The candidate for New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has been making a rather significant impact in the media. This is partly because the mainstream media organizations have been giving Mamdani plenty of airtime, and partly due to the political statements he has been making.

They are not exactly controversial or surprising: we have heard his talking points over and over again from many leftist politicians. However, among many Republican government representatives, the question has been raised as to whether Mamdani should be allowed to run for office. 

On June 26, Congressman Andy Ogles wrote an official letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, asking for an investigation to determine if Mamdani should be denaturalized. According to Ogles, Mamdani has violated the very principles of American citizenship, and he should not only not be allowed to run but should also be stripped of his citizenship.

Citing a New York Post article, Ogles points out that Mamdani “expressed open solidarity with individuals convicted of terrorism-related offenses before becoming a U.S. citizen…The Holy Land Foundation was convicted in 2008 for providing material support to Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Publicly praising the Foundation’s convicted leadership as 'my guys' raises serious concerns about whether Mr. Mamdani held affiliations or sympathies he failed to disclose during the naturalization process.”

In Ogles’ defense, he does mention in the letter that this raises concerns under the First Amendment, specifically regarding free speech; however, he still maintains his position that Mamdani ought to be denaturalized.

It hasn’t been only that which has created a deep criticism of Mamdani. Although he doesn’t call himself a communist, his proposed policies reflect a redistributive justice approach. He doesn’t think billionaires should exist, “the richer and whiter” New York City neighborhood should carry the tax burden, and wants to create government-owned grocery stores. (Merely using racially charged language should be seen as highly problematic and incredibly divisive.) In addition, the Republicans’ criticism of Mamdani includes his support of the Palestinian cause, and that this support is central to his identity. 

Despite all these issues, the question remains: should Mamdani be denaturalized and thus, unable to run for office? My answer is no. Some critics have pointed to the Communist Control Act of 1954, which was signed into law by President Dwight Eisenhower. This Act outlawed the Communist Party and criminalized any associations with Communist organizations. Many people have taken to social media, pushing for this as evidence of why Mamdani should be denaturalized. 

The problem is that Mamdani isn’t a factual member of the Communist Party, and he is running under the Democratic ticket. The Act itself, even after it was signed into law, proved to be incredibly unsuccessful and impossible to enforce. The ambiguity of language in the law made it impossible to determine with certainty whether someone had sympathies with the Communist Party or organizations that supported Communist ideology. 

Naturally, there was another issue: that of the First Amendment. This falls under free speech, and the only way to accuse someone based on Communist affiliations would be to have clear and beyond a doubt evidence of activities that directly put the U.S. Government in a position of political and/or military weakness. 

In Mamdani’s case, this argument is pointless. Republicans (and people on social media) arguing for such a thing makes them sound nostalgic for the Cold War, and almost silly. It reeks of the HUAC hearings and McCarthyism, which have always been held against the conservatives by the leftists. Although the Communist threat was very much real, McCarthyism was a terrible approach, and it created more problems than solutions.

Another aspect that has come out in the critique of Mamdani is the fact that he is a Muslim. This criticism then raises questions about freedom of religion. Of course, Mamdani’s implicit support of Hamas is wrong and should be rightfully criticized. But just like in the case of accusations of Communism, the “accusation” of being Muslim makes conservatives look like the very things the left constantly accuses them of: Islamophobia and xenophobia. They need to stop playing into the leftist hands, but somehow, they always hand the easy criticism of the Republican party on a silver platter. 

My view is that Mamdani is using all the globalist talking points while running for New York City mayor. What he thinks about Palestine should be utterly irrelevant to the job of a mayor. However, local politics are often dominated by national politics, and this is what the people are responding to. (Similar things can be said about people like Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who flaunt their loathing for America.)

One may have criticism of America, but hating the fundamental and foundational principles of the United States has no place in the government. Yet, there are also plenty of natural-born citizens who express the same opinions.

In addition, Mamdani is using Islam as a political and ideological tool to make globalist points. If indeed he was religious or spiritual, he would likely remain humble and private about such matters. Instead, he is sowing even more division among Americans, and unfortunately, people are falling for it. 

Mamdani has been an American citizen for seven years. Although he should not be forbidden from running for office based on his ideological positions, he should be required to be a citizen for longer than seven years. A legal immigrant can apply for a Green Card after one year of arriving in the United States, and for citizenship, five years after becoming a Green Card holder.

Running for office is a significant step, and candidates should be able to prove their commitment to this country unequivocally. The length of time should matter.

Without a doubt, Mamdani’s proposals for New York City are socialist, and frankly, unrealizable. But conservatives and moderates need to attack Mamdani on economic issues and point out that he is using globalist talking points. Calling for McCarthy-like attacks, as well as going after his relationship with Islam, is not the path to take.