Ilhan Omar calls out Sen. Schumer for not endorsing Mamdani in NYC mayoral race, mocks antisemitism concerns

Ilhan Omar says it ‘makes no sense’ that Senate minority leader won’t support party nominee

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., criticized Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Thursday for not endorsing the Democrats’ New York City mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani.

Since he became the nominee, the Democratic Party has been embroiled in controversy over how to handle Mamdani’s rise due to his socialist policies and far-left views.

“Now, Hakeem Jeffries, your leader, has somewhat reluctantly, but has endorsed Zohran Mamdani, Chuck Schumer still has not. Why do you think Chuck Schumer has not endorsed Zohran Mamdani?” CNN host Kasie Hunt asked Omar.

“I really don‘t know. It makes no sense,” Omar said. “We as Democrats have always believed that, in an election, we support our party‘s nominee. Schumer has pressured other Democrats to do just that, and he should be following his own advice.”

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks during an event. Omar criticized Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for not endorsing New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. (Renee Jones Schneider/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

When asked whether religion plays a role at all, Omar replied, “Well, the tsunami of the anti-Muslim attacks that we are seeing is deeply concerning. And I would hope that the Democratic leader in the Senate would recognize that and would offer support not just to Mamdani, but the million Muslims who live in New York City and the millions who live in New York and in America.”

When asked about how some people found it potentially antisemitic for Mamdani to have been so slow to condemn the phrase “Globalize the intifada,” Omar argued this accusation has been overused to the point of absurdity.

“Well, everything he does or says seems to be called antisemitic,” Omar said as she scoffed. “What I do know is that he has support from a broad coalition of New Yorkers. He‘s got a huge coalition of Jewish voters that are supporting him. He‘s got a huge coalition of Muslims of every sect.

“He‘s got a huge coalition of young people who are supporting him. And the reason they are supporting him is not just because he‘s an exciting candidate to support. It’s because he took the time to listen where the policy pains were for New Yorkers. And he‘s offering a solution for them. They see hope in the kind of progress that he could create for New Yorkers.”