House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries finally endorsed Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York on Friday.
The Brooklyn native extended his support with less than two weeks until Election Day. Early voting in the Big Apple begins Saturday.
“Zohran Mamdani has been relentlessly focused on solving the affordability crisis and has explicitly committed to being mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who do not support his candidacy,” Jeffries said. The New York Times in a statement. “With that in mind, I support him and the city’s entire Democratic slate in the general election.” »
The support of the national Democratic leader is valuable, but it may have come too late to make a real difference. Jeffries, one of the nation’s most prominent black politicians, made the decision only after months of mounting pressure. And even in the hours before announcing his public support, Jeffries seemed uncertain about whether he would ultimately support the Democratic Socialist, a party he has criticized for years.
While echoing Mamdani’s affordability message on CNBC Friday, Jeffries walked back the highly anticipated endorsement.
“That’s what he stands for, so you support Mamdani?” urged host Joe Kernen.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying, that’s not what I’m saying,” Jeffries said.
After a close Democratic primary (and an upset victory) this summer, Mamdani gained popularity across the city. The Ugandan-born New Yorker is leading by double digits in the mayor’s race, garnering 46 percent support after Mayor Eric Adams announced his withdrawal, according to a Quinnipiac poll released earlier this month.
Jeffries’ is potentially the latest major endorsement for Mamdani’s campaign, which has garnered support from senators like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The 33-year-old also attracted the attention and ire of the White House. Donald Trump spent months openly intimidating Mamdani, accusing the local lawmaker of being in the country “illegally” while promising to arrest Mamdani if the mayoral candidate carried out his challenge to ICE.
The president also directly threatened New York residents, saying he would use executive power to choke off funding to the nation’s richest metropolis unless it rejects Mamdani’s candidacy on Election Day next month.
This story has been updated.
