Seattle’s socialist mayoral candidate wants leftist media outlets to be state-funded

Seattle’s socialist mayoral candidate Katie Wilson, who has been nicknamed the “Mini Mamdani,” has raised concerns among critics about conflicts of interest and government overreach, this time over her plan to tax residents to subsidize media outlets that support her campaign and employ her.

In a recent interview on the Mostly Economics podcast, Wilson promoted a proposal she calls “News Notes”: a taxpayer-funded voucher program that would give every Seattle resident $100 to donate to local media outlets, to save failing outlets from the free market. To pay for it, she floated new property taxes, a capital gains tax, or a digital ad tax.

But the outlets she specifically named as beneficiaries, The Urbanist, Publicola, and South Seattle Emerald, are the same ones that routinely promote her political agenda. Many of them have endorsed her. Some have even paid her.

Wilson lists income from The Stranger, The Urbanist, and Publicola in her PDC filings, each below $30,000 annually, while all three also endorse her for mayor. These aren’t neutral newspapers. They’re progressive advocacy media that cheerlead for every new tax, anti-police measure, and socialist policy put forward in Seattle.

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NY Democrats call to ‘fight to abolish ICE’ at Zohran Mamdani rally

New York State Democratic Senator Julia Salazar called for the abolition of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a campaign rally, and the entire crowd of Democrats agreed. The rally was for NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, a controversial socialist currently leading in the polls by 10 points.

Speaking to a packed crowd at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens on Sunday, Salazar yelled behind the microphone: “Is it radical to fight to abolish ICE?” Mamdani’s supporters fired back, responding in unison, “No!” ICE is a federal law enforcement agency tasked with immigration enforcement.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and Senator Bernie Sanders, both socialists, also attended the rally, intended to kick off early voting in the Big Apple. Election Day is scheduled for November 4. Many high-profile Democrats have backed Mamdani as well.

AOC, whose district contains portions of Queens and the Bronx, told the crowd that voting for Mamdani “will send a loud message to President Donald Trump that his authoritarianism is no good here.”

Senator Sanders added, “People all over the world are paying attention to what will happen here on Tuesday. These are not normal times…this election takes place at a time when we have a president who has given a trillion dollars in tax breaks to the top one percent.”

Mamdani, a 34-year-old current state assemblyman, is running on a socialist platform that includes city-owned grocery stores, rent control, free buses, free childcare, and increasing taxes on the wealthy. He has come under fire for previously failing to condemn the Hamas terror group and for his long history of anti-police rhetoric. He recently leaned into the idea that Muslims were victimized by Islamophobia following the Islamic extremist terror attacks on New York City in 2001.

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Socialist NYC Mayoral Frontrunner Zohran Mamdani Faces Two DOJ Criminal Referrals Over Alleged Foreign Campaign Donations

Far-left New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, a self-described socialist, has been hit with two criminal referrals alleging he accepted illegal foreign campaign donations, a violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) and New York election law.

The Coolidge Reagan Foundation, a prominent campaign finance watchdog, filed the referrals Tuesday with both the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, demanding a full investigation into a “pattern of foreign money flowing into a New York City mayoral race.”

According to the Fox News, the foundation’s complaint follows revelations that Mamdani’s campaign raked in nearly $13,000 from 170 donors with addresses outside the United States, including one donation reportedly coming from his mother-in-law in Dubai.

“These are not isolated incidents or clerical errors,” said Dan Backer, president of the Coolidge Reagan Foundation.

“This was a sustained pattern of foreign money flowing into a New York City mayoral race which is a clear violation of both federal law and New York City campaign finance rules. Mamdani’s campaign was on notice for months that it was accepting illegal foreign contributions, and yet it did nothing meaningful to stop it.”

The New York Post reported:

The Coolidge Reagan Foundation – which has previously lodged complaints against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee –  urged Bragg and the DOJ to investigate and prosecute Mamdani over the potentially illegal campaign cash, which flowed in from Australia, Turkey, France, Canada, Germany and other countries.

The group argued Mamdani’s campaign has demonstrated a “systematic failure to comply” with campaign finance laws.

Under the Federal Election Campaign Act it is unlawful to “accept or receive” contributions from foreign nationals in any federal, state, or local election.

Violators who knowingly accept foreign donations could face hefty fines and imprisonment.

[…]

While the Mamdani campaign appears to have returned some of the foreign contributions, records show at least 88 donations totalling $7,190 have not been given back.

A spokesperson for the campaign, Dora Pekec, attempted to downplay the allegations, claiming that some of the contributions may have come from Americans living overseas.

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Zohran Mamdani branded a ‘liar’ over false claim his Muslim aunt was too scared to take the subway after 9/11

A hardline socialist who’s the favorite to be the next mayor of New York City has debunked his own story that claimed his Muslim aunt was too scared to ride the subway after 9/11.

Zohran Mamdani said Monday that he was actually referring to one of his father’s distant dead cousins, a woman he named only as Zehra. 

Mamdani, 33, made the revelation at a press conference as he sought to get ahead of the debacle ahead of the November 4 mayoral election. 

‘I was speaking about Zehra fuhi, my father’s cousin, who passed away a few years ago,’ he said. Fuhi stands for paternal aunt in Urdu and Hindi. 

Last week, Mamdani fought back tears as he told of how the September 2001 terror atrocity had left an aunt who wears a hijab too scared to use public transport in New York City. 

‘I want to speak to the memory of my aunt, who stopped taking the subway after September 11 because she did not feel safe in her hijab,’ he said. 

But internet sleuths quickly discovered that Mamdani’s only living aunt, a woman called Masuma Mamdani, lived in Tanzania at the time of the September 2001 terror attacks.

An online photo further revealed that Masuma does not wear a headscarf. 

Relatives of 9/11 victims also criticized him over the comments, suggesting they were ‘insulting and insensitive’ and amounted to ‘lunacy.’ 

Terry Strada’s husband Tom, 41, a Cantor Fitzgerald bond broker, died after going to work on the 104th floor of the North Tower. The youngest of their three children was just four days old. 

She branded a Mamdani a ‘despicable liar’ after he changed his story on Monday.

She told the Daily Mail: ‘I find what he (Mamdani) had to say completely insulting to all of the people that suffered a horrible loss that day.

‘To compare an aunt being uncomfortable on the subway to all of these families that were murdered was just very insensitive and shows his true colors.

‘How dare he lie about 9/11 to invoke sympathy from Muslims. New York suffered horrible losses from a terrorist attack carried out by radical Islamists. He is a despicable liar and this should open everyone’s eyes to who he truly is.’

She said Mamdani should apologize, but didn’t think he would.

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WTH?! AOC Goes On Unhinged Screaming Rant at Mamdani Rally

Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez went on an unhinged rant during a rally for Communist Muslim NYC Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

Mamdani, a Communist Muslim born in Uganda, is running against former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

Zohran Mamdani is a far-left radical who openly admits he will raise property taxes based on skin color – specifically, white people.

Top Democrats such as Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and New York Governor Hochul have endorsed Mamdani.

AOC and Senator Bernie Sanders, two of the most unhinged and far-left lawmakers, joined Mamdani in Queens on Sunday evening.

The theme of Mamdani’s rally, “New York is Not For Sale,” reflected his pledge to challenge the billionaires and oligarchs funding his political opponents.

The crowd chanted, “Tax the Rich!” and booed New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

She nodded in agreement and shouted, “I hear you!”

AOC took the stage and busted out a few new accents as she screamed into the microphone on Sunday evening.

AOC’s meltdown was reminiscent of Howard Dean’s “Dean Scream Speech” that ended his career during the 2004 Iowa caucuses.

“This city was built by the Irish escaping famine, Italians fleeing fascism, Jews escaping the Holocaust…” AOC shouted.

AOC continued, “Black Americans fleeing slavery and Jim Crow. Latinos seeking a better life! Native Peoples standing for themselves! Asian-Americans coming together in Queens! In Brooklyn! In the Bronx! In Manhattan! In Staten Island! In this country, in a vision to build the freest, toughest, and greatest city on earth!”

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Surprise! Half of Communist Zohran Mamdani’s Campaign Donations Come from Outside New York City

Zohran Mamdani, the Democrat Socialist frontrunner in New York City’s mayoral race, has built his campaign around promises of rent freezes, free bus service, and a city-run grocery system. 

But while his platform is marketed as a local, working-class agenda, new filings reveal that a majority of his campaign money is coming from far beyond the five boroughs.

According to the latest campaign-finance records, Mamdani raised about $1.05 million in just five weeks.

Of that total, more than $532,000—or 53%—came from donors outside New York City. 

This means nearly half of the funding fueling his campaign is coming from individuals who will never vote in the mayoral election.

That figure is unprecedented in a city where campaigns are traditionally funded by residents directly affected by local policies. 

In fact, an analysis by City Limits found that Mamdani has taken in more out-of-state contributions than his two main rivals combined. 

His donor base stretches nationwide, pulling in checks from activists and progressive organizations across the country who see Mamdani as a national figure rather than a local candidate.

For Mamdani’s supporters, the outside contributions prove the strength of his grassroots network. 

His campaign points out that the average donation size remains relatively small, suggesting he has tapped into the same progressive donor pipeline that powered Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 

They argue this fundraising model frees him from dependence on Wall Street or real estate donors that dominate city politics.

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Democrat Establishment Finally Rallies Behind Communist Zohran Mamdani — House Leader Hakeem Jeffries Gives Full Endorsement

For anyone saying that the Democratic Party does not have strong links to communism, the proof is now in the pudding.

On Friday afternoon, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries officially endorsed Zohran Mamdani, a proud Muslim communist who is likely to win the New York City mayoral race.

Jeffries, who had held off on endorsing Mamdani since his victory against Andrew Cuomo in May’s Democratic primary, said that although the two men had “areas of principled disagreement,” he was still offering his endorsement to the entire Democratic ticket.

“Zohran Mamdani has relentlessly focused on addressing the affordability crisis and explicitly committed to being a mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who do not support his candidacy,” Jeffries said in a statement to The New York Times.

“In that spirit, I support him and the entire citywide Democratic ticket in the general election,” he continued.

The endorsement comes several weeks after New York’s Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul, also confirmed she would be supporting his candidacy.

In a statement at the time, Hochul said that Mamdani was “focused on making New York City affordable, a goal I enthusiastically support.”

“In the past few months, I’ve had frank conversations with him,” she said at the time. “We’ve had our disagreements.”

“But in our conversations, I heard a leader who shares my commitment to a New York where children can grow up safe in their neighborhoods and where opportunity is within reach for every family.”

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Anti-Capitalism Progs Are Raking in the Money on the Dem Side

While I can’t speak to what goes on in other countries, I do know that there are a lot of people in the United States who hate capitalism yet somehow seem to be swimming in money. Most of Academia fits that description. Heck, a good portion of the kajillionaires in the entertainment industry kvetch about capitalism while taking quick trips to the French Riviera after they’ve had a bad weekend. 

As we are all painfully aware, the Democrats are finally openly embracing the socialism that they’ve had incubating in their dark little hearts for a long time. The ascendant progressive Left is decidedly anti-capitalism, loudly railing against the evil rich whenever they can. They’re also killing it when it comes to the money that’s flowing into the Democratic Party these days. 

We’ve read a lot lately about fundraising struggles among the Dems, but they’re not all struggling. This is from Rick:

“The Democratic National Committee has raised $99 million so far this year, not even close to the hundreds of millions of dollars it has been accustomed to raising in recent years,” writes The Free Press’s Gabe Kaminsky. 

It’s not just the DNC that’s being shunned. Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the second-ranking Democrat in government, raised just $134,000 during the same reporting period.

Meanwhile, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) raised $4.4 million between July 1 and Sept. 30. According to the most recent Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings, her cash on hand now totals $11.8 million. That cash is going to come in handy when she challenges Schumer for his Senate seat in 2026.

That would be the same Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who’s been out traipsing about the country with commie Bernie Sanders on the “Fight Oligarchy” tour. It would appear that Squeaky won. 

Rick reports that other progs are raking it in as well, including Jasmine “F-Bomb” Crockett, the country day academy-educated chick who’s totally down with the struggle. The radical “We Hate the Rich” kids over in Dem Land seem to know an awful lot of rich people. AOC didn’t amass an almost $12 million war chest by getting three-dollar donations from constituents in her Congressional district.

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The Shadow Of Terror: Zohran Mamdani’s Radical Islam Problem

New York City’s 2025 mayoral race has thrust Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist and New York State Assembly member, into the spotlight as the Democratic nominee. His candidacy, while historic as potentially the first Muslim and Indian-American mayor, raises serious concerns due to his (1) adherence to the Shi’a Twelver sect, (2) support of Hamas jihadist terrorists and its parent group, the Muslim Brotherhood, (3) rabid antisemitism, and (4) devastating economic implications of his socialist policies. Mamdani’s candidacy is a natural result of decades of failed NYC policies toward Islamists and jihadists, which have almost turned the city into a Muslim Brotherhood sanctuary. Mamdani’s candidacy is a symptom of a larger Islamist problem in NYC.

While many American Muslims in New York City are patriotic and capable of great leadership, Mamdani’s religious and ideological stances demand scrutiny. Mamdani wants to rule New York City, but who rules Mamdani?

New York City is home to over half a million Muslims, many of whom contribute significantly to the city’s vibrant fabric. Numerous Muslim leaders possess the vision, integrity, and capability to serve as mayor, championing policies that align with American values and the U.S. Constitution; however, Mamdani is not among them. He belongs on a terror watchlist and not in a mayoral race.

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Zohran Mamdani Boasts ‘Free’ NYC Bus Plan Would Cost $700 Million a Year

New York City mayoral candidate and state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani defended his proposal to make all city buses free during Wednesday night’s final mayoral debate, estimating the initiative would cost roughly $700 million annually and arguing it would ultimately benefit the city’s economy and environment.

Mamdani said the proposal “addresses the fact that today, in the wealthiest city, in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, one in five New Yorkers cannot afford the bus fare.” He described the measure as both an economic and social investment, explaining that “It could cost $700 million a year to make the slowest buses in the country fast and free,” but claimed the city would “generate more than double in economic revenue for New Yorkers across the city.”

He added that eliminating fares would “reduce assaults on bus drivers,” “increase ridership on those buses,” and “actually have environmental impacts as fewer New Yorkers would drive their own car or take a taxi and would instead get on the bus.” Mamdani stated he was confident in the plan’s feasibility because, as a state assemblyman, he “delivered it as the state assembly member who won the first free buses in New York City’s history.”

The cost projection drew comparisons to other cities that have experimented with fare-free transit, most notably Kansas City, which became the first major U.S. city to eliminate bus fares in 2020. After several years, city officials moved to reinstate fares amid ongoing financial and operational challenges. According to an April 2025 KCUR report, the Kansas City Council voted to bring back $2 fares and reduce route frequency after the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority warned that, without new funding sources, it could be forced to cut 13 of its 29 routes. The council’s six-month plan allocated $46.7 million to keep the system running through October while the agency seeks additional funding to sustain operations in the long term.

Mamdani’s comments come as his economic platform continues to draw attention for its sweeping government-led initiatives. The democratic socialist has previously proposed city-run grocery stores and increasing property taxes in “richer and whiter neighborhoods,” as well as backing measures to buy private housing for communal use. Polling reported by Breitbart News shows Mamdani leading the mayoral race with 43 percent of support citywide, bolstered by strong backing from foreign-born voters and younger residents.

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