Dem Rep. Takano claims socialist NYC mayoral candidate fights for capitalism

Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., insisted on Wednesday that self-proclaimed democratic socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani was not a socialist but an advocate for small “c” capitalism.

Takano spoke to reporters on Mamdani shortly after attending a breakfast meeting with him and other Democrats in Washington D.C. where he expressed enthusiasm for the candidate’s ideas.

“You know, the overall impression on me was this guy is not a communist,” Takano said. “He’s not a socialist. He’s an advocate for small ‘c’ capitalism. And that you know, he really is fighting for the little business guy that’s trying to eke out a living in New York. Half of all New Yorkers, you know, get their jobs from small business. And I thought that was a tremendous message.”

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Though Takano said Mamdani was not a socialist, he later defended the term, arguing that the word has a “different charge” for people under 40.

“He’s a democratic socialist that he’s fighting for small business people, trying to bring down stupid regulations, criticizing Eric Adams for not moving permits faster,” Takano said. “It’s corruption we’re fighting here, corruption that prevents the dynamism of small ‘c’ entrepreneurs, small ‘c’ capitalist entrepreneurs. No contradiction there, trying to get buses to run more efficiently and faster. These are all things that are improving people’s lives.”

He hesitated to answer whether he supported Mamdani’s idea for city-run supermarkets but remarked that “there’s not a lot of difference between the idea of some sort of public-run grocery and a co-op.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s campaign for comment.

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Mamdani has repeatedly referred to himself as a democratic socialist and remarked in June on CNN that he had “many critiques of capitalism.”

Though Mamdani has refuted the idea that he was a communist, several videos have resurfaced of him repeating and supporting communist revolutionary language.

One recent clip that made the rounds on social media had Mamdani openly supporting the abolition of private property.

“If there was any system that could guarantee each person housing, whether you call it the abolition of private property or you call it, you know, just a statewide housing guarantee, it is preferable to what is going on right now,” Mamdani said.