NYC democratic socialist Mamdani to meet top Democrat with endorsement decision on the line

Controversial Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is working to secure key endorsements ahead of New York City’s November election. 

On Friday, Mamdani is expected to meet with House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in Brooklyn to discuss key issues. However, Jeffries did not give the press any hint whether he was ready to give Mamdani his endorsement.

“As has been the case with every single high-profile endorsement decision that I’ve made in the past, I have a sit-down conversation, and then I take it from there,” Jeffries told reporters on Thursday.

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The self-professed socialist is also expected to meet with Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., though no date has been set. Many have speculated on how the two Democrats’ opposing stances on Israel will play into the meeting and Schumer’s decision.

Longtime Democratic lawmaker Schumer, who is Jewish, has been an outspoken supporter of Israel and has condemned the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. Meanwhile, Mamdani, who is Muslim, has been a staunch critic of Israel and a supporter of BDS. 

Mamdani has faced backlash over his statements on Israel, including declining to say whether Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state and his initial refusal to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada.” However, he recently began distancing himself from the phrase. 

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Mamdani told business leaders that he would not use the phrase and would “discourage” others from doing so. He is expected to clarify his position on the phrase as soon as this week.

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While Schumer has not yet offered his endorsement, he has defended Mamdani from GOP critics. When President Donald Trump said he would “have to arrest” Mamdani if the controversial candidate were to become mayor of NYC and refused to work with ICE, Schumer called the threat a “pathetic absurdity.”

“Trump keeps talking about great American values, but threatening to arrest politicians who disagree with him is as un-American as it gets. This would make America a dictatorship,” Schumer wrote on X.

Mamdani may not have Schumer’s endorsement, but he did score the support of another prominent N.Y. Jewish Democrat, Rep. Jerry Nadler. 

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The meeting with Jeffries comes on the heels of Mamdani’s recent visit to D.C., where he attended a breakfast hosted by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and mingled with some of the party’s most powerful players. Since then, he secured the endorsement of Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who serves as the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee.

“He’s a very charismatic, relatable person,” Khanna told FOX & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones on Thursday. 

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Mamdani is running in a crowded race against former N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and current New York City Mayor Eric Adams, both of whom are running as independents, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.