New York politician Mamdani said he does not support defunding the police when asked about shifting positions tied to pandemic-era “woke” politics. The exchange followed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s comments on ABC’s This Week noting that Wisconsin candidate Francesca Hong had moved away from earlier remarks about canceling Thanksgiving, a term used for pandemic-era politics that included ideas like defunding the police. As captured by Fox News Digital, Mamdani said he would not be defunding the police and described public safety as working with the police department and partners. He cited the first seven months of the administration as showing record-low murders and shootings in New York City. The Hill described Ocasio-Cortez’s remark as a party shift, with reactions from Brian Seitchik and Joel Payne.
