Zohran Mamdani called the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) 'monsters' at a rally in Brooklyn on June 18, 2026, where he spoke alongside Senator Bernie Sanders. According to JTA.org, Mamdani accused AIPAC of spending millions in dark money to divide people and oppose an end to genocide and Netanyahu’s wars. Forward.com reported that Mamdani also accused AIPAC of spending millions in dark money to help pro-Israel candidates win in the November midterms and criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza. Trackaipac.com reported that Mamdani once told journalist Mehdi Hasan he would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu if the Israeli prime minister stepped foot in New York, and referred to Netanyahu as a war criminal. Mamdani ran on a platform that included freezing rents, making buses free, taxing the ultra-rich, and standing up for Palestinian rights, according to Trackaipac.com. In the first round of New York City’s ranked choice voting for mayor, Mamdani received 43 percent of the vote and Andrew Cuomo received 35 percent, according to Trackaipac.com. Brad Lander is challenging incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman for the Democratic nomination in New York’s 10th Congressional District, according to Matzav.com. Lander has taken a stronger stance than Goldman by accusing Israel of genocide, and both are described as Jewish progressives who share similar positions on national issues, including opposition to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies, according to Matzav.com.