Day 635 - How did an anti-Israel candidate win NYC's primary?

The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

The Times of Israel

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4.4 • 864 Ratings

🗓️ 2 July 2025

⏱️ 23 minutes

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Summary

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

New York reporter Luke Tress joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

US President Donald Trump threatens to arrest New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani should he win the mayoral elections in November, and Tress discusses the president's repeated comments about the anti-Zionist candidate and Mamdani's proposed plan to oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities in New York City.

Tress offers an overall look at the trajectory of Mamdani's political ascent and his surprise upset of former New York governor Andrew Cuomo during last week's New York City Democratic party mayoral primary.

He discusses the likelihood of Mamdani winning the November general election in the mostly Democratic city, and how Mamdani's anti-Israel activism, a facet of his political life since his college days, will challenge New York City's Jewish dwellers, who comprise the world's largest Jewish population outside of Israel.

Tress examines Mamdani's opponents, including former governor Cuomo, who leaned into the Jewish vote, and current New York City mayor Eric Adams, who kicked off his independent candidacy after Mamdani won the primary.

He discusses the pro-Jewish initiatives rolled out by Adams during his mayorship and in recent months, and that Cuomo and Adams share a similar voter base in New York, an overwhelmingly Democratic city.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Trump threatens to arrest anti-Israel New York City mayoral candidate Mamdani

Jewish political organizers grapple with fallout from Mamdani’s NYC primary victory

Do Zohran Mamdani’s opponents have a path to defeating him in NYC mayoral election?

After NYC primary upset, anti-Israel activist Mamdani vows not to ‘abandon my beliefs’

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IMAGE: Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani takes selfies with supporters after speaking at his primary election party, Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, welcome to the Times of Israel's Daily Briefing. It is Wednesday, and I'm Jessica Steinberg. I'm speaking today with New York reporter Luke Tress. Hi, Luke. How you doing?
0:14.9	Hey, Jessica. Good. How about you? I'm okay. I'm doing okay. Amid the headlines discussing possible ceasefire plans, as well as
0:24.6	U.S. President Donald Trump's, quote, very firm stance on ending the Gaza war, as well as a plan
0:30.9	trip for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the U.S. to the White House on July 7th in just four
0:36.1	days. We're going to take a little break from
0:39.2	Iran, Gaza, hostages, and discuss another very contentious issue that Luke you've been covering
0:46.4	from up close really for a very long time, but obviously it's come to a head last week. The stunning
0:52.4	upset victory of New York City's Zoran Mamdani in the Democratic
0:56.6	mayoral primary over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. So last week, Mamdani known to be a harsh
1:05.6	critic of Israel who regularly uses anti-Israel rhetoric, won the primary, could win the mayoral election in New York City.
1:14.4	We'll discuss him, his background, the upcoming election, possible opponents, all of it, as you've been covering it from very up-close, Luke.
1:23.6	Just in a moment, stay with us.
1:33.3	Thank you. Just in a moment, stay with us. It's been a difficult time for our community.
1:35.3	If you're feeling overwhelmed, you're not alone.
1:38.3	The Jewish Community Mental Health Initiative offers over 25 free virtual support groups every week designed to provide
1:45.3	connection, healing, and resilience.
1:48.3	Led by licensed professionals, these small, inclusive groups offer a safe space to process grief,
1:53.6	fear, and uncertainty.
1:55.3	Wherever you are, support is just a click away.
1:58.4	Visit jcmh.com to join a virtual group today.
2:02.9	That's jcmh.com.
2:06.2	In community, we thrive.
	...

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