Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Democratic Party leaders made a “big mistake” by failing to endorse New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani during the primaries.
According to Fox News, Jean-Pierre praised Mamdani’s victory during an interview Wednesday with radio host Dean Obeidallah, crediting his ability to connect with voters for his win against “two big Goliaths” in the race.
“I mean, he was the nominee, the Democratic nominee for the mayor’s race, and they’re basically saying, ‘no, voters are wrong. We don’t want him,’” Jean-Pierre said. “And that is a problem. You’re sending the wrong message to young people, in particular, who we need to engage in this moment.”
She added, “And I thought it was a mistake. I think it was a big mistake that leadership didn’t get behind him. I thought it was a big mistake that they turned their backs on him because he did it the right way. And there’s something to be learned by the way he campaigned.”
Jean-Pierre urged Democrats to “punch hard” as an opposition party and warned against alienating key constituencies.
“This is a big tent party, and you can’t throw people under the bus,” she said. “You know, you can’t throw queer people, LGBTQ people under the bus. You can’t throw the Muslim community under the bus. You can’t throw immigrants and migrants under the bus because whatever you believe poll tests well.”
She added, “There are people who are afraid and scared. We’re supposed to be there for everybody. And so I hope this outcome looking across the board, the diversity of this party and the people sending a very loud message.”
Several top Democrats hesitated to back Mamdani, even after he secured the party’s nomination. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul did not endorse him until September, nearly three months after he defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the primary.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., endorsed Mamdani on Oct. 24, less than two weeks before the election, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., never endorsed him.
Mamdani’s support came primarily from progressive figures, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and former President Barack Obama.
