(NewsNation) — Debra Messing is facing backlash after sharing a political meme on Instagram framing NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani as a “jihadist.”
The “Will & Grace” actress reposted the picture from the account The Persian Jewess on her Instagram Story, showing an image of an edited ballot listing two candidates: “A Democrat. Just a Democrat,” and the other that said, “An actual communist jihadist. A literal Karl Marx-quoting, America-hating jihadist.”
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According to Newsweek, The Persian Jewess page added a caption asking New York voters to “make the right choice” by voting for former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, calling the contest “the battle for Democracy itself.”
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“The Mysteries of Laura” star announced on Oct. 25 that she voted early for Cuomo.
“I voted for @andrewcuomo because we need someone with experience** to bring our city back to what it should be—safe, the thriving financial center of the world, more low-cost housing, more police to make our streets and subways safe for everyone,” she said on Instagram.
She added, “Our city is too massive, complex, and consequential to have someone 33 years old who has never held a job, and missed 80% of his votes as Councilman. Perhaps with more experience. But not now.”
Instagram users flooded the comments under her post, with one user writing, “Your soul has gone sour and it’s embarrassing to watch.”
Another wrote, “You’re on the wrong side of history.”
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“With all the sexual allegations and the crimes that he’s committed. I’m a native New Yorker. I would never vote for Cuomo,” Instagram user Anthony Varrecchia. “He’s old outdated. We need someone new and fresh. ZM has my vote.”
Cuomo, 67, was governor of New York from 2011 to 2021 before resigning amid multiple sexual misconduct allegations. His mayoral bid marked a return to politics — this time, as an underdog.
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Despite Messing’s pleas for people to reject Mamdani fell on deaf ears, as the 34-year-old Ugandan-born democratic socialist emerged victorious on Tuesday to be NYC’s next mayor, defeating Cuomo, who ran as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
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Mamdani, who ran a progressive-focused campaign to help working-class New Yorkers, has vowed to freeze rents on stabilized apartments and provide free, universal childcare. He also wants to create city-owned grocery stores to rein in food costs and hike taxes on the wealthiest 1%.
Mamdani received over 50% of the vote, with 1 million New Yorkers casting a vote for the democratic assemblyman.
