New York Republicans Try To Make Socialism The Midterms Fight

ALBANY, New York — Empire State Republicans are seeing red.

Republican leaders and GOP candidates facing off against Democrats are emphasizing the recent success of socialists in upcoming races — betting that moderate voters will be turned off by calls for tax hikes and free government services.

The New York Republican Committee warned in a fundraising appeal following the victory of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani that the Big Apple “has fallen” and urged supporters to “stop socialism from taking over our largest city.” Swing seat GOP Rep. Mike Lawler blasted Mamdani’s call for embracing “the warmth of collectivism” in a campaign video. And Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman has wielded socialism as a cudgel against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, calling for a wall of surveillance cameras at the suburban Nassau County border, with a nod to Mamdani’s left-leaning policies.

“It’s potent from the standpoint that suburban families do not want that type of mindset or policy infecting our communities,” Republican state Assemblymember Matt Slater said. “Being so close to New York City, we see it first hand. They live it, they see the results of it. They know it’s not a policy or philosophy they want in the suburbs.”

The strategy goes beyond simply linking the moderate Hochul to the 34-year-old democratic socialist now leading City Hall. Republican campaigns are casting their opponents as beholden to a dangerous ideology that felled the Soviet Union and, they argue, led to a lower standard of living throughout Europe. Sounding an alarm over socialism — be it in the form of charismatic young Democrats like Mamdani or Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — stands to be a counterweight to what is shaping up to be an otherwise tough year for Republicans across the country.

A backlash election to President Donald Trump would be especially damaging to New York Republicans and the White House. The state is home to several swing seats that may determine control of Congress. The purple House districts in play are largely confined to the city’s northern and Long Island suburbs — battleground areas where voters can be swayed over arguments against higher taxes, but where an anti-Trump vote has the potential to overwhelm GOP candidates.

Fear of rising taxes in an already high tax state will loom over Hochul and Democrats in Albany. Mamdani is pursuing higher taxes on the wealthy and large corporations — a measure that the governor opposes. If Democrats ultimately approve any tax increases this year, Republicans are sure to seize on the hikes in their campaigns against Hochul and House Democrats to demonstrate the party has moved too far to the left. Complicating matters further are the democratic socialists running in closely watched races this year. There’s little chance Republicans can win those elections, but the primaries are taking place in the media capital of the world and will likely be amplified with Mamdani weighing in.

New York Republicans are desperate to reclaim power after a streak of losing statewide elections since 2006. They have warned that Democrats have strayed too far to the left, but those arguments have not been enough to overcome a consistent and massive enrollment disadvantage and, in recent elections, the anchor that is Trump’s unpopularity in his native state.

For Republicans, there’s also a danger in focusing too much on Mamdani policies prescriptions like free child care and bus service as well as government-operated supermarkets. While the mayor is a polarizing figure, it’s still early in his administration. And some of his plans, like the child care push he shares with Hochul, are broadly popular with voters who want elected officials to address their pocketbook concerns.

“The question, and the danger is, if he delivers reforms that people like,” said Republican strategist Dave Catalfamo. “I don’t think that will be the case. There’s going to be a lot of problems with what he wants, but if he does reforms people like and improves the quality of life, it’s going to be a harder sell.”

Efforts last year to halt Mamdani’s momentum by casting him as an out-of-the-mainstream socialist fell flat with most voters. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s gloomy mayoral campaign released videos criticizing Mamdani’s proposals like no-cost bus service. Cuomo himself warned a Mamdani victory would “kill” New York City.

Trump’s surprisingly solicitous Oval Office meeting in November with Mamdani — and the president’s declaration that he wouldn’t be afraid to live in New York City with the democratic socialist as mayor — undercut Rep. Elise Stefanik’s gubernatorial campaign, which she ultimately suspended.

Yet Democrats are taking the red-baiting seriously this year. Vulnerable House members like Reps. Laura Gillen and Tom Suozzi on Long Island have pointedly distanced themselves from Mamdani. Suozzi, a centrist Democrat, penned an essay in The Wall Street Journal in July affirming his support for capitalism, while urging Democrats to find ways of reducing costs without turning to socialism.

Hochul, a Buffalo moderate who endorsed Mamdani last year after his primary victory, has insisted New York’s existing state income tax structure — which tops out at 10.9 percent for people making $25 million or more — is “progressive.” She describes herself as a “staunch capitalist.”

“It’s a part of the Republican playbook — either scare the voters or make them angry,” said New York Democratic Chair Jay Jacobs, a Hochul ally who publicly disagreed with her over endorsing Mamdani last year. “I think their scare tactics on socialism have met their shelf life.”

Gustavo Gordillo, co-chair of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America, pointed to Mamdani and Trump sharing some of the same voters in the five boroughs — an indication that a focus on workaday concerns for people will translate to success.

“Adopting a working-class agenda the way Zohran Mamdani did and the way DSA did would be an effective way to win over working-class voters throughout the country,” he said. “It’s our class-first analysis that Republicans are afraid of.”

The GOP strategy is emerging ahead of a potentially tough year for Republicans, especially in a deep blue state like New York where Trump is viewed unfavorably by 62 percent of voters — including 58 percent of independents, a Siena University poll found.

That same survey found Mamdani holds a 42 percent unfavorable rating in the bellwether suburbs, where voters are sensitive to concerns like property ownership and taxes. Those voters are also uniquely exposed to the New York City media market and may also commute into the city.

Rep. Mike Lawler, a moderate suburban Republican who is expected to face a competitive reelection this fall, warned recently that “socialism, communism and Marxism have no place in New York City and no place in America.”

“Maybe if Mayor Mamdani put down TikTok and picked up a history book, he would know that dictators like Stalin, Mao, Castro and Maduro all championed this same so-called collectivism,” he said in a video released by his campaign.

Mamdani’s office did not comment.

Blakeman, who is running an uphill battle for governor, has seized on the trial of Linda Sun, a former aide to Hochul and her predecessor Cuomo. Sun was accused of being an unregistered foreign agent for the Chinese government; a mistrial was declared last year and prosecutors are seeking to revive the case. Sun pleaded not guilty. Blakeman zeroed in on Sun’s alleged connections to the communist regime.

“Federal authorities have repeatedly warned that the Chinese Communist Party targets state and local governments to advance its agenda,” he said.

A Fox News poll in September found 48 percent of New Yorkers have a positive view of capitalism; 41 percent felt the same about socialism.

The taboo around socialism in domestic politics has long since dropped away following Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign and the rise of candidates backed by the DSA around the country. In New York, socialist Assemblymember Claire Valdez is running to fill the open Brooklyn House seat being vacated by Rep. Nydia Velázquez and has Mamdani’s support. Several DSA-affiliated candidates are also running in competitive state Senate and Assembly primaries, complicating matters for the center-left legislative leaders in Albany.

“The governor is going to face a test for it,” said Republican pollster John McLaughlin. “You can see primaries in the suburbs and upstate where democratic socialists have a legitimate base in their party.”

The anti-socialism argument is less effective against younger voters, McLaughlin said, marking a challenge for Republicans to mount a broad campaign framed around warnings that Democrats have gone too far left.

“Older voters who remember the Soviet Union don’t like socialism,” McLaughlin said. “They know it leads to government control. But the younger voters don't have the aversion older voters do because it’s a generational difference.”