic Party — but establishment Democrats aren’t ready to let go of the wheel.

Mamdani, 33, the party’s candidate for mayor of New York, declared Monday that his proudly socialist campaign “won the battle for the soul of the Democratic Party” before a rally of 3,000 supporters Monday evening. The Daily Caller News Foundation asked 11 Democratic senators about Mamdani’s comments and they all sought to either distance themselves from the socialist candidate or declined to comment on his place within the party. (RELATED: Zohran Mamdani chased from NYC park by protester calling him ‘anti-Semitic’)

“I tend to focus on Michigan and not Manhattan politics,” Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a rising star among Democrats, told DCNF when asked if she agreed that Mamdani’s campaign had won the “soul” of the party.

“I just think New York politics is different than Kansas politics, which is different than Michigan politics,” Slotkin added.

“It is [New York City] not the rest of the country,” Slotkin’s retired Michigan colleague, Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, told DCNF.

National Democrats have been cautious about embracing Mamdani after his shock victory over former New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the June primary. More Democrats have lent their support in recent weeks as the election enters its final stretch and Mamdani’s lead in the polls appears insurmountable for the other candidates in the race.

However, many Democratic lawmakers insist that the consequences of Mamdani’s rapid rise for the party should be limited to the city’s five boroughs — and seek to keep him at bay.

“I was one of those people who said we should bring him into our group and all that kind of stuff,” Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat with alleged presidential ambitions, declared to the DCNF. “Mamdani represents the New York Democratic Party and its establishment, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but that doesn’t mean his brand would be taken elsewhere.”

“Have you talked to my colleagues in New York? I mean, I’m not voting for this guy,” New Mexico Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Lújan told the DCNF.

New York’s two senators, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, head of the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, notably sat on the sidelines of the competition at the town hall.

Some National Democrats appear uncomfortable with some of Mamdani’s far-left views and fear the socialist candidate will damage the party’s already poor image, which has sunk to its lowest level in decades.

Top Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have said Mamdani’s socialist policies would provide a useful foil to the party’s efforts to win next year’s midterm elections.

Mamdani once called for defunding the police, whom he called “racist, anti-queer and a major threat to public safety” during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests.

Among the far-left policies in his election platform, he wants to freeze rent and eliminate a gifted program in schools that allows high-achieving children to learn beyond their grade level.

Mamdani also did not condemn the phrase “globalizing the Intifada,” language many see as a call for violence against Jews and the State of Israel, until after he became the Democratic candidate for mayor. The socialist candidate did not go back on his promise to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he set foot in Manhattan during his term as mayor.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has repeatedly dodged questions about why he is delaying supporting Mamdani.

🚨WATCH: @AndiNapier asks Jeffries about his support for Mamdani.

His non-response👇 pic.twitter.com/Ae0A9aWPaW

– Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 14, 2025

Jeffries evaded a question Tuesday from CNN’s Dana Bash asking whether he thought Mamdani and his movement represented the soul of the party.

“Well, the Democratic Party, of course, is extremely diverse and it’s represented by people like Mikie Sherrill…,” Jeffries said, referring to an establishment Democrat who is the party’s nominee in the New Jersey gubernatorial race.

“But there is only one soul,” Bash interjected.

Jeffries continued the interview without directly commenting on the socialist’s place within the party. The minority leader said he would meet again with Mamdani before early voting begins later in October.

WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 16: Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani enter an elevator after a meeting in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on July 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Other Democrats responded politely to Mamdani’s remarks without sharing their opinion.

“The Democratic Party has a range of views, just like the Republican Party has a range of views,” Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, another potential 2028 presidential contender, told DCNF.

Delaware Democratic Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester did not comment on the statement, telling DCNF that she had not seen Mamdani’s comments. However, she added that she sees “some positive energy coming from New York.”

Democratic Senators Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts also declined to comment, saying they had not seen Mamdani’s remarks.

Warren, a leader on the party’s left flank, was among a handful of congressional Democrats who supported Mamdani after his primary victory. She campaigned for him in August, praising his campaign’s focus on cost-of-living issues.

Despite the apparent reluctance of many national Democrats to support Mamdani’s rise, his supporters argue that the socialist candidate is paving the way for Democrats to regain power.

“The Democratic Party must rid itself of the influence of the billionaire class and corporations, and must respond to the needs of the working class,” independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who endorsed Mamdani ahead of the Democratic mayoral primary, told the DCNF. “And certainly, when Mamdani talks about affordability, he speaks the right language.”

A spokesperson for Mamdani did not immediately respond to DCNF’s request for comment.

Andi Shae Napier and Caden Olson contributed to this report.

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