Jeffries Finally Endorses Mamdani in the Most Tepid Way Possible
He made it just under the wire.
On Friday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries finally announced his endorsement of Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani following months of anticipation and hours ahead of the party leader’s own self-imposed deadline of the start of early voting.
Jeffries made it official in a statement to the New York Times in which he noted that while he and Mamdani had “areas of principled disagreement,” it was crucial for the party to unite at a time when President Donald Trump poses an “existential” threat to the city.
“I deeply respect the will of the primary voters and the young people who have been inspired to participate in the electoral process. 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,” he said. “Together, along with Mark Levine and Jumaane Williams, they won the nominations for Mayor, Comptoller and Public Advocate in a free and fair election. In that spirit, I support him and the entire citywide Democratic ticket in the general election.”
In a statement, Mamdani said, “I welcome Leader Jeffries’ support and look forward to delivering a city government, and building a Democratic Party, relentlessly committed to our affordability agenda — and to fighting Trump’s authoritarianism.”
Many speculated whether the House minority leader would endorse Mamdani at all, as many Republicans across the aisle appeared eager to tie the democratic socialist candidate to the more moderate Jeffries and other House Democrats. After Mamdani shocked the local political world following his primary upset against former governor Andrew Cuomo, all eyes soon turned to the New York congressional delegation and state leadership as the new Democratic nominee sought to coalesce support ahead of the general election.
While there were some immediate pickups, including Representatives Jerry Nadler, Adriano Espaillat and Nydia Velázquez, Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer were two prominent outliers as they both congratulated Mamdani on his win but appeared hesitant to throw their support behind him. Mamdani joined Jeffries in the leader’s home district in Brooklyn for a meeting that Jeffries’s team described as “constructive, candid and community-centered, with a particular focus on affordability,” but still an endorsement did not emerge from the hour-long conversation.
In the months that followed, Mamdani picked up support from Governor Kathy Hochul, State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and his current boss, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, as Jeffries hinted that a decision would be coming prior to the start of early voting on October 25. The Democratic leader also sounded more complimentary of Mamdani in recent interviews, applauding his intention to ask NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch to stay on in her role if elected mayor.
Jeffries’s endorsement comes just one day after Mayor Eric Adams threw his support behind his onetime mayoral rival Cuomo with the intention of bolstering the former governor’s chances of defeating Mamdani. It’s not yet clear if Schumer will soon follow suit with his own statement of support. This week, CNN reported that the Senate minority leader said he was still having conversations with Mamdani and declined to weigh in on the race at that moment.