House Republican leaders attacked Democrats on Monday, as the government shutdown drags on, by fearmongering about the New York City mayoral race.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) suggested the shutdown occurred because Democrats have given in to a Marxist agenda, using House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ last-minute endorsement of Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani as evidence.
News: Amazon Targets As Many As 30,000 Corporate Job Cuts: Report
“We saw our clearest sign yet that this radical insurgent movement in the Democrat[ic] Party is succeeding, and they are ending what has always been known as the Democrat[ic] Party in America,” Johnson said at a press conference on Monday, admitting that he has talked a lot about Mamdani lately. “After a months-long pressure campaign from the far left, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries finally relented. He gave in, and he gave his endorsement to the socialist running to be mayor of New York City.”
“The House Democrats have chosen a side they were forced to by that far left that they’re so terrified of,” Johnson claimed. “And they’ve shown the world what they really believe. There is no longer a place for centrist and moderates in their party.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) echoed some of Johnson’s remarks.
“Hakeem Jeffries is now all-in for the socialist agenda of Mamdami. He is the head of their party now,” Scalise claimed. “When he gets elected mayor of New York, he’s giving the marching orders to the rest of the Democrats.”
While it’s a local race, the New York mayoral election has drawn national attention, with President Donald Trump promising to withhold $7.4 billion in federal funding to the city if Mamdani is elected.
Repl Steve Scalise, far left, during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 27, 2025. The government shutdown, now in its 27th day, has become the second-longest in history. Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist who won the Democratic primary in June, has largely campaigned for universal child care for children under 5, free and efficient city buses, and piloting city-owned grocery stores.
“I deeply respect the will of the primary voters and the young people who have been inspired to participate in the electoral process. Zohran Mamdani has relentlessly focused on addressing the affordability crisis and explicitly committed to being a Mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who do not support his candidacy,” Jeffries said in a statement Friday, the day before early voting started in New York, after holding off on his endorsement.
Mamdani has also been endorsed by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.); Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Nydia Velásquez (D-N.Y.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.); numerous unions and advocacy groups, and more.
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during an election rally at Forest Hills Stadium in New York on Oct. 26, 2025. Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images
By contrast, sitting New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D), who ended his reelection campaign last month, has endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) as his successor. Cuomo, who is running as an independent, served as New York governor from 2011 to 2021, until he resigned following a Justice Department investigation into sexual misconduct that he denies.
Cuomo is endorsed by state Sen. Sam Sutton (D), disgraced former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), former New York Attorney General Robert Abrams, a transit union and the Teamsters union, among others.
News: Former Jets Center Nick Mangold Dies At 41, Less Than 2 Weeks After Announcing He Had Kidney Disease
Adams, who has had his own share of public scandals, appeared to warn voters about Mamdani without naming him in a video announcing his withdrawal from the mayoral race. According to The New York Times, a previous version of Adams’ remarks also criticized Cuomo as “a snake and a liar,” but did not appear in the final cut.
Early voting in New York began on Oct. 25, and Election Day is Nov. 4.
The Times, citing a new Suffolk University poll, reported Monday that Mamdani is polling at 44%, while Cuomo is polling at 34%. Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa is at 11%.
Mamdani did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
