Mamdani mayhem: Republicans seize on socialist's surprise win

And will Hochul again veto a bill to create a new utility consumer advocate?

Good afternoon — it’s Wednesday and Catfish Day.

In today’s CapCon:

• Zohran Mamdani’s surprise win in the race for New York City mayor is great news for Republicans running in 2026.

• Hochul vetoed a bill in 2021 to create a new office to represent utility customers. It passed a second time this year. Will she reject it again?

• Minimum rent requirements in mortgages would be banned in a bill to be considered this year by Hochul. Another would protect kids’ credit.

• New bills from Republicans seek to help counties with the cost of incarceration while forcing financial assessments on certain bills.

Names in today’s CapCon: Zohran Mamdani, Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, Andrew Cuomo, Elise Stefanik, Ed Cox, Lee Zeldin, Jeffrey Dinowitz, Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, Liz Krueger, Bobby Carroll, April Baskin, Alicia Hyndman, Mark Walczyk, Rob Rolison

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Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander (Heather Khalifa/Associated Press)

🗣️ Republicans flip the script after Mamdani beats Cuomo

When Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani launched his campaign for New York City mayor last year, few in political circles took his candidacy seriously.

A lot has changed since then, including Mamdani’s rise to become the presumptive winner of the Democratic primary last night. His defeat of former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was not expected based on polling in the race.

That has resulted in a list of winners and losers. The list of losers is not short.

It includes the Democrats who backed Cuomo after calling for his resignation four years ago. They’ll now have to either back Mamdani or shift support toward incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who’s running for reelection as an independent.

Cuomo also said Tuesday night that he may continue his campaign as an independent if he sees a path to victory in November. Stay tuned for more on that.

But some of the former governor’s biggest supporters have already moved on to Mamdani, including Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, chair of the Brooklyn Democrats.

“To everyone who had reservations, I ask you to put them aside in this moment and come together for the future of our city and our party,” Bichotte Hermelyn said. “Brooklyn stands firmly behind Zohran Mamdani as we head into November.”

The list of winners may be even longer. It includes the progressives who backed Mamdani months before his rise, cementing their political power in New York.

But they’re rivaled, literally, by another group of winners: Republicans.