Hakeem Jeffries endorses Zohran Mamdana for 3-month wait for NYC mayor runoff

It took four months, but one of New York state’s top Democrats has finally endorsed New York City’s Democratic mayoral candidate. Johran Mamdani.

As Election Day approaches, New York Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the US House, on Friday announced his support for Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic Socialist state lawmaker from the New York City borough of Queens. Statement to the New York Times.

“Zohran Mamdani is relentlessly focused on addressing the affordability crisis and is clearly committed to being a mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who do not support his candidacy,” Jeffries said.

Jeffries added: “In that spirit, I endorse him and the entire citywide Democratic ticket in the general election.”

Jeffries, whose congressional district covers much of neighboring Brooklyn, became the second prominent New York state Democrat to back Mamdani after the governor’s recommendation in late September. Cathy Hochul.

Mamdani provided significant support in the NYC mayoral highdown

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist candidate who won the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City, speaks at an endorsement event for Union DC 37, on July 15, 2025, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The seal came from Jeffries a day before early voting opened in New York City on Saturday.

The top two Democrats in the New York State Legislature endorsed Mamdani days after the governor announced her support.

Endorsements from Jeffries and Hochul could put intense pressure on longtime Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, who is the top Democrat in the Senate, to also support Mamdani in the election, which is more than a week away.

Mamdani shocked the political world in June with a convincing victory over the former New York governor. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates seeking the Democratic Party’s mayoral nomination in the nation’s most populous city.

Ugandan-born Mamdani, if elected, would become the first Muslim and first millennial mayor of the country’s most populous city. He is clearly leading the mayoralty race in the Democrat-dominated city in the latest polls.

Mamdani sits with a large double-digit lead over Cuomo New York City Public opinion polls.

Trump revealed a new nickname for Mamdani

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, DN.Y. Speaking at his weekly press conference on May 13, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu/Getty Images)

Guardian Angels co-founder Curtis Sliwa, who is the Republican mayoral candidate in the Democrat-dominated city, is third in the polls for a second consecutive election.

New York’s current mayor, a embattled incumbent Eric Adamshad decided to run as an independent but announced late last month that he would no longer pursue the office amid anemic polls. President By Donald Trump For both the mayoral candidates, the advisers held administrative roles.

This week, Adams endorsed Cuomo, even though the two clashed frequently on the campaign trail earlier this year.

Poll Position: Mamdani’s Lead in NYC Mayoral Race?

New York City mayoral candidates, left to right: Zohran Mamdani, Eric Adams, Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa. (Getty Images)

Mamdani cruised to victory in the Democratic primary as a strong campaign focused on affordability and New York City’s high standard of living. It was fueled by a large grassroots army of supporters and the backing of leading national progressive champions. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Mamdani made smart use of social media platforms including TikTok as he engaged the less inclined voters. He proposed eliminating fares to travel on New York City’s vast bus system, making CUNY (City University of New York) “tuition-free”, freezing rents on municipal housing, offering “free childcare” for children up to age 5, and opening government-run grocery stores.

Mamdani has been criticized by his opponents for his far-left platform as well as his verbal attacks on Israel, his past critical comments about the New York City Police Department (NYPD), and his proposal to shift some responsibilities from the NYPD and focus on social services and community-based programs.

Trump, a native New Yorker who now calls Florida home, has derided Mamdani since his primary victory as a “communist” and came up with a new derogatory nickname earlier this month.

“I call him my little communist. He’s my little communist mayor,” Trump said during an extended Fox News interview on “Fox & Friends.”

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Republicans have worked overtime over the past three months to anchor the vulnerable congressional Democrats’ mayoral candidate for re-election in next year’s midterms.

“‘Leader’ Hakeem Jeffries just took a knee to the socialist left, and now he’s just leading his party down a cold, dark tunnel toward electoral humiliation. Every Democrat has a socialist agenda and is now a willing accomplice in their own party’s downfall,” National Republican Congressional Committee National Press Secretary Mike Marinella said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Jeffries first met with Mamdani in July, with a second meeting last month. Jeffries praised Mamdani’s emphasis on affordability on the campaign trail, but neither meeting drew support.

Most House Democrats, including many progressives, have given Jeffries plenty of latitude and refused to criticize his lack of support.

Among the exceptions is Ocasio-Cortez, who said earlier this summer that “we use our primaries to iron out our differences, and once we have a nominee, we run after that nominee.”

Sen. of Maryland. Chris Van Hollen, a former House Democrat, similarly chastised congressional leaders for failing to rally around Mamdani.

Jeffries joined Hochul in endorsing Mamdani, while New York State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs said he – as an individual – would not endorse his party’s mayoral candidate.

And Democratic Republican Tom Suozzi, whose suburban swing congressional district includes a small portion of Queens, has previously announced he will not support Mamdani.

Rumors of Friday’s endorsement prompted immediate criticism from Republicans that Jeffries was bowing to pressure from his left base to support Mamdani despite his socialist policies that will surely make him a target during next year’s midterms.

“Hakim is bending the knee!!!,” Maureen O’Toole, National Republican Congressional Committee Eastern Regional Press Secretary, Posted on X