Four Democratic candidates seeking to challenge Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY-17) have all refused to say whether they would accept an endorsement from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, exposing the party’s unease with Mamdani’s far-left politics and the risk of alienating moderate suburban voters. Peter Chatzky, John Sullivan, Mike Sacks, and Effie Phillips Staley each dodged or avoided the question, with Staley covering her face with both hands in a widely noted display of discomfort.

The exchanges came during interviews and candidate forums, where reporters pressed the contenders on whether they would welcome Mamdani’s support. The self-described democratic socialist won the NYC mayoral primary in 2025 on a platform including defunding the police, aggressive rent control, wealth taxes, and vocal criticism of Israel. His far-left policies, which conservatives say have fueled rising crime and declining quality of life in New York City, have become a national flashpoint.

Chatzky, a former prosecutor, pivoted to his record on public safety. Sullivan, a businessman and veteran, said he was focused on local issues in the Hudson Valley and Rockland County. Sacks gave a similar non-answer, and Phillips Staley’s face-covering reaction underscored the political liability Mamdani presents in a suburban swing district.

NY-17, covering Westchester, Rockland, and parts of Orange County, flipped Republican in 2022 when Lawler narrowly defeated incumbent Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney. Lawler has since cultivated a moderate-conservative profile, pro-Israel, tough on crime, and supportive of law enforcement. The candidates’ avoidance of Mamdani signals they fear his endorsement could harm them in a general election against Lawler, who has begun framing the race as a choice between radical socialism and commonsense governance.