Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) said on Saturday that numerous high-profile Democrats in New York have allowed the “Marxist-communist wing” of the Democratic Party to become “mainstream.”
Stefanik responded to the 2025 New York City mayoral election, in which socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary. Stefanik said both House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) voted in this primary, but have “refused to condemn” Mamdani’s controversial statements.
“So New Yorkers are looking for common sense, they are looking for strong leadership, strong moral leadership, strong economic leadership,” Stefanik said on Fox News’s Life, Liberty & Levin. “We do not want to continue to exacerbate the mass exodus that has occurred from New York state and specifically New York City under radical single-party Democrat rule that has failed the hard-working families of my great state.”
The lawmaker also rebuked Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY), saying her “failed leadership” has paved the way for “Commie-Mamdani” to become the Democratic Party’s nominee for New York City mayor.
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Stefanik exchanged barbs with Hochul last week when they argued online about the release of the Epstein files. The governor accused Stefanik of wanting to help President Donald Trump “cover it up.” Stefanik countered that Hochul has files to release herself, adding that New York residents “want the truth from the Worst Governor in America.”
Stefanik has hinted at a run for New York governor in the 2026 midterm elections. Last week, she broke multiple fundraising records by bringing in $4 million in the second quarter of 2025, leaving her with $11 million on hand.
