Chris Cuomo Compares Mamdani Supporters To Left-Wing Version Of MAGA

Chris Cuomo has waded into the fallout from his brother Andrew Cuomo’s loss in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, delivering a scorching takedown of Democrats and the supporters who propelled 33-year-old Zohran Mamdani to victory.

While Cuomo avoided covering the race on his show while it was happening, because of the obvious personal ties, he broke his silence following his brother’s loss to a democratic socialist who’s also a rising figure on the city’s progressive left. During a segment on his NewsNation show Wednesday night, the former CNN anchor framed the outcome of the primary as a symptom of a larger problem within the Democratic Party, a party that he described as sliding into its own version of political extremism.

Mamdani, a state assemblyman, has built his platform on housing justice, taxing the wealthy, and defunding the police – positions that have energized younger voters but also alienated centrists.

Cuomo: Democrats are embracing extremism

“There were several radical choices in the mix, not to mention, and contrary to what was sold by his opponents, Andrew is no establishment guy, and the party did not love that he ran, but that’s his case to make,” Cuomo said, according to a transcript of his NewsNation remarks.

He pointed to what he described as low voter turnout and disproportionate enthusiasm among the most ideological voters as key factors in the primary result. According to Cuomo, that imbalance allowed more radical voices to dominate the race and ultimately tilted voters to Mamdani, which now puts the party into what Cuomo described as its own kind of “MAGA mode.”

“In the same way MAGA played with the prejudices of white nationalism, you’re seeing an identical dynamic on the left with prejudices like tacitly supporting extreme Islamism or targeting Jews,” Cuomo said. “For the right, it’s migrants. For the left, it’s Jews. It’s fundamentalist Christians dominating the right, and fundamentalist Islamists making headway on the left. I know that doesn’t sound like Democrats, but the party is dead. What it will be reborn as, we’ll see.”

“Dead” is obviously a strong word choice here from the veteran broadcaster. Cuomo went on to claim that the party has lost its moderate center and is in the midst of being reshaped by louder and more inflexible factions. “The winner is an open socialist,” he said of Mamdani. “And the Democratic Party is now just that: Socialistic. But be clear, this is a fictional fix for very real frustrations.”

No surprise, those comments sparked a fierce backlash, with viewers speaking out in the comments section of the YouTube video below: “This dude doesn’t realize that he’s part of the old establishment that no one wants anymore,” one said of Cuomo’s comments. Added another: “What the hell are you talking about dude, that is a disgusting comparison … I will never click on your videos again.”

Both Cuomo brothers have certainly become lightning rods in American politics. Andrew stepped down as governor of New York in 2021 amid allegations of sexual misconduct, while Chris was later dismissed from CNN for advising his brother behind the scenes during that crisis. Their falls from grace unfolded in parallel, turning two of the most prominent names in Democratic politics into symbols of controversy and division.