House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Friday endorsed Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor.
Despite their “areas of fundamental disagreement…Zoran Mamdani has relentlessly focused on solving the affordability crisis and has openly declared that he will be a mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who do not support his candidacy,” Jeffries, DN.Y. This is stated in a statement by The New York Times. on Friday.
“In that spirit, I support him and the entire citywide Democratic slate in the general election,” Jeffries added.
The endorsement came after Jeffries dodged questions about whether he would support Mamdani since the state legislator surprised his party in June when he comprehensively won the Democratic nomination for mayor, defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Cuomo has since launched an independent campaign for mayor, hoping to defeat Mamdani and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa in next month's general election.
Jeffries demurred for months when asked why he did not endorse a candidate in the mayoral general election.
Earlier this week, on Sunday, Jeffries told ABC News on “This Week” that he and Mamdani had some “good conversations” after the primaries but refused to officially endorse him.
“We had some very good conversations over the last few months leading up to the government shutdown that were forward-thinking, that were community-oriented and focused in particular on his efforts to make New York more affordable,” Jeffries told ABC News. “That's the right issue to focus on. That's why he won the primary decisively. And I look forward to continuing that conversation next week.”
On Friday at the U.S. Capitol, Jeffries disputed the claim that he had “refused to endorse” anyone in the race.
“I have not refused to support. I have refused to articulate my position, and I will do so for a moment, at some point before early voting,” Jeffries told reporters the day before early voting began in the five boroughs.
In June, immediately after Mamdani won the primaries, Jeffries told ABC News that he was not yet ready to support Mamdani, adding: “We don’t know each other well.”
At the time, Jeffries also raised concerns about criticism Mamdani received from some members of the New York Jewish community over his support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and his decision not to condemn the phrase “Globalizing the Intifada,” which some Jewish leaders called anti-Semitic.
“For the Jewish communities that I represent, I think our candidate will have to convince people that he is willing to aggressively combat the rise of anti-Semitism in New York City, which is an unacceptable development,” Jeffries told ABC News at the time.
After winning the primaries, Mamdani still refused to condemn the phrase “Globalization of the Intifada.” telling NBC News' “Meet the Press” that mayors shouldn't “police talk.” But The New York Times later reported that Mamdani told business leaders he would “discourage” the use of the phrase.
Other Democratic leaders were also slow to support Mamdani.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has yet to endorse the Democratic nominee for mayor. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul made the move in September after months of discussion.
In the New York Times guest essay Detailing her support, Hochul emphasized that she and Mamdani agree that accessibility must be a priority for New York's next mayor.
She also wrote: “I had frank conversations with him. We had disagreements,” and added: “We discussed the need to urgently and clearly address the rise of anti-Semitism.”
Democratic leaders, including those who supported Mamdani and those who did not, praised the Democratic nominee for running a primary and general election campaign focused on the issue of affordability.
Mamdani's key campaign promises include a plan to temporarily freeze rents on rent-stabilized housing in New York City, make the city's buses free, and raise taxes by 2% on New York's wealthiest residents.
