Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, newly launched into a gubernatorial campaign, sharply escalated her criticism of Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul this week, accusing the incumbent of “cowardly” silence after New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani endorsed Palestinian activist Aber Kawas for a State Assembly seat.
Stefanik argued that because Hochul endorsed Mamdani in his successful mayoral race, the governor now “owns” his latest political move — one the congresswoman characterizes as the elevation of a “terrorist sympathizer.” In a forceful statement, Stefanik demanded that Hochul denounce both Mamdani’s endorsement and what Stefanik described as rhetoric that is “anti-American and antisemitic.”
“Kathy Hochul endorsed Mamdani and now owns his latest public endorsement of radical activist Aber Kawas for New York State Assembly, a proud terrorist sympathizer and denigrator of the United States,” Stefanik said. She pointed to Kawas’s own public remarks, including comments from 2017 depicting the September 11 attacks as a “manifestation” of U.S. capitalism, racism, white supremacy, and Islamophobia. Stefanik said Kawas’s framing amounted to justification for the attacks, which killed thousands of New Yorkers. “It is clear that Mamdani owns and controls the Worst Governor in America, Kathy Hochul, as she cowardly remains silent on the anti-American and antisemitic filth spewed by the incoming Mayor and his endorsed candidates. Kathy Hochul must condemn Mamdani’s endorsement of Kawas immediately.”
Kawas’s comments resurfaced quickly after Mamdani — a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and soon to take office as mayor — threw his support behind her during a closed-door DSA gathering. In the 2017 panel discussion at issue, Kawas described 9/11 as part of a “long trajectory” of American systems she argued were tied to colonialism and resource extraction. Those remarks, and others in which she defended individuals convicted in terrorism-related cases — including Ahmed Ferhani, who plotted to bomb a Manhattan synagogue, and al-Qaeda financier Fahad Hashmi, whom she has called a “living martyr” — have long made her a lightning rod for criticism.
Mamdani’s endorsement has particularly unsettled many Jewish New Yorkers, some of whom were already wary of his past rhetoric. He has publicly supported the slogan “globalize the intifada,” a phrase the U.S. Holocaust Museum has criticized because violence has been committed in its name. During earlier campaigns, Mamdani also appeared with a radical imam who spoke of “jihad” in New York City, further amplifying concerns among critics about the direction of his political alliances.
The endorsement has also complicated the political landscape within the Queens Assembly district at stake. Mamdani’s support for Kawas puts him at odds with backers of Brian Romero, a longtime community figure favored by outgoing Democratic Assemblywoman Jessica González-Rojas. Both Romero and González-Rojas are reported to be members of the DSA as well. Supporters of Romero have emphasized his deep roots in the predominantly Hispanic district, while Kawas’s supporters have argued that a Palestinian candidate is needed to “draw the fire of the Israeli lobby,” boasting that they “did it with Zohran” in his previous race.
As Stefanik continues to sharpen her gubernatorial message, the dispute underscores the broader tensions splitting New York Democrats — divisions she is working to cast as evidence of Hochul’s reluctance to confront the more radical elements within her party.
[READ MORE: Alex Jones Urges Trump to Halt Attacks on Greene, Massie, and Paul as MAGA Rift Widens]
