Some Nassau County, New York, Democrats say newly elected Zohran Mamdani is making their job to appeal to voters more difficult, according to Politico's reporting on Wednesday.
While the Democratic Party saw success statewide, Nassau County was the outlier as Republican candidates swept all 11 contested executive branch races in the suburb.
"In the marquee race, County Executive Bruce Blakeman improved on his 2021 performance after four years of wholeheartedly embracing President Donald Trump," Politico reported.
Blakeman attributed his success in the Long Island area "to holding fast to pocketbook issues, hiring more cops and connecting with groups Republicans have ignored in the past," according to the report.
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As Blakeman has embraced Trump, Democrats struggle with messaging as they try to distance themselves from the mayor-elect of the Big Apple.
According to Politico, "Democrats have spent years bickering over whether party members in the county have focused too much on distancing themselves from the far left. Moderate Nassau Democrats say progressives like New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani have made their jobs tougher."
Nassau Democratic Chair Jay Jacobs, who also chairs the New York State Democratic Party, declined to endorse then-mayoral candidate Mamdani in the fall when the progressive firebrand became the Democratic nominee.
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"Most of the television commercials that they put up were all about 'Mamdani, Mamdani, democratic socialists,'" Jacobs told Politico.
"Their tagline was, in effect, 'Vote Republican and save Nassau County from becoming a socialist county.' That plays well with a moderate audience," he added to Politico.
Fox News Digital reached out to representatives of Mamdani for comment.
When reached by Fox News Digital for comment, Jacobs said, "New York is a big state and a politically diverse state. I think it is important for ALL Democrats, regardless of their political ideology, to remember and respect that. What works to elect Democrats in one part of the state does not always resonate with voters in other parts."
He added, "The voters in New York City have spoken, and they have elected Zohran Mamdani to be their next Mayor. Everyone should both respect the will of the electorate and, in the spirit of a true democracy, give him a chance to govern."
Jacobs concluded, "The Republicans have gone to great expense, particularly in Nassau County, using their standard election playbook inciting fear and anger, to demonize Mr. Mamdani and to try, unfairly, to associate every moderate Democratic candidate with his brand of politics. For moderates running in places that will ONLY elect moderates, it should not only be acceptable for them to identify the policies of Mr. Mamdani that they disagree with; it is incumbent upon them to do so. Those within the Party that are critical of that necessity, I would suggest, are more interested in enforcing ideological purity than they are in electing more Democrats and achieving a majority in the House while fighting to stop the Trump Administration's devastating agenda."
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A Democrat based in New York City, State Sen. Deputy Leader Mike Gianaris, who leads the Senate Democrats' campaign branch, slammed Nassau Democrats' strategy.
"When the leading Democrats in the county are telling everyone that the Democratic Party sucks, it's hard to convince voters to vote for your party," Gianaris said, according to Politico. He continued, "They should start looking inside themselves and start trying to make a positive case for Democrats, or I think they can expect this to continue."
Fox News Digital reached out to Nassau Democrats and the Democratic National Committee for comment.
While Democrats struggle to handle Mamdani's popularity, the Republican National Committee has already started pushing the 34-year-old mayor-elect of New York City as the face of the Democratic Party, as they seek to brand Democrats as far-left socialists.
"Democrats have officially handed New York City over to a self-proclaimed Communist, and hardworking families will be the ones paying the price," Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Joe Gruters claimed in a statement.
"His election is proof that the Democrat Party has abandoned common sense and tied themselves to extremism."
