House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) endorsed Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor Friday — ending a months-long will-he-or-won’t-he wait.
The Brooklyn congressman endorsed the Democratic mayoral front-runner in a statement to the New York Times, noting that while the two have “areas of principled disagreement,” the party needs to unite in the face of the “existential” threat from President Trump.
“Zohran Mamdani has relentlessly focused on addressing the affordability crisis and explicitly committed to being a mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who do not support his candidacy,” the top House Democrat wrote in the statement.
The move comes less than two weeks before the Nov. 4 election, and after Jeffries and other national Democratic leaders awkwardly avoided embracing Mamdani — a 34-year-old member of the Democratic Socialists of America — and his far-left agenda after his stunning primary victory in June.
But Jeffries’ reluctance appeared to thaw Thursday, when he told the Rev. Al Sharpton during an appearance on the civil rights leader’s radio show “Keepin’ It Real” that the endorsement would likely come Friday.
“I do hope to talk to the Democratic nominee either late today or tomorrow, in advance of early voting,” Jeffries said.
“I do think that his decision to announce that he would reappoint [NYPD] Commissioner Jessica Tisch is a positive step in the right direction in terms of sending the message that, while he is going to of course focus on affordability — and that is the number one concern of the people in the communities I represent.”
The Democratic leader similarly signaled during an interview with Bloomberg Television that Mamdani’s decision to try to retain Tisch — whose tenure atop the NYPD has been widely praised — was “a strong step toward community trust and public safety.”
“Zohran has demonstrated a real partnership with local communities and a willingness to work with all New Yorkers to make the city more affordable and inclusive,” Jeffries said.
Jeffries, known for his mainstream views and cautious approach to politics, has spent months in conversation with Mamdani about key city issues like affordability.
The Democratic leader also must grapple with Republicans tying him and his Democratic members across the country to the socialist Mamdani ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
“Are there any moderate Democrats left? Every elected Democrat – in New York and nationally – must answer this question: do you stand with Zohran Mamdani or do you stand with the principles upon which our republic was founded?,” New York GOP Chair Ed Cox wrote in a statement Friday.
Sharpton himself has publicly praised Mamdani and even joined him at a campaign rally in Harlem in June, but has not endorsed the candidate yet either.
When Mamdani’s campaign rival, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, met with Sharpton in September, it was rumored the meeting was to seek an endorsement.
Cuomo snagged an endorsement from Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday.
Gov. Kathy Hochul followed a path similar to Jeffries’ before she ultimately endorsed the assemblyman in September.
After initially withholding her endorsement following Mamdani’s upset primary victory over Cuomo, Hochul offered her public support in a New York Times op-ed.
“We’ve had our disagreements,” the governor wrote, referring to differences on issues like tax policy, but cited their shared goals of making New York more affordable and safe as motivation for closing ranks.
Hochul’s endorsement, which came after months of dialogue with Mamdani, was credited with bridging divides between the Democratic establishment and the party’s progressive wing and signaling a broadening coalition behind the upstart Democratic socialist.
But some powerful Democrats, such as US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), still have not lined up behind the party nominee.
