House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries endorsed Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor on Friday after months of skirting around it despite Democratic pressure to back the party nominee.

Jeffries, whose endorsement comes less than two weeks before the race and the day before early voting is set to begin, is among the last of the Democratic lawmakers who represent New York City districts in Congress to fall in line behind Mamdani. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and several other prominent New York Democrats are now among the few holdouts.

“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,” Jeffries said in a statement first obtained by The New York Times. “In that spirit, I support him and the entire citywide Democratic ticket in the general election.”

Members of Congress who endorsed Mamdani have stopped short of explicitly pressuring Jeffries to also endorse him but hinted to NOTUS after the primary that they wanted party leaders to back the Democratic nominee.

Mamdani, a state assemblymember and democratic socialist, and Jeffries have aligned on some issues, including opposing President Donald Trump’s agenda. And Jeffries has denounced racist and Islamophobic rhetoric toward Mamdani.

But Jeffries has criticized the Democratic nominee for his stances on Israel and his connections to the Democratic Socialists of America, among other topics, and the two have diverged on police funding and other issues. Jeffries acknowledged these “areas of principled disagreement” in his statement endorsing Mamdani.

And he has been vague about his support for Mamdani since June’s primary. The Democratic leader repeatedly said he was talking with Mamdani and that he would share his thoughts on an endorsement at a later date.

“I expect to have a conversation with the Democratic nominee at some point between this moment that we’re in right now and early voting,” Jeffries told reporters outside the Capitol on Thursday.

Jeffries continued to be noncommittal as recently as Friday morning, deflecting a question about whether he would endorse Mamdani soon during a TV appearance and instead discussing affordability and the Democratic Party.

“I’ll have more to say about the mayor’s race when I’ll have more to say about the mayor’s race,” Jeffries said on CNBC. In one of his most direct pieces of praise for the nominee so far, Jeffries also added during the interview that he supported Mamdani’s announcement that he will retain New York City Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch if he’s elected.

New York City progressives in Mamdani’s orbit had also pressured Jeffries amid his delay in endorsing the state assemblymember. At least one Mamdani ally, New York City Councilman Chi Ossé, is considering a primary challenge against Jeffries.

Jeffries’ endorsement stands in contrast to the push from a local Brooklyn-based civic organization of which he is the vice president: African American Clergy and Elected Officials.

The group, which brings together faith communities and politicians at events, is running a “Souls to the Polls” campaign to get out the vote for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is an  independent mayoral candidate. He lost to Mamdani in the June Democratic primary.

The effort is funded by $500,000 from Fix the City, a pro-Cuomo political spending group not affiliated with his campaign.

AACEO President Rev. Dr. Robert Waterman himself has endorsed Cuomo, as has Assemblymember Latrice Walker (D-Brooklyn), who serves as AACEO’s vice president.

Waterman said the role of vice president is “ceremonial.”  He didn’t comment on Jeffries’ endorsement of Mamdani but in a statement said he is “deeply concerned” about Mamdani’s “anti-family and anti-private property positions.” 

“I fear that his approach — opposing law enforcement, supporting the decriminalization of prostitution, and promoting policies that conflict with faith, family, community, free enterprise, and homeownership — will lead us backward,” Waterman said. “Andrew Cuomo has served as our governor and as a federal official, consistently proving himself to be a strong partner to the African American community for decades. He is a proven, effective, and experienced leader who understands the concerns of the people I represent.”

Before Jeffries made his endorsement, a spokesperson for the congressman said the leader’s decision to endorse is independent of any AACEO campaign activity. 

The money from Fix the City covers food, travel, organizing costs and stipends for participants who are canvassing as part of AACEO’s get-out-the-vote effort.” Fix the City would not confirm the stipend, but a person running the effort posted on Facebook that the opportunity paid $30 per hour.

During the primary, Cuomo performed better in areas with higher Black populations and with homeowners. The get-out-the-vote operation aims to boost turnout in church-going, Black populations in all five boroughs — a solid Cuomo voter base.

“This race will be won through strong turnout,” said Fix the City spokesperson Liz Benjamin. “Fix the City is working through multiple channels — calls, texts, door knocking, literature drops, street visibility, targeted digital ads and more — to communicate with voters and get them to understand the stakes and to show up for Andrew Cuomo, the only candidate with the experience and plans to move the city forward.”

This story was produced as part of a partnership between NOTUS and The City.

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