House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has endorsed New York Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, throwing the weight of one of the party’s most senior members behind the Queens lawmaker.
“Zohran Mamdani has focused tirelessly on solving the affordability crisis and has made an explicit commitment to being the mayor of all New Yorkers, including those who do not support his candidacy,” Jeffries said in a statement to the New York Times.
The Brooklyn native’s support, which was not guaranteed, opens the way for other Democratic lawmakers to back Mamdani — who has described himself as a democratic socialist — in the final weeks before the Nov. 4 election. For months, Jeffries has avoided announcing a decision on who to endorse in the mayoral race.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a centrist, endorsed Mamdani and immediately drew criticism from state Democrats, including the chairwoman of the New York Democratic Party. Reps. Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen, two other moderate New York Democrats from swing districts, have been highly critical of Mamdani. Also read | Zohran Mamdani pictured with Brooklyn imam linked to 1993 WTC bombing: Who is he?
National Democratic leaders have been slow to endorse the 34-year-old candidate. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, another fellow New York Democrat, has so far declined to say whether he would support Mamdani. Early voting in the New York City mayoral race begins on Saturday.
But Mamdani has the support of progressives such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent. Both lawmakers rallied to Mamdani’s side during his campaign. Also read | Zohran Mamdani takes lead in NYC mayoral race with 46% support amid divided opposition, poll shows
Polls show Mamdani as the front-runner in the mayoral race against independent Andrew Cuomo, the state’s former governor, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. An October AARP New York poll found 43% of likely voters support Mamdani, compared to roughly 30% who support Cuomo and 19% who support Sliwa.
Mamdani promoted the need for a lower cost of living for working-class New Yorkers and called for a rent freeze for rent-stabilized tenants and the construction of more affordable housing. He also proposed city-owned grocery stores as a solution to rising food prices and free childcare.
