Zohran Mamdani receives long-awaited Hakeem Jeffries endorsement for NYC mayor

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has endorsed New York Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, throwing the weight of one of the party’s highest ranking members behind the Queens Assembly. “Zohran Mamdani has focused relentlessly on addressing the affordability crisis and has expressly committed to being a mayor for 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 is not guaranteed, clears a path for other Democratic lawmakers to endorse Mamdani — who has described himself as a democratic socialist — in the final weeks before the Nov. 4 election. For months, Jeffries avoided announcing a decision on who to back in the mayoral race. New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a centrist, endorsed Mamdani, drawing immediate criticism from the state’s Democrats, including the chairman of New York’s Democratic party. Representatives 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 endorse Mamdani. Early voting in the New York mayoral election begins Saturday. But Mamdani has the support of progressives like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat who represents parts of the Bronx and Queens, and Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent. Both lawmakers rallied with Mamdani during his campaign. Also read | Zohran Mamdani takes lead in NYC mayoral race with 46% support amid divided opposition, polls show Mamdani leading the mayoral race against independent Andrew Cuomo, the state’s former governor, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. An AARP New York poll in October found that 43% of likely voters support Mamdani, compared to about 30% who support Cuomo and 19% who support Sliwa. Mamdani championed the need for a lower cost of living for working-class New Yorkers, calling for a rent freeze on stabilized renters and the construction of more affordable housing. He also proposed city-owned grocery stores as a solution to rising food prices and free childcare.