Internal planning documents from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) show the organization intends to exert direct influence over New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration, pushing for a sweeping agenda that combines socialist economic priorities with anti-Israel measures.
The file, obtained [1] by Just the News and titled AWWG Palestine Policy Meeting Agenda & Notes (November 2, 2025), outlines a detailed strategy from DSA’s Anti-War Working Group (AWWG).
The document includes instructions to “make the terms clear going in,” emphasizing that elected officials must adhere to DSA priorities in exchange for organizational support.
“Make it clear to electeds that if they want our support, our priorities matter,” the document states.
It calls for a public statement from Mamdani’s administration “on 1st day,” while advising supporters to focus on concrete actions rather than press statements.
Here’s the New York City DSA Anti-War Working Group’s internal document which they accidentally shared with me. It includes the DSA group’s list of “demands” for the incoming Mamdani Administration — shockingly basically all the demands are anti-Israel.
https://t.co/xN7O663PyS [2] https://t.co/vrLDX4JHQj [3] pic.twitter.com/7F98mVWRnA [4]
— Jerry Dunleavy IV (@JerryDunleavy) November 5, 2025 [5]
The strategy outlines a series of policy demands tied to the DSA’s anti-Israel platform.
Among them are directives for New York City to divest pension funds from Israeli bonds, pull deposits from banks doing business with Israel, and cancel contracts with Israeli-linked companies.
The document further calls for banning Israeli products from city-owned grocery stores, revoking nonprofit status from organizations that support the Israel Defense Forces, dismantling the NYC–Israel Economic Council formed under former Mayor Eric Adams, and ending NYPD cooperation with the Israeli military.
It even suggests that the city “arrest Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF officials” for alleged war crimes.
The notes also indicate a plan to pressure Mamdani into hiring staff aligned with DSA’s ideology and coordinating his administration’s agenda with the organization’s leadership.
“Provide a plan for him to implement,” one section reads.
“Pressure him to staff with people whose values are aligned.”
Documents reviewed by Just the News show that these expectations are consistent with national DSA practices.
Endorsement questionnaires from DSA chapters in Seattle and Washington, D.C., contain similar requirements, effectively binding candidates to the movement’s positions once elected.
In 2019, a Seattle DSA questionnaire required candidates to support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, oppose “imperialist foreign policy,” and end police partnerships with the Israeli Defense Forces.
This is Seattle Socialist Rep Shaun Scott’s 2019 City Council Democratic Socialist of America endorsement questionnaire. You don’t get the endorsement without agreeing to everything
DSA has always called for a radical climate agenda & sanctuary laws, as well as demonizing ICE &… https://t.co/RGSyxzJogt [6] pic.twitter.com/h5z6uSgtOL [7]
— Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) November 6, 2025 [8]
A 2024 questionnaire from the Metro DC DSA went further, requiring candidates to refuse ties with groups such as AIPAC and J Street, endorse BDS, and reject adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism because it “harms Palestinians.”
The Metro DC DSA also demanded that endorsed officials regularly attend meetings with its “Socialists in Office” committee to maintain compliance with DSA policy goals.
Candidates were required to back legislation that defunds and sanctions Israel and to avoid any contact with organizations that support U.S.-Israel cooperation.
Beyond foreign policy, the documents include domestic priorities such as open-border immigration policies and the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
DSA-aligned candidates must support making their jurisdictions sanctuaries for illegal aliens, guaranteeing benefits for all residents regardless of immigration status, and ending local cooperation with federal enforcement.
The organization’s platform on gender and reproductive issues, outlined by its Metro DC Bodily Autonomy Working Group, calls for unrestricted abortion access, universal gender-affirming healthcare “including for minors,” and the decriminalization of sex work.
Candidates are instructed to oppose any religious exemptions to anti-discrimination laws and to endorse what DSA describes as the “democratization of care work.”
The DSA’s approach has raised concerns about elected officials being used to advance activist agendas rather than representing their constituents.
Activist Linda Sarsour, a DSA member and ally of Mamdani, said during a livestream that “electing Zohran doesn’t mean we’re going to let him do whatever the hell he wants.”
The AWWG notes reflect that same stance, describing a framework in which elected officials operate under continued oversight from DSA activists.
The AWWG plan also highlights the organization’s effort to embed anti-Israel policies within city governance.
The document calls for boycotts of Israeli businesses, the revocation of charitable status for groups supporting Israel, and criminal penalties for entities that maintain partnerships with Israeli institutions.
These ideas have already appeared in public demonstrations. On October 8, 2023, while Hamas was still carrying out attacks on Israeli civilians, the New York City DSA organized a rally in Times Square where participants burned Israeli flags and displayed symbols associated with antisemitism.
The leaked planning documents suggest that DSA’s strategy for Mamdani’s administration is designed to merge local policymaking with international activism, using city government as a platform for advancing the organization’s national and global ideological goals.