Elise Stefanik proposes legislation that would block Mamdani’s threat to arrest Netanyahu

This piece first ran as part of The Countdown, our daily newsletter rounding up all the developments in the New York City mayor’s race. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. There are 48 days to the election.

🤔 What to do about Netanyahu?

• Gov. Kathy Hochul may have endorsed Zohran Mamdani this week, but she’s not backing his pledge to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon visiting New York City.

• “I disagree with that,” Hochul told reporters on Tuesday. “And I also do not believe the mayor of New York or the NYPD have the legal authority to do so.”

• Andrew Cuomo, the former governor seeking to defeat Mamdani as an independent, also slammed the threat against Netanyahu, which Mamdani says is needed so the city “stands up for international law.”

• “That’s weaponizing the justice system,” Cuomo said at a press conference yesterday, according to Politico. “I don’t like you politically. I’m going to arrest you. That’s illegal, unconstitutional, anti-American, and it is the exact thing that we complain that the federal government does.” He added, “A mayor doesn’t do American foreign policy.”

• Cuomo called for an end to the war in Gaza in a New York Times interview this week. But he reiterated his “100% pro-Israel” position yesterday, calling himself “the most aggressive governor in the country on behalf of Israel.”

• Meanwhile, New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik introduced a bill yesterday to block any attempt by Mamdani to arrest Netanyahu. Her Sovereign Enforcement Integrity Act seeks to stop state and local law enforcement “from arresting foreign nationals within the United States solely on the basis of an indictment, warrant, or request issued by the International Criminal Court.” The United States is not party to the pact that created the court.

📊 Numbers to know

• Mamdani is dominating the race in yet another poll by Marist, which has him winning 45% of likely voters — 21 points ahead of Cuomo, his closest competitor.

• Mamdani and Cuomo are tied for Jews in this survey, with both winning 35% of Jewish voters. Mayor Eric Adams lagged behind with 17% and Republican Curtis Sliwa won 11% of Jewish voters.

• In a hypothetical head-to-head match between Mamdani and Cuomo, Cuomo would win 56% of Jews to Mamdani’s 37%, according to the poll. But Mamdani would still win the election with 47% to Cuomo’s 39% of registered voters.

• Several other recent polls have predicted Mamdani winning a plurality of Jewish voters without a majority.

• The Marist Poll of 1,470 people between Sept. 8-11 has a 4.1% error margin. Jews made up 15% of the likely voter sample.

💰 Following the money

• Ronald Lauder, a pro-Israel activist and billionaire cosmetics heir, donated $750,000 to a super PAC boosting Cuomo. It’s the group’s largest contribution since the mayoral primary, when it spent $20 million on Cuomo’s unsuccessful campaign.

• Lauder is a prominent art collector and Museum of Modern Art trustee. His brother Leonard Lauder, who died in June, had a $400 million collection that was secured by Sotheby’s this week.

• Though Adams’ chances of remaining mayor appear to be near zero, the independent spending group Empower NYC has raised nearly $1.5 million for his reelection campaign — mainly from real estate megadonors, reported The City.

🏆 Endorsement tracker

• Some New York Democrats who have resisted endorsing Mamdani are lining up behind him — starting with Carl Heastie, the state Assembly Speaker, who is expected to announce his support this morning, per Politico.

• Rep. Yvette Clarke of Brooklyn is also set to endorse Mamdani on Monday, according to New York Times reporter Annie Karni.

• And state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli endorsed Mamdani yesterday, albeit with reservations. He told Politico that he respected the choice of New York City’s primary voters, adding, “Though Assemblyman Mamdani and I have some serious differences on certain policies, I look forward to working with him to help New York City succeed and thrive.”