Linda Sarsour claims Mamdani’s victory shows Israel-hating rhetoric boosts political candidates

Sarsour urged attendees to treat Mamdani’s election as a model for future campaigns.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Linda Sarsour told supporters this week that Zohran Mamdani’s rise to the New York mayoralty demonstrates that openly campaigning against Israel is now an advantage in city politics.

Speaking during an online event organized by her advocacy group MPower Change, she said his victory proves that candidates who take hardline anti-Israel positions can succeed at the ballot box.

During the webinar, Sarsour said that “being unequivocally in solidarity with the Palestinian people” and backing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement had not harmed Mamdani’s bid, arguing instead that such messaging “actually sends you to City Hall.”

She described New York voters as receptive to candidates who describe events in Gaza as “genocide” and who frame anti-Israel activism as “nonviolent, resistance to apartheid.”

Sarsour urged attendees to treat Mamdani’s election as a model for future campaigns.

She said candidates preparing for races in 2026 should see the result as proof that voters will reward outspoken critics of Israel.

According to her, those considering local, state or federal office should believe that “there will be enough people who will . . . be inspired by my courage and my moral convictions, that I, in fact, can win office in any part of the country.” She added, “I feel fired up!”

Mamdani has long been mentored by Sarsour, who has a history of inflammatory comments about Israel.

Years before the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israeli civilians, Sarsour told audiences that Muslims should not “humanize” Israelis because they are “the oppressor.”

Her activism previously led to her removal, along with two other founders, from the leadership of the Women’s March following criticism over praise for Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.

The MPower Change event, titled “Zohran’s Victory and Implications for the Progressive Movement,” also featured speakers from left-wing political organizations. Maurice Mitchell of the Working Families Party participated, as did Geoff Simpson of Justice Democrats, the group known for supporting candidates such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other members of the congressional “Squad.”

Sarsour said her goal now is to expand this momentum ahead of the next election cycle, telling participants, “And now it’s time to say, ‘Where are we going in 2026? How do we build on this momentum?’”