House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Friday endorsed New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, delivering a potentially critical boost to his campaign ahead of November's election.
The move is significant for Mamdani: Jeffries is a Black Democrat from Brooklyn and has historically criticized the Democratic Socialists of America, which Mamdani is affiliated with.
But Jeffries said in a statement Friday that he respected the will of New York's primary voters and that Republican policies must be opposed.
"As with any Mayor, there will be areas of agreement and areas of principled disagreement. Yet, the stakes are existential. 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," his statement reads. "The communities I represent in Brooklyn are being devastated by this extreme version of the Republican Party. In this environment, we have a clear obligation to push back against the national nightmare being visited on the American people by Republican extremism."
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Mamdani became the Democratic nominee in the mayoral race on June 24. He has also received endorsements from progressive politicians including U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
He appeared in a mayoral debate with independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa earlier in October.
New York City's general election will take place November 4, 2025.
