By: Carl Schwartzbaum

In a bold and unprecedented move, the New York Young Republican Club (NYYRC) is seeking to disqualify Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani from the upcoming New York City mayoral election, arguing he has violated the Disqualification Clause of the 14th Amendment. The development was first reported on Tuesday by The New York Post which obtained a 15-page legal memorandum drafted by the NYYRC outlining their case for Mamdani’s removal from the November general election ballot.

According to the information provided in The New York Post report, the memo alleges that Mamdani — a Queens-based state assemblyman and the current frontrunner for mayor — has provided “aid and comfort” to enemies of the United States through his public associations and political endorsements. Central to the club’s argument is Mamdani’s support for groups such as “Within Our Lifetime,” a vocal anti-Israel organization with documented sympathies for Hamas, and his repeated calls for non-cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“There is no question that Mamdani thus is affirmatively aiding and comforting known terrorists and enemies in the United States,” the NYYRC memo states, “requiring his disqualification under the Disqualification Clause.”

The Disqualification Clause, a rarely invoked provision of the 14th Amendment, was enacted during the Reconstruction Era to prevent individuals who supported the Confederacy from holding public office. It explicitly prohibits individuals from serving in public office if they have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” or given “aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.” Though largely dormant for over a century, the clause has recently reemerged in modern political discourse, and The New York Post report noted that this marks a rare application against a candidate for municipal office.

The memo’s author, NYYRC recording secretary Phil J. Leggio, told The New York Post the proposal was partially inspired by prior remarks from Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tennessee), who called for Mamdani’s denaturalization and deportation earlier this year. “Affirmatively taking steps to defend and protect America’s enemies and known terrorist organizations within the state is an unequivocal break of that oath,” Leggio said, referencing Mamdani’s swearing-in oath as a New York State lawmaker.

Leggio’s memo points not only to Mamdani’s ties with pro-Hamas activism but also to his embrace of socialist economic policies and open identification with Marxist principles. The document argues that these positions — combined with Mamdani’s stance against federal immigration enforcement — represent “support of enemy ideologies” and material defiance of the United States Constitution.

Republican Reps. Claudia Tenney of New York and Marlin Stutzman of Indiana have emerged as potential congressional supporters of the initiative. Tenney stated that her office is “closely reviewing the legal memo produced by NYYRC demanding the disqualification of Mamdani as mayor,” adding that Mamdani “is a threat to the safety and financial wellbeing of every New Yorker.”

Stutzman added in a public statement: “His calls to stand in the way of federal law enforcement, and to install a socialist economic system in New York City, fly in the face of the oath he took when becoming a New York State Assemblyman. By violating that oath, he has disqualified himself from running under the 14th Amendment. Zohran must be removed from the ballot immediately.”

The longshot effort, as explained in The New York Post report, would require a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate — a daunting political hurdle, particularly in the current polarized landscape. If passed, the measure would almost certainly face judicial review, potentially rising to the Supreme Court.

The disqualification push has unfolded amid broader Republican critiques of Mamdani’s political agenda. President Donald Trump, who added violent gangs like MS-13 to the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations earlier this year, has repeatedly referred to Mamdani as “100% Communist” in public remarks and on social media.

Mamdani, who publicly identifies as a socialist and has denied being a communist, has so far not responded to the NYYRC memo or requests for comment, The New York Post reported on Monday.

The club’s actions appear to be part of a larger strategy targeting progressive municipal leaders who have embraced sanctuary policies, rejected cooperation with ICE, or advocated for significant shifts in policing and immigration enforcement. Leggio noted his hope that similar measures would be taken against other sanctuary city officials.

“It’s time that such elected officials be held accountable for their actions,” Leggio said.

As the general election looms, The New York Post report emphasized that the challenge reflects escalating tensions over Mamdani’s ideological positions and the broader national debate over the boundaries of permissible political advocacy. While the constitutional hurdle for disqualification remains high, the NYYRC’s maneuver has injected a new dimension into what was already shaping up to be one of the most ideologically divisive mayoral races in New York City history.