Mamdani touts ‘babies not bombs’ message after his endorsees sweep NYC primaries

After flexing political muscle in backing 3 victorious far-left candidates, mayor touts one who opposes ‘tens of billions of dollars being spent… to bomb children overseas’

New York Jewish Week via JTA  — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani celebrated the victories of the three progressive candidates he endorsed in New York’s Democratic primaries, describing their success as a “shift in the balance of power.”

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, the morning after primary elections in the city, Mamdani touted the triumphs as a shift in favor of “working people” and away from “special interests.”

Mamdani-endorsed candidates Brad Lander, Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez won Democratic nominations for Congress in deep blue districts, virtually assuring their elections in November. All three beat more moderate opponents, including two who defeated incumbent congressmen endorsed by the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC.

During the press conference, the mayor repeatedly highlighted their calls to halt US military aid to Israel and redirect federal funding to domestic priorities.

“The working person is struggling in our city to afford basic needs,” Mamdani said, adding that Avila Chevalier’s oft-repeated slogan of investing in “babies not bombs” is “the kind of conscience, the kind of clarity, the kind of conviction that has been missing in our politics for far too long.”

The victories offered an early demonstration of Mamdani’s political influence beyond City Hall, as multiple fellow Democratic Socialist candidates he backed, including Avila Chevalier, won their races.

Following the mayor’s election night sweep in New York, US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that “America the Beautiful will NEVER be a Communist Country!!!”

Mamdani responded to the president’s post on Wednesday, telling a reporter who asked whether his goal is to make America a “socialist” country that his “goal is to make America a place that every American can afford.”

When asked about federal policies that could be affected by Mamdani’s endorsed candidates, the mayor cited Valdez’s support for “foreign policy that understands human rights for all” and Lander’s commitment to co-sponsoring the Block the Bombs Act, which prohibits the sale of certain US-made offensive weapons to Israel.

Mamdani also dismissed a question about whether he was concerned about how the victories would impact the general election in November as Democrats try to win back the House, including by flipping districts with a more moderate electorate than in New York City.

“Every time the fight for working people takes a step forward, you will hear Republicans say that this is actually going to jeopardize the existence of that very fight,” he said.

When asked whether the win by Avila Chevalier — who has faced scrutiny for past social media posts attacking Democrats and her appearance at an October 8, 2023, pro-Palestinian rally in Times Square, where some celebrated the previous day’s massacre — could “complicate campaigns for Democrats as a whole,” Mamdani replied “No.”

“[Avila Chevalier] often speaks about a politics of life. She speaks about ‘Babies not bombs,’” Mamdani continued. “What could be a better example of what the people of the district want to see versus what the people of the district have been forced to experience, which is tens of billions of dollars being spent at a national level to bomb children overseas, while children in our own districts are struggling.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.