Mamdani Scores 11th Hour Endorsement From Hakeem Jeffries

Despite Democrats repeatedly blaming progressives for hijacking the 2024 election and swinging the party too far to the left, it seems they’re unwilling to learn from their mistakes, since they never make any (according to Democrats with knowledge of their infallibility).

On Friday, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) gave a last minute endorsement to Zohran Mamdani for New York City Mayor – a significant reversal of his prior criticism of the Democratic Socialists of America, of which Mamdani is a member. 

Jeffries told the NY Times that while the two men have “areas of principled disagreement,” Mamdani had won “a free and fair election” in the Democratic primary – and that the party needs to do whatever it can against the “existential” threat [to their grifts] posed by President Trump. 

“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,” said Jeffries, adding “In that spirit, I support him and the entire citywide Democratic ticket in the general election.”

Jeffries’ statement came just one day before early voting was set to begin, joining a list of other notable Democrats who’ve endorsed the socialist which include Gov. Kathy Hochul and state assembly speaker Carl Heastie. 

The 11th hour endorsement from Jeffries comes amid intense competing pressures; House Democrats and local leaders who are fully behind a socialist agenda, and others (mostly swing district candidates and donors), who think Mamdani’s economy-killing mandates will give Republicans ammunition in next year’s midterm elections. 

Of note, neither of New York’s senators, Schumer or Gillibrand, have made an endorsement in the NYC mayor’s race, while state party chairman Jay Jacobs has outright said he would not endorse Mamdani due to the candidate’s democratic socialist beliefs and criticism of Israel. 

According to the report, two aides to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who’s running against Mamdani as a third-party candidate, attempted to convince Jeffries not to endorse Mamdani. 

Don’t Gloat Just Yet, Republicans

As the Wall Street Journal editorial board notes… 

Some Republicans welcome a Mamdani victory because they think it will help them in the 2026 midterms. They may be right, especially in New York state. President Trump and the GOP will try to elevate “Commie Mamdani,” as Mr. Trump calls him, as the Democratic spokesman. Elise Stefanik, the likely GOP candidate for New York Governor, is already hammering Gov. Hochul for endorsing the socialist.

But GOP glee is short-sighted. The demise of New York as a financial center wouldn’t be good for the country, no matter how much Texas and Florida benefit. If the city heads toward bankruptcy, the pressure for a bailout from Washington will build.

The biggest risk is a socialist takeover of the Democratic Party. Sooner or later the party will retake the White House, as inevitably there will be a recession or voters will simply tire of the incumbents. Remember how Jonathan Chait and other left-wingers hoped the GOP would nominate Mr. Trump in 2016 because he’d be easy to beat? The country needs a sane and centrist Democratic Party as an alternative to the GOP in the post-Trump era.

Mr. Cuomo argues that if the November electorate expands with more traditional Democrats, he can still win. The stakes are larger than who will run the city that never sleeps.