A top aide to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani privately contacted ABC executives to express concerns after “The View” co-host Sara Haines made on-air remarks about Democrat congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier.
The comments by Haines occurred during a recent episode of the ABC daytime program.“I’m gonna full-blown call her an antisemite. She would proudly call herself that, trust me,” she said.
The exchange took place against the backdrop of a request by Mamdani’s representatives for the mayor to appear on “The View” alongside two far-left congressional candidates he has supported: Darializa Avila Chevalier and Queens Assemblywoman Claire Valdez. Producers indicated interest in hosting Mamdani but declined to accommodate the two House candidates at that time.
The decision came as ABC proceeded with caution amid an ongoing Federal Communications Commission inquiry into “The View” and its compliance with the equal-time rule. That rule, established in the 1930s, generally requires broadcast stations to provide comparable opportunities for opposing candidates when a candidate for public office appears on air.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced the inquiry in February 2026, which followed a February 2 interview on the program with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico. The agency has opened a public-comment proceeding but has not issued a final ruling or enforcement order.
ABC has argued that “The View” qualifies as a bona fide news interview program and is therefore exempt from equal-time requirements under longstanding FCC precedent.
Since the inquiry was announced, “The View” has not featured any candidates running in competitive midterm races. The show has continued to host elected officials not currently facing contested elections, such as Vice President JD Vance in June and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) in May.
Mamdani’s team pitched the joint appearance earlier this year. Producers cited the need to move cautiously on political candidate bookings while the FCC matter remained unresolved. Booking multiple unelected local political figures would also have been unusual for the program.
Following Haines’ remarks on Avila Chevalier, one of Mamdani’s aides contacted ABC executives. The aide indicated that the comments could affect whether Mamdani and other democratic socialist candidates would agree to appear on the program in the future.
Avila Chevalier won the Democratic primary for New York’s 13th Congressional District, defeating five-term Rep. Adriano Espaillat. Claire Valdez secured the Democratic nomination in the open 7th District. Both candidates have been aligned with democratic socialist positions.
The FCC inquiry has prompted broader discussion about its potential effects on political programming across networks. Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez has stated that the agency’s actions appeared aimed at altering behavior and expressed concern that fear of regulatory scrutiny could influence editorial decisions by broadcasters.
No public responses from ABC or Mamdani’s office were detailed in initial coverage of the aide’s communication.
