Hakeem Jeffries Endorses Zohran Mamdani In NYC Mayor's Race: What To Know

By Chris Spiker From Daily Voice

The most powerful Democratic member of the House has endorsed Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor just before the start of early voting.

House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries announced his endorsement of Mamdani in a statement to The New York Times on Friday, Oct. 24. Jeffries represents several neighborhoods in Brooklyn, including Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville, Canarsie, Coney Island, and East New York.

Jeffries admitted that he has "areas of principled disagreement" with the Queens assemblyman, but said Mamdani won a "free and fair" primary and added that the Democratic Party needs to unite against President Donald Trump's "existential" threat.

"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," Jeffries wrote.

The endorsement comes a day before some New Yorkers head to the polls. Early voting begins on Saturday, Oct. 25, 10 days before the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Jeffries faced pressure from progressives who see Mamdani's rise as an optimistic force in Democratic politics, and moderates who worry his policies may not attract swing voters. New York's two senators, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, have not endorsed a candidate as of press time.

Polls show Mamdani holding a steady double-digit lead over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani by 13 points in June's Democratic primary. Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa has remained a distant third, consistently polling below 20%.

Wikimedia Commons - Delta News Hub (left) and Hayden Soloviev (right)

Mamdani, 34, has racked up many high-profile endorsements, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and two prominent NYC members of Congress: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Jerry Nadler.

Jeffries' endorsement came one day after Mayor Eric Adams officially backed Cuomo as his successor. Adams ended his reelection bid as an independent in late September, although his name will remain on the ballot.

In the later stages of the campaign, Cuomo has increased his attacks on Mamdani, accusing him of antisemitism over his support of Palestine. Hundreds of rabbis also signed a letter denouncing "anti-Zionism," claiming Mamdani has refused to condemn violent slogans.

Cuomo has been accused of stoking Islamophobia and racism against Mamdani, who would be New York's first Muslim mayor if elected. The most recent incident came when Cuomo was interviewed by conservative radio host Sid Rosenberg on Thursday, Oct. 23.

The controversial 77 WABC personality, who has previously called Mamdani an "animal" and a "jihadist," referred to him as a "terrorist."

"God forbid, another 9/11," Cuomo said. "Can you imagine Mamdani in the seat?"

"Yeah, I could," Rosenberg replied. "He'd be cheering,"

Cuomo chuckled before adding, "That's another problem."

Mamdani denounced Cuomo's comments in that interview, CNN reported.

"We're speaking about a former governor who, in his final moments in public life, is engaging in rhetoric that is not only Islamophobic, not only racist, it's also disgusting," Mamdani said. "Andrew Cuomo's message is to smear and slander the first Muslim candidate on the verge of leading this city, where one in eight New Yorkers are Muslim, and say that by virtue of your faith, you are worthy of suspicion."

A recent Fox News poll shows that 42% percent of Jewish voters support Cuomo, compared to 38% backing Mamdani and 13% favoring Sliwa.