Just when it seems the Big Apple can’t get any more rotten, a new worm reliably appears on the scene.
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are marching through the Democratic Party with renewed fervor following their assistance in securing Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary earlier this month. The DSA, of which Mamdani is a member, is warning they may primary five House incumbents, according to CNN. At the top of the list: Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. (RELATED: Surrendering Blue Cities Isn’t Common Sense – It’s A Fatal Error)
Jeffries’ team is firing back.
“Leader Hakeem Jeffries is focused on taking back the House from the MAGA extremists who just ripped health care away from millions of Americans,” Jeffries senior adviser André Richardson said, according to CNN. “However, if Team Gentrification wants a primary fight, our response will be forceful and unrelenting. We will teach them and all of their incumbents a painful lesson on June 23, 2026.”
Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries suggests there is room in the Democrat Party for Zohran Mamdani’s socialist agenda:
-Higher taxes
-Converting your homes into communes
-Communist price controls
-Taxpayer-funded drug densThese should be easy things to condemn, instead Democrats… pic.twitter.com/AfVC10F9Th
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 9, 2025
“Team Gentrification” is likely a reference to the portion of Mamdani’s voting bloc dubbed the “Commie Corridor” by The New York Times: “Youthful, renter-heavy neighborhoods known for their left-leaning politics.”
Mamdani also triumphed over opponent Andrew Cuomo, former Gov. of New York, in North Brooklyn neighborhoods, home to some of the youngest voters in the city. Wealthier liberal neighborhoods “known for their tree-lined streets and multimillion-dollar brownstones” also nabbed the nomination for Mamdani, according to The Times.
Jeffries’ advisor declined to come up with a punchy nickname for that other crucial Mamdani voting bloc — South Asians. I can only wonder why.
“Team Gentrification” perhaps contains a second meaning. The DSA, along with other radical, younger Democrats, have swooped into the party eager to retire their wrinkled forbearers.
Mamdani’s win “feels full circle” and is “really proof of concept” for future races, said Ashik Siddique, a national DSA co-chair, according to CNN.
Jeffries himself is holding his cards close to his chest.
When questioned about a primary challenge, Jeffries told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer he had “no idea what these people are talking about,” reports the outlet.
Democrat ‘Leader’ Hakeem Jeffries dodges questions about his extreme party’s socialist takeover & a looming primary threat from comrades of Zohran Mamdani: “I have no idea what these people are talking about!” Jeffries is a weak leader of toxic radicals! pic.twitter.com/avD65fKwNi
— NRCC (@NRCC) July 9, 2025
“We are going to continue to focus our efforts … on pushing back against the extremism that has been unleashed on the American people,” Jeffries continued. “It shouldn’t be too difficult for some people to figure out who the problem is in the United States of America.”
For Mamdani, “the problem” appears to be anyone right of Karl Marx.
Jeffries’ “leadership has left a vacuum that organizations like DSA are filling. I think that is more important right now,” New York City’s DSA chapter co-chair Gustavo Gordillo told CNN. “To me it often seems like he is the one picking the fight with the left, and I think he should focus on fighting the right.”
Democratic New York State Sen. Jabari Brisport, a democratic socialist, slammed Jeffries as “rapidly growing out of touch with an insurgent and growing progressive base within his own district that he should pay more attention to.” (RELATED: Socialist NYC Mayoral Candidate’s Agenda Starts With Your Kids)
Hakeem Jeffries, asked if he’s endorsed Zohran Mamdani, says “No… We don’t really know each other well. Our districts don’t really overlap.” pic.twitter.com/TnyPokjW6N
— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) June 29, 2025
Still, Jeffries has declined to wade into the controversy surrounding Mamdani’s kaleidoscopic identity.
Uganda-born Mamdani ticked both the “Asian” and “African American” boxes on his Columbia University application, according to internal data shared with The New York Times. When Rev. Al Sharpton asked Jeffries about this fact, Jeffries punted.
“The issue that we have to deal with in New York City, which our Democratic nominee did talk about extensively during the primary campaign, is affordability,” Jeffries said.
I, for one, congratulate Mamdani on his willingness to shoulder the oppression of being both Asian and African American. That Columbia University rejected such an applicant is truly proof of this country’s deep institutional racism.
Follow Natalie Sandoval on X: @NatalieIrene03
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