Americans were stunned last week when foreign-born, self-proclaimed socialist Zohran Mamdani used CNN as a platform to denounce capitalism—the very system that transformed this country from frontier towns into a global superpower. Capitalism has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, built a middle class, and fueled rapid technological innovation—outcomes impossible under socialist regimes, as evidenced by an imploding Europe adopting welfare-state models or failed communist states like Cuba. Yet Mamdani chose to vilify it on national television. His profoundly anti-American rhetoric didn't emerge out of nowhere—one has to wonder whether it's rooted in foreign influence or ideology imported from an adversary.

A recent New York Post opinion piece penned by One City Rising co-founder and strategist Jason Curtis Anderson exposed a troubling connection behind Mamdani's rise: one of his key backers worked for the NYC Campaign Finance Board and is a longtime socialist operative with alleged ties to extremist and terror-linked groups. 

David Duhalde's position at the New York City Campaign Finance Board gave him unfettered access to confidential information about political candidates and the ability to influence campaign compliance. He openly backed Democratic Socialist (DSA) Assemblyman Mamdani, whose rise ultimately helped secure victory in last week's Democratic mayoral primary against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Duhalde lists himself as a NYC Campaign Finance Board employee on LinkedIn.

Note: Duhalde, who identified himself in a 2020 article as the deputy director of the DSA...

... tweeted his support for Zohran's mayoral run on October 23, 2024, but previous tweets show that their work relationship dates back to at least 2022. After the NYPost article went live, Duhalde deleted his Facebook and Instagram.

Duhalde also sits on DSA's International Committee, which has ties to socialist regimes in Venezuela and Cuba and has partnered with Friends of Socialist China and The People's Forum.

In 2024, Duhalde wrote, "A history of the late 2000s youth section of the Democratic Socialists of America and how they used lessons from Mao and contemporary labor to reevaluate their conditions and build a winning strategy."