New York City’s mayoral race just got messier with allegations that Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani misrepresented his racial identity on a college application.
According to Fox News, Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo are demanding a probe into Mamdani’s 2009 Columbia University application, where he identified as "Black or African American." The controversy has sparked debate, though Republican Curtis Sliwa calls it a distraction from larger policy concerns.
Back in 2009, Mamdani, then a high school senior, checked multiple boxes on his Columbia application, including "Asian" and "Black or African American," while also noting "Ugandan" as additional background. Despite not being a U.S. citizen at the time and having a father who was a professor at the university, he was not accepted.
Mamdani now claims he identifies as "an American who was born in Africa," insisting his application choices reflected a complex heritage rather than an attempt to game the system. But let’s be honest—checking a box tied to a specific historical struggle for personal advantage, if true, undermines the integrity of the process.
Mayor Adams didn’t hold back, calling Mamdani’s actions "an insult to every student who got into college the right way." His campaign labels the move as "possibly fraudulent," a sentiment that cuts to the core of trust in public figures.
Cuomo’s camp echoed this frustration, with spokesperson Rich Azzopardi stating that Mamdani’s background has faced "absolutely no scrutiny." They warn this could be "just the tip of the iceberg," suggesting deeper issues of accountability in his public persona.
The Adams campaign is pushing Columbia University to release Mamdani’s full 2009 admissions records and review whether his non-citizen status played any role in the process. Transparency here isn’t just politics—it’s about ensuring voters know who they’re backing.
Adams’ spokesperson, Todd Shapiro, emphasized, "We need answers." If a candidate’s foundation is built on questionable claims, New Yorkers deserve to know before casting their votes.
Mamdani, for his part, told reporters he doesn’t recall identifying as Black outside of those college forms and currently leans into his South Asian and Muslim identity. Yet, during a recent speech, he highlighted African roots, mentioning his birth in Kampala, Uganda— a convenient pivot when under fire.
Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee, takes a different tack, arguing this controversy only victimizes Mamdani and boosts his support base. He’s got a point—focusing on a decades-old form risks turning a radical policy agenda into a sympathy story.
Sliwa told Fox News Digital, "We're making him a martyr." Obsessing over personal attacks, he argues, distracts from the real threat of Mamdani’s far-left proposals that could reshape the city’s economy.
Indeed, Mamdani’s platform—think $30 minimum wage, tax hikes on businesses, and city-run grocery stores—has alarmed moderates and conservatives alike. Sliwa warns that personal jabs only galvanize undecided voters to rally behind Mamdani out of perceived unfairness.
While Mamdani’s heritage includes Indian descent through his parents and a familial history in East Africa, he’s clarified there’s no direct native African lineage. This nuance matters little when the bigger question is whether past actions reflect a pattern of bending truth for gain.
Adams and Cuomo, running as independents after their Democratic ties, see this as a chance to expose potential deceit, but they risk alienating voters if it feels like a witch hunt. Balancing scrutiny with fairness is key in a city as diverse as New York.
Ultimately, Sliwa’s call to refocus on policy over personal history might be the wisest path. With Mamdani’s socialist-leaning ideas posing a genuine challenge to the city’s financial stability, conservatives and moderates should keep their eyes on the issues that will shape New York’s future, not just a box checked years ago.
