More New York Democrats coalesce behind Zohran Mamdani, but key holdouts remain

New York Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani scored endorsements this week from key members of the state party establishment, but he’s still waiting on two of the biggest names from his city

New York Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani scored endorsements this week from key members of the state party establishment, but he’s still waiting on two of the biggest names from his city.

This week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced their endorsements of Mamdani, giving him the backing of two of the state’s most powerful Democrats. But others, particularly congressional leaders such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, are still keeping some distance.

The split screen reflects the different political cross-pressures facing those state and federal figures. It also shows how the Democratic Party’s leaders haven’t fully settled on how much to embrace the energy bubbling up among progressives in New York City and elsewhere, after Mamdani scored an upset victory in the June Democratic mayoral primary over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is pressing on with a third-party bid for mayor.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer; New York Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani; House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.AP“It’s clear that Mamdani’s candidacy is something that a lot more of the ‘establishment Democrats’ have had a tough time wrestling with, because it’s a movement of a lot of people that a lot of institutional Democrats didn’t see coming, and is also coming at a time when the party, both locally and nationally, is wrestling with what it looks like to move to the next generation of political leadership,” said Basil Smikle, a longtime Democratic strategist who previously served as the executive director of the New York State Democratic Party.

“Part of the calculus for Hochul and Heastie, and what I think Schumer and Jeffries are trying to get to, is to find a way to embrace the movement he’s created,” Smikle added, while also finding “a way to work with him on some of the more contentious issues that have come up with different constituencies — whether it’s his views on Israel or quality of life and policing.”