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EXCLUSIVE – BROOKLYN, NY: NYC Republican Councilwoman Inna Vernikov revealed the popularity of socialist mayoral candidate Zohan Mamdani is driven by his supporters falling for the “pipe dream” that socialism and communism have to offer.
Vernikov, who was born in Soviet Ukraine, told Fox News Digital that she remembers standing in milk and bread lines with her grandfather, adding that Mamdani’s policies are an “experiment that has been done before.”
“When you look at the Soviet Union, this is exactly what they did,” Vernikov said. “They promised the people, everything, and at the end, who got rich? Only the government. And I think that’s what’s happening here.”
When asked what is behind Mamdani’s surge in popularity that skyrocketed him to the top of the national conversation when he won the Democratic primary for the largest city in the United States, Vernikov suggested many of his voters are motivated by “guilt.”
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Fox News Digital spoke to NYC Council member Inna Vernikov about the popularity of Zohran Mamdani. (Fox News Digital/Getty)
“This is my opinion, is that we’re living in a culture of shame that started during the George Floyd riots, when people who were White and who were rich were shamed into being White and rich and now we see who voted for Mamdani,” Vernikov said. “It’s not the Black community, it’s not the Hispanic community, not the brown community, it’s really not even the Jewish community, right? It’s, really, the White and the privileged who voted for Mamdani and I think they were shamed into voting for him, and it’s kind of a small price for them to pay to be accepted socially.”
Vernikov explained that another part of the equation is that many young Mamdani voters who have never experienced communism and socialism and “grew up privileged” have been tricked into thinking “this pipe dream could actually be a reality.”
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Zohran Mamdani speaks to supporters during an election night gathering at The Greats of Craft LIC on June 24, 2025. (Getty Images/Michael M. Santiago)
“In reality, these things can never happen,” Vernikov said. “What could happen is chaos. What could happen is bread lines, what could happen is us seeing the police flee, and this will not be New York City anymore as we know it. This will not be our country, and we cannot be proud of what it’s about to become.”
Vernikov acknowledged that part of Mamdani’s rise can be attributed to his being “extremely charismatic” and “charming,” which has led to an “effective” campaign and that Republicans could learn from some of his campaign strategies.
“I think the promises he’s making combined with the guilt, with the shame, combined with him being extremely charismatic and charming, he’s having a very, very effective campaign,” Vernikov said.
However, ultimately, Vernikov said his platform is filled with unkeepable promises and that he is “absolutely” a communist.
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Zohran Mamdani attends the New York City Pride March on June 29, 2025. (Noam Galai/Getty Images)
“His ideas, he might say he’s a socialist, but I don’t really draw the line,” Vernikov said. “I think it’s the same concepts, the same ideas in terms of the economy, in terms of these policies. I think that it’s very, very dangerous and it’s counter to the idea of capitalism and the cornerstone of our democracy.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani campaign for comment.
