'There is no walkout,' NYPD says of viral claim after Mamdani's election

It was repeated by Rep. Elise Stefanik, the likely Republican nominee for governor in 2026.

Good afternoon — It’s Thursday and International Stout Day.

In today’s CapCon:

• A viral claim of a mass walkout at the NYPD after Mamdani won the race for mayor was repeated by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik. Here’s what the NYPD said.

• New York released its first-ever report on maternal mental health Thursday with recommendations for a path forward.

• Full list: Hochul signed three bills this week and another 12 are on her desk.

• New York’s Offshore Wind Implementation Plan is now open for public comment. Here’s what’s in it.

• New York will begin sending one-time $1,800 payments to new parents on public assistance to help cover costs.

• Former Assemblyman Michael Blake is challenging U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres to a rematch in 2026.

Names in today’s CapCon: Sholdon Daniels, Elise Stefanik, Kathy Hochul, Eric Adams, Ritchie Torres, Michael Blake, Office of Mental Health, NYSERDA, Public Service Commission, Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance

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NYPD officers at a recent protest (Neil Constantine/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

👮 There wasn’t a ‘MASSIVE walkout’ of officers after Mamdani win, NYPD says

The morning after Zohran Mamdani won the race for New York City mayor this week, a candidate for Congress in Texas sent out a post on X, formerly Twitter, that quickly went viral.

“Massive walkout at NYPD,” wrote Sholdon Daniels, who’s seeking election in the seat held by U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett that encompasses much of the Dallas-Forth Worth area. The post has been viewed 4.5 million times as of Thursday afternoon.

Two hours later, the claim made its way to New York, where U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik repeated it in her own post. Neither she nor Daniels included any additional information.

“(Gov. Kathy Hochul’s) catastrophic endorsement of the Defund the Police, pro-Hamas Mayor has caused a MASSIVE walkout of NYPD officers,” Stefanik wrote. “Kathy Hochul and her endorsed Commie Mamdani are literally destroying New York.”

There was a lot happening on Wednesday. Mamdani announced his transition team, Democrats declared a “blue wave” and Republicans readied for 2026.

I reached out to Stefanik’s team Wednesday afternoon to ask for more information on the walkout. Given Mamdani’s repeated efforts to convince law enforcement leaders that he would not seek to slash police funding, a walkout would be big news.