Mamdani says he doesn’t 'begrudge New Yorkers who are skeptical'

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani (D) said Monday that he does not “begrudge New Yorkers who are skeptical” about him as Election Day nears.

“I don’t begrudge New Yorkers who are skeptical, because they’ve also lived through tens of millions of dollars of commercials telling them to fear me,” Mamdani told host Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show.”

“You know, they have lived through waking up every morning and seeing a photo of me and just feeling like, ‘Oh my God,’ because the language that’s written around me is as if I’m a threat to the city that they love.”

Mamdani, a democratic socialist, burst onto the national stage after an upset win against political heavyweight and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the June Democratic primary for New York City mayor. The New York State Assembly member holds a wide lead over Cuomo, who is running as an independent, according to a recent poll.

Mamdani has also faced attacks directed at his religious background as a Muslim during his campaign. He recently went after Cuomo for comments he made during a radio show appearance about the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

“Just disgusting,” Mamdani said in a post on the social platform X, responding to another post quoting Cuomo’s radio appearance.

In an appearance on WABC’s “Sid & Friends In The Morning” radio show, Cuomo said, “Any given morning there’s a crisis, and people’s lives are at stake.”

“God forbid, another 9/11. Can you imagine Mamdani in the seat?” he added, referencing the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

“I could, he’d be cheering,” radio host Sid Rosenberg responded.

“Ha, ha,” Cuomo responded. “That’s another problem.”