BURSTPollster Mark Penn, a longtime adviser to the Clintons, on Wednesday described Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary as a “911 moment” for the party.
In an interview on Fox News’s “America’s Newsroom,” the founder of the Harris Poll said those who don’t want to see Mamdani win in November should target him both for his refusal to condemn calls to “globalize the intifada” and for his far-left economic policies.
“Look, this is a 911 moment for the Democratic Party, in the sense that he's an antisemitic socialist,” Penn said, when asked which angle would be more effective to use against him.
“I think you have to throw both of those things at him because he has really not disavowed the global intifada. He has not really disavowed his comments that we should seize the means of production,” Penn continued.
“He is perhaps the most extreme major candidate ever to win such a major office,” he added.
Penn claimed the “primary system has been hijacked” in the 2025 mayoral race, but he said it’s important for opponents of Mamdani not to make the election a choice between Mamdani and President Trump.
“It’s absolutely essential here that this not become Mamdani versus Trump. That's his strategy. If he can get rid of the idea that there are two other candidates or maybe one other candidate opposing him, and he's running against Trump, well, you know, he'll win that one,” Penn said.
Penn noted that more than two-thirds of the city voted for the Democratic ticket during the 2024 presidential election.
Mamdani is set to face off against current Mayor Eric Adams as an independent candidate and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who lost to Mamdani in the primary, has not ruled out a third-party run in the general election.
Penn said other Democrats need to rally against Mamdani to stop his momentum.
“And the other Democratic candidates have to come in here and say, ‘No, this is about the future of the city and how we save it and how we reduce crime, not defund it; how we bring business and jobs here, not run them away; and how we make Jews as comfortable as any other minority to live in New York City,’” he said.