On June 24, 2025, New York state Assembly member Zohran Mamdani became the presumptive Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, surprising many. Mamdani could become the city's first Muslim and South Asian mayor, details that led to plenty of commentary and misinformation online.

Speaking at the Faith and Freedom Coalition summit in Washington, D.C., an annual evangelical gathering in the nation's capital, Republican leaders showcased an emerging line of attack against Democrats to energize voters and defend their congressional majorities: the ascent of New York state lawmaker Zohran Mamdani,

Zohran Mamdani had been a state lawmaker unknown even to most New Yorkers before announcing his run for mayor.