Hakeem Jeffries Finally Bends The Knee To Socialist Zohran Mamdani Ahead Of Early Voting

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Friday approved the nomination of Zohran Mamdani as New York’s next mayor, after dodging questions for months about his stance on the 34-year-old democratic socialist.

The minority leader gave a written endorsement to Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for mayor, less than a day before early voting began. Jeffries’ public show of support comes after New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders — two figures widely seen as leaders of the party’s far left — sharply criticized the minority leader for dragging his feet on his support. (RELATED: Democrats hold socialist Zohran Mamdani at arm’s length after he declares victory over the ‘soul’ of the party)

“Zohran Mamdani has been relentlessly focused on solving the affordability crisis and has explicitly committed to being mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who do not support his candidacy,” Jeffries wrote in a statement to the New York Times. “With that in mind, I support him and the city’s entire Democratic slate in the general election.” »

Jeffries also justified his last-minute support as a rejection of President Donald Trump, describing him as an “existential” threat to the party.

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks about Islamophobia outside the Bronx Islamic Cultural Center in New York. New Yorkers will vote in the mayoral election on November 4, 2025. (Photo by Timothy A.Clary/AFP/Getty Images)

National Democrats, including Jeffries, are hesitant to embrace Mamdani after his displeasure with former New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the June primary.

However, a growing number of Democrats have thrown their support behind in recent weeks as Mamdani’s lead in the polls appears insurmountable and he attempts to moderate some of his previously held positions.

Mamdani glossed over this initial reluctance in a statement Friday afternoon responding to the endorsements.

“This campaign has always been about bringing people together to improve the quality of life for every New Yorker,” he said. “I welcome Leader Jeffries’ support and look forward to building city government and building a Democratic Party that is committed to our affordability agenda – and to the fight against Trump’s authoritarianism. Our movement to turn the page on the politics of big money and small ideas grows stronger by the day.”

Many Republican strategists see Mamdani’s likely mayoral victory as a potential gift to Republicans ahead of the midterm elections. Trump and other Republican leaders have sharply criticized the famous Democrat’s far-left policies, and the president has repeatedly called him a “communist.”

The National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arm of House Republicans, criticized Jeffries for supporting Mamdani’s mayoral campaign less than a day before early voting began.

“So-called ‘leader’ Hakeem Jeffries has officially surrendered to Zohran Mamdani and the socialist mob that now runs the Democratic Party,” NRC spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement. “Their far-left takeover has ignited Democrats’ hopes of winning back the House and turned their agenda into pure electoral poison.”

The New York Republican Party also issued a scathing statement following Jeffries’ support.

“In an act of supreme cowardice and capitulation, the Democratic minority leader in Congress has just aligned himself with an openly communist, anti-Semitic extremist who defunds the police and is globalizing the Intifada,” said New York Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox. “Every Democratic elected official – in New York and nationally – must answer this question: Do you stand with Zohran Mamdani or do you stand with the principles on which our republic was founded?

RNC spokeswoman Delanie Bomar also weighed in, saying in a statement that Jeffries’ support would only help Republicans. “Thank you, Hakeem Jeffries, for your in-kind contribution,” Bomar said. “He made our lives easier by directly connecting every vulnerable Democrat to the out-of-touch politics of socialist Mamdani.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has yet to endorse Mamdani, but has repeatedly told reporters he will continue to have conversations with the democratic socialist.

Last Friday, Mamdani was seen campaigning at a mosque alongside Siraj Wahhaj — a Muslim cleric who, among other things, prosecutors said, “could be accused of being a co-conspirator” in the 1993 World Trade Center attack, which killed six people and injured more than 1,000.

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