CAIR Quietly Puts $100K Behind Zohran Mamdani’s Bid for NYC Mayor
19th June 2025
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the anti-Israel group whose leader said he was “happy” about Oct. 7, is quietly funding socialist Zohran Mamdani’s bid for New York City mayor.
The Unity & Justice Fund, which CAIR formed last year to expand its political influence, has contributed $100,000 to New Yorkers for Lower Costs, the largest PAC supporting Mamdani, according to campaign records. The money was split between a $25,000 gift on May 30 and a $75,000 donation on June 16.
In Facebook ads and mailers, New Yorkers for Lower Costs touts Mamdani’s pledges to “freeze the rent” in New York City and “make groceries less expensive,” while casting him as a progressive alternative to campaign frontrunner Andrew Cuomo.
But the backing of the Unity & Justice Fund and other anti-Israel organizations suggests New Yorkers for Lower Cost’s true interest in Mamdani lies in his anti-Israel views. Mamdani has refused to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist and earlier this week defended the phrase “Globalize the Intifada,” a rallying cry for violence against Jews worldwide.