House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries declined to express his support for New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani’s campaign on Tuesday, marking the latest instance during which the top Democrat has declined to endorse the socialist’s candidacy.
Jeffries repeatedly brushed off a reporter when asked why he has not publicly backed Mamdani’s campaign despite the general election contest just two months away. The Democratic leader has privately met with Mamdani twice but declined to express his full-throated support for the democratic socialist nor detail where he stands on the nominee’s far-left policy platform.
“What’s taking you so long to support him [Mamdani]? What do you need to hear from him to get behind the nominee from your party?” a reporter asked Jeffries during the lead Democrat’s press conference.
“Stay tuned,” Jeffries replied with a smile.
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“Are you concerned about his politics?” the reporter then asked.
“Stay tuned,” Jeffries said for a second time before moving onto the next question.
Jeffries decision to withhold an endorsement comes as the lead Democrat says he is engaging in “candid and constructive” conversations with Mamdani and praised his campaign’s focus on kitchen table issues. Jeffries repeatedly skirtedquestions during an interview over the August recess with CNBC’s “Squawk Box” about whether he supports Mamdani’s far-left policy stances and socialism.
“I’m trying to understand why you would spend a significant amount of time asking me about the Democratic nominee who’s not even the mayor,” Jeffries told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin.
Other top New York Democrats including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Governor Kathy Hochul have thus far refused to publicly endorse Mamdani’s campaign. Hochul told New York Magazine in an interview published Tuesday that she has “some areas of disagreement” with the democratic socialist but did not detail her concerns.
Mamdani is viewed as the frontrunner in the general election contest after pulling out a shocking win against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for the Democratic nomination. Though Mamdani appears vulnerable against Cuomo or incumbent Eric Adams in a one-on-one contest, the socialist candidate would easily win the general election contest in a crowded field, according to recent polling.
While Cuomo and Adams are both running independent campaigns for mayor they both remain registered Democrats.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), House Republicans’ campaign arm, has routinely hammered Jeffries for declining to criticize Mamdani’s far-left policy platform. Democratic New York Rep. Laura Gillen, an NRCC targetfor the midterms, has argued that Mamdani is “too extreme” to lead the United States’ largest city.
“It is now not a question of if, but when ‘Leader’ Jeffries will cave to the radical, socialist mob,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for Mamdani’s campaign did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Jason Cohen contributed to this report.
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