New York
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has endorsed Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, ending an prolonged holdout that was being carefully watched.
“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 mentioned in a press release issued Friday, simply earlier than early voting begins within the mayoral race.
The prime House Democrat had lengthy set early voting as his self-imposed deadline to handle the race. For months, he had been amongst a number of senior Democrats who had declined for months to again Mamdani after his shock victory over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo within the main in June.
Among the factors of rigidity between the Mamdani and Jeffries camps was discuss by democratic socialists of challenging Jeffries and other US House Democrats in primaries. A prime Jeffries aide dismissed a few of Mamdani’s allies as being for “Team Gentrification.”
“As with any Mayor, there will be areas of agreement and areas of principled disagreement. Yet, the stakes are existential,” Jeffries mentioned within the assertion. “Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have unleashed an unprecedented assault on the economy, ripped healthcare away from my constituents, weaponized the Department of Justice against our state’s Attorney General and ordered masked agents to callously target law-abiding immigrant families.”
Jeffries had signaled an endorsement was shut in an interview with NCS’s Wolf Blitzer on Thursday, saying that he appreciated Mamdani’s latest dedication to holding New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch in her job.
In a press release, Mamdani mentioned he welcomed “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.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul endorsed the nominee final month, whereas Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, additionally from Brooklyn, has nonetheless not supplied his help.
Politico first reported Jeffries’ endorsement and The New York Times first reported Jeffries’ assertion.