October 25, 2025 01:13 AM IST
First published on: Oct 25, 2025 at 01:07 AM IST
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New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks at the Islamic Cultural Center of the Bronx mosque in New York on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)
US House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries on Friday endorsed Democratic Party nominee Zohran Mamdani in the New York mayor election. Jeffries joins the likes of Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as high-profile Democratic leaders who have endorsed the Indian-origin candidate.
Others including New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, New York representatives Jerry Nadler, Adriano Espaillat and Yvette Clarke have also endorsed Mamdani.
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Jeffries endorses Mamdani
“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 said in a statement on Friday. “In that spirit, I support him and the entire citywide Democratic ticket in the general election.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., arrives to talk with reporters on day 23 of the government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Jeffries, who represents New York’s 8th congressional district, which includes parts of Brooklyn and Queens, endorsed Mamdani at the last moment, just a day before early voting for the mayoral election is scheduled to start on Saturday, after holding out for months.
Mamdani had won the primary and Jeffries’s district decisively in June and defeated former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who is now contesting as an Independent candidate.
Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani participates in the New York City mayoral debate. (Photo: AP)
For long, Jeffries had avoided endorsing the 34-year-old social democrat whose policy promises have polarised the Democratic Party, claiming that his focus was on the US government shutdown.
“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,” Mamdani said in a statement.
“Our movement to turn the page on the politics of big money and small ideas grows stronger by the day,” he added.
With Jeffries finally endorsing Mamdani, it leaves Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as the most high-profile Democrat who has declined to endorse anyone in the mayoral race.
Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani participate in New York City mayoral debate. (Photo: AP)
Mamdani, who has campaigned on an “affordability agenda” focusing on housing, transportation, and raising taxes on the wealthy, has maintained a healthy lead against his opponents in opinion polls so far.
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New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks at the Islamic Cultural Center of the Bronx mosque in New York on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey) 
