Lawmaker Records From Jerusalem Bomb Shelter to Rail Against Socialist NYC Mayoral Candidate: 'Don't Want a Situation Like This in America'

A New York state senator posted a video to social media in which he delivered remarks from a bomb shelter in Jerusalem, advocating against the election of a New York City mayoral candidate.

State Sen. Sam Sutton expressed his opposition to the Democratic Socialist candidate while in a Jerusalem bomb shelter on Sunday, publishing a video to Instagram in which he claimed that "one of the candidates does not want or does not believe the Jewish state has a right to exist."

"Hi everyone, this is Sam Sutton sending you a video from the basement of the Inbal Hotel. This is the second time today we've had to come to a shelter, and there'll probably be one in the middle of the night like there has been for the last three nights," he began.

"The reason we are here is because the Iranian people does not believe that the Jewish state has the right to exist. In fact, there is a mayoral primary coming up this week where one of the candidates does not want or does not believe the Jewish state has a right to exist. Please, I'm begging you, make sure to vote in the primary this week," he continued.

Sutton then began advocating for the election of former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

"Voting started today, Sunday, and early voting will go through next Sunday. Do not make a mistake and forget to vote. And more importantly, make sure Governor Cuomo, who has been a great friend of the Jewish people, will be our next mayor, and not a person who does not believe that the Jewish state has a right to exist. We don't want to be in a situation like this in America. Thank you," he concluded.

Although Sutton did not specifically call out mayoral candidate and current state Rep. Zohran Mamdani in the video, he has called out Mamdani in past posts. Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist candidate, has advocated for pro-Palestine student protesters.

Social media users took to online platforms to correct Sutton's rhetoric, with many questioning why Sutton was in a foreign country in the first place instead of being among his constituents in New York.

"Mamdani has said he believes Israel has the right [to] exist as a state with equal rights, but refuses to recognize the country specifically as a 'Jewish state,'" wrote one, referring to Mamdani's response to a question at the first NYC mayoral primary debate.

"Why is a State Senator in a foreign country and not with his constituents back home?" questioned another.

"Sutton sounds deranged," one user asserted.

"What does being the mayor of NYC have to do with another country thousands of miles away?" another asked.