January 1, Socialist Mayor’s Risky Power Grab EXPOSED as Trump Plays Both Sides

Wyatt’s Take

• New York’s socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani is testing how much power he really has by backing far-left candidates against the Democratic establishment — a risky move that could crown him kingmaker or crush his influence
• Trump made a classic Trump move in South Carolina, endorsing BOTH GOP candidates in the governor runoff to protect his winning streak — proving again he knows how to work the system
• These primaries in New York, South Carolina, Maryland, and Utah will show us whether the far-left or MAGA movement has more juice heading into the midterms

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump aren’t on any ballot Tuesday, but their grip on their parties is about to get tested in a big way. Four states — New York, Maryland, Utah, and South Carolina — are holding primaries and runoffs that will show who really runs the show.

Trump pulled a classic hedge move right before the South Carolina GOP governor runoff. He’s now backing BOTH candidates trying to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Henry McMaster. Can’t lose if you bet on everyone, right?

Meanwhile, Mamdani is making a bold play just one year after shocking the political world by winning New York City’s mayoral race. The 34-year-old socialist is backing a whole slate of far-left candidates, including three congressional hopefuls taking on the Democratic Party’s old guard.

At the top of his list is political organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier. She’s challenging Rep. Adriano Espaillat, who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in New York’s 13th District covering northern Manhattan and part of the Bronx. The 32-year-old Chevalier says winning Tuesday could be the first “domino” to fall in building “socialist power” nationwide.

The 71-year-old Espaillat has been in Congress for a decade and has heavy hitters like New York Gov. Kathy Hochul backing him.

Mamdani is also supporting former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who’s challenging incumbent Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman in the 10th District. Goldman has Nancy Pelosi in his corner. And in New York’s 7th District, the mayor endorsed state Assembly Member Claire Valdez against Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.

Valdez and Avila Chevalier are both members of the Democratic Socialists of America, just like Mamdani.

These congressional races have focused heavily on anti-Israel sentiment. Mamdani recently called AIPAC, a major pro-Israel lobbying group, “monsters.”

“This is the team. This is our year. It’s up to all of us to get them over the finish line,”

Mamdani posted on social media before a rally last week with the three candidates and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont progressive who’s run for president twice.

At the rally, Mamdani made his position clear.

“The Democratic Party must change,”

he told the crowd.

It’s a risky bet for the young mayor. He could end up being crowned a kingmaker, or he could weaken his political power if his candidates lose. Either way, it tells you where the Democratic Party’s internal battle lines are drawn.

The socialist has been the darling of the far left for a year and a half. But six months into running New York City, he’s also managed to make allies of former critics like Gov. Hochul. Heck, even Trump has praised him.

Trump used to call Mamdani a “communist lunatic” during the campaign. But after an Oval Office meeting in November that grabbed national headlines, the president changed his tune.

“Very rational person,”

Trump said, adding Mamdani would do a “really good job.”

Longtime Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo, who worked on Bernie Sanders’ 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, sees the strategy.

“It’s crystal clear that Mamdani understands power and how to leverage it. He remains incredibly popular, and it appears he also understands that may not always be the case. That’s why I think you see him flexing his political muscle now. It’s smart politics,”

Caiazzo told reporters.

The candidates Mamdani’s backing are mostly pushing his platform of making New York more affordable — a real issue in a city where the cost of living is crushing working families.

But his support for these congressional candidates, especially after that rally with Sanders, gives Republicans perfect ammunition. They’ve been calling Mamdani a radical for over a year, and now they can use him to attack vulnerable Democrats heading into the midterms.

“Zohran Mamdani’s socialist brand is as toxic as it comes. And during a time when Democrats don’t have a leader or a message, he’s exactly the kind of bogeyman we can use against Democrats to truly show who is leading their party and the crazy policies they all support,”

National Republican Congressional Committee National Press Secretary Mike Marinella said.

Over in South Carolina, Trump made his double-endorsement move on Friday. He took to social media to announce he’s supporting both longtime state Attorney General Alan Wilson and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in the GOP governor race.

“I can’t hurt one of them by only Endorsing the other, so, therefore, I am going to Endorse, for Governor of South Carolina, both Pam Evette and Alan Wilson! With either one you can’t go wrong,”

Trump wrote.

The Wilson endorsement looked like Trump covering his bases. He’d already backed Evette, who’s also supported by Gov. McMaster, a longtime Trump ally. The South Carolina runoff was supposed to test Trump’s grip on the GOP and the power of his endorsements. By backing both candidates, he made sure he’d come out looking like a winner no matter what.

This isn’t the first time Trump’s done this. Back in the 2022 Missouri GOP Senate primary, he endorsed “ERIC” when both major candidates were named Eric — Eric Schmitt and Eric Greitens. Both claimed the endorsement. Schmitt won.

In South Carolina, Trump endorsed Evette late last month, a week and a half before the primary. Evette finished first in a crowded field, with Wilson second. The field included Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, plus businessman Rom Reddy. Since nobody won a majority, the top two advanced to the June 23 runoff.

Both Mace and Norman endorsed Wilson after they didn’t make the runoff. Wilson also got backing from Sen. Ted Cruz, who joined him on the campaign trail.

Mace had a laugh at Trump’s double endorsement.

“LMAO,”

she posted on social media.

The runoff between Evette and Wilson got nasty. In last week’s final debate, both candidates launched personal attacks and accused each other of lying about their records.

Wilson contrasted his work as attorney general with what he called Evette’s ceremonial role as lieutenant governor. He highlighted his experience as a combat veteran, prosecutor, and the state’s top law enforcement official.

Evette positioned herself as an outsider and Trump-endorsed businesswoman while painting Wilson as a career politician.

Trump’s endorsement power is also being tested in upstate New York, where Rep. Elise Stefanik is retiring. Trump is backing first-time candidate Anthony Constantino, a businessman and former boxer. He’s facing Robert Smullen, a retired Marine Corps colonel and New York assemblyman backed by the state party.

In Manhattan, Rep. Jerry Nadler’s retirement left his district open for the first time since 1992. The crowded Democratic field includes Assembly members Alex Bores and Micah Lasher, JFK’s grandson Jack Schlossberg, and former anti-Trump Republican George Conway. Nadler endorsed Lasher, a former congressional staffer.

Five Democrats are battling in New York’s 17th District primary. The winner faces GOP Rep. Mike Lawler in a general election race that could help decide control of the House.

In Utah, voters will pick congressional candidates using a new map that created a Democratic-friendly district in Salt Lake City, shaking up the state’s all-Republican delegation.

And in Maryland, Democratic Gov. Wes Moore faces a weak primary challenger as he runs for reelection while people whisper about a possible 2028 presidential run.

Wyatt Matters

These primaries show us the real fight in American politics right now. On one side, you’ve got socialists trying to take over the Democratic Party from the inside, pushing policies that would hurt working families even more. On the other side, Trump keeps proving he knows how to win by playing smart politics. For regular Americans watching from their kitchen tables, the question is simple: do you want the country run by socialist activists backed by a New York City mayor, or do you want leaders who understand how the real world works? Tuesday’s results will start giving us that answer.