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FIRST ON FOX: An Empire State Republican is criticizing New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani for attending a conference in Puerto Rico, days after winning his race and during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
“If Zohran Mamdani really wants to help working families, he wouldn’t jet off to a luxury resort the moment he wins an election,” Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., first told Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital confirmed that Mamdani is scheduled to travel to the SOMOS 2025 conference in Puerto Rico on Thursday.
Mamdani is attending a cocktail party hosted by New York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday, according to a schedule of the visit obtained by Fox News Digital.
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Zohran Mamdani speaks during a victory speech and mayoral election night watch party in New York City on November 4. (Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo)
Lawler questioned whether Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul were also in attendance.
“If so, why? Who monitors New Yorkers when they are on the beach?” Lawler asked Mamdani and the other Democrats mentioned.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who Lawler also nominated, is not participating in the conference.
Fox News Digital contacted Mamdani’s campaign as well as the offices of Schumer, Jeffries and Hochul to inquire about their participation, but did not immediately receive a response.
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Representative Mike Lawler leaves a meeting of the House Republican Conference in Washington, March 4, 2025. (Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images)
“This is a shame – and it’s why New Yorkers are leaving this state in droves. I call on all journalists covering SOMOS to demand answers from these Democrats,” Lawler said. “Ask them why they’re partying in Puerto Rico while New Yorkers are suffering through a price crisis and a government shutdown. The public deserves to know where their priorities really lie.”
The annual SOMOS conference serves as a policy summit for New York officials and others in the state’s political sphere. We know that Republicans and Democrats are present there.
This year the event is held at the El Caribe Hilton in San Juan.
The hotel’s website touts it as an “iconic beachfront paradise” with “17 acres of tropical landscaping, nine restaurants, island-inspired rooms, an oceanfront spa and pool complex, all right on the beach.”
A photo of the El Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from the hotel’s photo gallery. (Hilton Hotels website)
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The multi-day conference includes several receptions and lunches, as well as panels such as “Celebrating Human Services Together” and “Workforce Development through Rising Communities,” according to its schedule.
Saturday, which appears to be the last day, ends with a “Toes in the Sand Beachfront Party.”
Mamdani, a socialist who ran on the Democratic Party ticket, defeated Republican Curtis Sliwa and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday night to become one of the youngest mayors in the city’s modern history.
