New Yorkers Support Zohran Mamdani — and Palestine
Repression of Palestine activists on New York campuses like Brooklyn College is being done in the name of protecting Jewish students from antisemitism — even as polls show New Yorkers, including Jews, reject the idea that criticizing Israel is antisemitic.
Of all the candidates in the New York City mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani has the highest percentage of support among Jewish voters. (Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images)
Here are some findings from the last two days of the New York Times:
“Zohran Mamdani has opened a commanding lead in the race for mayor of New York City, buoyed by support for his affordability platform.”
Mamdani leads among black voters, Latino voters, Asian voters, and white voters.
Of all the candidates in the race, Mamdani also has the highest percentage of support among Jewish voters. His support among younger and educated voters is off the charts. Both of these facts are important for what I will say below.
A majority of NYC voters do not believe that criticizing Israel is antisemitic.
Nearly twice as many New York City voters sympathize with Palestinians over Israelis as opposed to Israelis over Palestinians. Among young voters (younger than twenty-nine), the ratio of support for Palestinians over Israelis jumps to more than five to one.
A plurality of all voters think that Mamdani has the best response, of any of the candidates, to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Let’s put these pieces together.
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