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Year: 2025

Cuomo rips Mamdani’s victim narrative, says Dem socialist is ‘offender’ against 9/11 families, Jews and more

Cuomo rips Mamdani’s victim narrative, says Dem socialist is ‘offender’ against 9/11 families, Jews and more

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo slammed Democratic socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani for painting himself as a victim because he is a Muslim, saying the rival mayoral candidate has spent his campaign offending 9/11 families, Jews and various other groups of New Yorkers.  While speaking at an event in which he received the endorsements of several faith leaders, Cuomo lambasted Mamdani, who he called his “main opponent.” Cuomo listed a number of groups who he says have been hurt by Mamdani, including Jews, Blacks, Italians, members of the LGBTQ community — and even some Muslims. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Early voting underway in New York, New Jersey amid hotly contested mayor and governor races

Early voting underway in New York, New Jersey amid hotly contested mayor and governor races

Early voting is now underway Saturday in New York and New Jersey with the public casting their ballots in the hotly contested races for New York City mayor and New Jersey governor. The New York State Board of Elections said early voters are given nine days to vote in person prior to Election Day, starting on Oct. 25 and ending Nov. 2. The race to become the next mayor of the Big Apple is drawing national attention. On Friday, Democrat mayoral nominee and frontrunner Zohran Mamdani scored an endorsement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. Earlier this week, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent mayoral candidate, was formally endorsed by current New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Tomorrow, I vote on the first day of early voting,” Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa said Friday on ‘The Will Cain Show.’ “That should put a nail into the coffin for anybody who thinks I’m dropping out.” MAMDANI ACCUSES CUOMO OF ‘ISLAMOPHOBIC RHETORIC’ AS CONTENTIOUS NYC MAYORAL RACE COMES DOWN TO THE WIRE Sliwa has been facing pressure to drop out of the race to boost the chances of Cuomo defeating Mamdani. Meanwhile, the New Jersey Division of Elections said every county in the state “will designate in-person early voting locations that will be open Saturday, October 25, 2025 – Sunday, November 2, 2025 (the in-person early voting period).” “In 2021, historic legislation established in-person early voting in New Jersey. This law makes our state even more voter-friendly and strengthens our democracy by expanding opportunities to exercise your right to vote,” it added. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SENDS FEDERAL ELECTION WATCHERS TO CALIFORNIA AND NEW JERSEY COUNTIES AMID REPUBLICAN REQUESTS In the Garden State, Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli are competing for the governorship. Current Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy is set to leave office in January. “Our polling’s looking good. I think we’re feeling really good right now,” Sherrill touted as she spoke with Fox News Digital after headlining a major party gathering this week in this northern New Jersey township. “I think we’re in a great position,” Ciattarelli also said in a Fox News interview after a campaign stop at a diner in Linden, N.J. Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Potential 2028 contender campaigns for Spanberger in key Tidewater area

Potential 2028 contender campaigns for Spanberger in key Tidewater area

One of the Democratic Party’s top potential 2028 figures will stump for Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger on Sunday. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has notably made a lane to the right of far-left Democratic Party figures like New York Assemb. Zohran Mamdani, will rally with Spanberger in the crucial Hampton Roads area. The former Virginia congresswoman plans to hold multiple rallies in the Tidewater alone before Election Day, including another with former President Barack Obama across the ‘roads’ in Norfolk. “Governor Shapiro this weekend is headed to New Jersey and Virginia to help elect Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger; two more Democratic governors who will focus every day on getting stuff done, delivering results for hardworking families and protecting freedom in their states,” Shapiro campaign spokesman Manuel Bonder told Fox News Digital on Friday. 2028 HOPEFUL CHALLENGES TRUMP’S JUVENILE SURGERY BAN WHILE OPPOSING WOMEN’S SPORTS BILL RESTRICTIONS Shapiro also plans to stump for Rep. Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey as she hopes to keep Trenton in Democratic hands. Shapiro – who has announced he will run for reelection to Harrisburg in 2026 and has not officially indicated interest in a presidential bid – is one of several Democrats whose names repeatedly come up in such conversation – including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Kentucky Gov. Andrew Beshear. He was also the reported runner-up to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in Kamala Harris’ 2024 veepstakes. Shapiro lambasted antisemitic behavior at the University of Pennsylvania following the Hamas attack on Israel, while separately adding of Mamdani’s view of the Jewish State: “You have to speak and act with moral clarity, and when supporters of yours say things that are blatantly antisemitic, you can’t leave room for that to just sit there.” THE ONLY TWO DEMS RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR IN 2025 ARE FORMER ROOMMATES WITH MIRRORING POLITICAL CAREERS While Shapiro has faced criticism from Republicans in his own state for supporting former Gov. Tom Wolf’s COVID-era shutdowns and for the current budget impasse, he’s also been a rare Democrat to earn praise from some in the GOP. Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee in New Jersey’s sweeps, namedropped Shapiro favorably enough times that Newark Mayor Ras Baraka – then running for governor – suggested he cross the Delaware and run in the Keystone State instead. “[Pennsylvania doesn’t] have a property tax crisis [like New Jersey], they don’t have a business climate crisis, they don’t have an energy crisis,” Ciattarelli said, contrasting the two neighbors. Pennsylvania Republicans, however, disputed some of those descriptions, with state Rep. Russ Diamond, R-Lebanon, and Sen. David Argall, R-New Ringgold, recently drafting bills to eliminate property taxes altogether. State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Gettysburg, who challenged Shapiro in 2022 and is being urged by the conservative wing to do so again in 2026, also blasted Shapiro’s budget proposals as “fantasy,” warning in a statement that “eventually, the funds from ‘we the people’ will run dry.” Shapiro has also been vocal on election law itself, rebuking the president over a Truth Social post potentially foreshadowing an end to mail-in balloting. “Donald Trump can sign whatever the hell executive orders he wants… But he can’t change the Constitution with an executive order, and the Constitution gives the authority to set our election rules to the states.” Shapiro said.

Expert warns Democrats risk backlash over failure to condemn violent rhetoric in their ranks

Expert warns Democrats risk backlash over failure to condemn violent rhetoric in their ranks

With less than two weeks before critical elections across the country, Democrats have tough questions to grapple with in terms of their messaging and whether they can navigate the growing movement in their party that is embracing or downplaying political violence, attorney and political commentator Kaitlin Puccio told Fox News Digital.  “We do hear a lot of just the Democrats are against Trump, but we don’t hear a lot of what they’re actually for, which is problematic and it kind of seems to me like they don’t really have a cohesive message,” Puccio, adjunct professor at Fordham Law and the Director of the Art and Bioethics Initiative of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights, said in an interview with Fox News Digital.  Puccio said the ‘No Kings’ protests last week, where several examples of promoting violence went viral on social media, show a “fracture” in the Democratic Party that the mainstream elected officials will have to contend with.  Additionally, messaging at those rallies, Puccio explained, lacked substance.  CHICAGO SCHOOLS SILENT ON PUNISHMENT OR PUBLIC CONDEMNATION OF TEACHER WHO MOCKED CHARLIE KIRK’S DEATH “It’s mostly ‘we are against Trump.’ Okay, but, specifically, what are you against? What is the specific policy that you are against?” Puccio said. “‘No Kings’: great. But we don’t have a king. We all know that. We’re not supposed to take this phrase literally, but what about the policies that are in place right now, do you think are authoritarian? And what do you want instead? So we’re hearing a lot of slogans and phrases and kind of catch phrases. And really that leaves the message without substance.” Questions about Democrat support for political violence have been front and center in recent weeks after Virginia Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones was outed for past texts fantasizing about killing a Republican colleague and wishing death on that colleague’s children. “I don’t think that it’s lost on voters that there are these horrible texts that came out recently from Jay Jones and the strange thing is that there are very few people who are condemning these texts,” Puccio said, highlighting that prominent Democrats, particularly in Virginia, have refused to call on Jones to drop out of the race.  WATCH: ‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTER STEPS UP TO MIC AND CALLS FOR ICE AGENTS TO BE ‘SHOT,’ ‘WIPED OUT’ “But I think the reason for that is that the party of tolerance, right, the Democrats, is actually, it’s become a very intolerant party,” Puccio added.  “So if you have people condemning these texts, this sort of violent political rhetoric and things like that, they don’t want to be alienated by their own party. Look at what they’ve done or tried to do to John Fetterman. When he tries to think for himself instead of having the party tell him what to think, they ostracize him. I think that is kind of the reason that we’re in this weird place with our leaders, because everyone is kind of being quiet.” In addition to Jones, Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner has faced scrutiny over advocating for political violence in the past and a tattoo that resembles a Nazi Germany symbol. Puccio told Fox News Digital that Platner’s apology seemed to show remorse compared to the reaction from Jones, which could serve as a blueprint going forward on how Democrats can acknowledge past mistakes. “The point is that every situation has to be evaluated separately, but the conversation still has to be had over what to do within our Democratic Party about this violent rhetoric, which is, it’s basically being accepted right now,” Puccio said. “What we’re about to see, I don’t know how long it’s going to take, but I do think there’s going to be a shift toward the middle because I think there is going to be a realization that we are leaving out and by we, I mean, all Americans in general were forgetting from both sides of the political aisle about the middle.” While Democrats are expected to perform strongly in next year’s midterms, given that, historically, the party not in power does well in those elections, Republicans have been closing the gap in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections being held in early November, which could send a signal that Democrats aren’t in as strong of a position as many experts think.  Puccio said today’s Democratic Party is “unrecognizable,” which will hopefully push leaders to come out forcefully and take back control. “I think that there will be this realization that the loudest voices on either side of the political aisle are not necessarily representative of the entire party and I think that people are going to be forced to say no to this kind of uncivil discourse that we’re seeing, because people, we citizens, are going to get very tired of seeing our leaders behave in very childish and frankly, disrespectful ways toward each other,” Puccio said.  “These are not supposed to be the way our elected leaders act. And I would hope that there emerge some actual leaders and not just politicians in the future who recognize that they need to speak to everyone and not a small niche in their party.”