Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., stated Wednesday that he does not consider New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani a member of the Democratic Party, asserting that Mamdani and other democratic socialists are attempting to "hijack" the party and deviate from its traditional values.
"He's not a Democrat, he's socialist, and we know that the whole socialist movement is attempting to hijack the Democratic Party and many of their values are not our values," Gottheimer said in an interview. He further characterized Mamdani's views as "anti-American, anti-Democratic, anti-capitalist."
Gottheimer's remarks came as he criticized Mamdani's stance on the potential arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Mamdani had previously stated he would honor such a warrant if Netanyahu visited New York City, though he later clarified he lacked the authority to make an arrest and called on the federal government to execute any warrant.
"The mayor is clearly obsessed with this issue. He should probably be a little more obsessed with making sure that his city is running well and that he's picking up the trash and fixing the potholes," Gottheimer commented. He also raised concerns about a perceived "double standard," questioning why Mamdani has not similarly called for the arrest of Iranian leadership when they have visited New York, given Iran's status as an enemy of the United States.
Mamdani, in response to questions about his stance, defended his position by stating his interest in executing warrants for war crimes is not specific to Netanyahu but applies universally to anyone for whom the ICC issues a warrant. He described the October 7th attacks as a "horrific war crime" and characterized Netanyahu's actions as orchestrating a "genocide," asserting the need to hold perpetrators accountable under the rule of law.
Mamdani also previously faced scrutiny regarding a software error that led to over 6,000 non-citizens being incorrectly added to voter rolls in New Jersey, raising concerns about election security. The incident highlighted issues with voter integrity systems.