MOVING TARGET

On Fox News and in GOP plans, NYC Democrat Zohran Mamdani defies expectations

- PHILIP ELLIOTT

ZOHRAN MAMDANI WAS RIGHT WHERE Republicans wanted him—sitting for an Oct. 15 interview with MAGA favorite Fox News, where they hoped the millennial leftist on track to be the next mayor of New York City would deliver sound bites they could use against Democrats across the country. It might even provide his opponents ammunition in the mayoral debate slated for the following evening.

But Mamdani proceeded to give a cautious answer on peace in the Middle East and avoided taking petty jabs at President Donald Trump and his family when given an opening. He apologized for comments critical of law enforcement. And as he defended his plans to make the city’s buses free, subsidize childcare, and hike taxes for the top 1% of New Yorkers, it all came in a reasonable tone that was far from the Ghost of Che Guevara.

For those looking to find an avatar that could push the Democratic brand even further down the drain, the debate the next day was similarly disappointing. As he parried with his two major opponents and avoided significant gaffes, Mamdani demonstrated how smoothly he has adapted to a spotlight that has melted other contenders.