By Mark Gruenberg\People’s World
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
WASHINGTON—Despite Zohran Mamdani’s landslide win in the New York Democratic mayoral primary, the party’s top leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both from New York City, are still silent on whether they’ll endorse his mayoral candidacy.
But in the wake of Mamdani’s overwhelming victory over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., a top progressive who enthusiastically endorsed Mamdani before the primary had a blunt message for fence-sitters and intra-party foes: Get on board.
“Anybody who’s staying out at this point instead of endorsing an incredible dynamic leader is missing an opportunity,” Jayapal said.
She has a point. Mamdani’s initial lead over Cuomo, in first-place votes, was just over six percentage points. But New York City has ranked choice balloting, with the count continuing until one candidate has an absolute majority, including first-place and other-choice ballots.
Adding them all together, Mamdani clobbered Cuomo, 56%-43%.
Mamdani ran on a progressive platform, including free bus service, experiments with free grocery stores, cracking down on rent-gouging landlords, and boosting economic equality. State Assemblyman Mamdani is a member of Democratic Socialists of America, as are Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ind-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
Like Jayapal, both Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and Sanders endorsed Mamdani before the primary. AOC campaigned with him in New York, then hosted a closed-door breakfast for him in D.C. on July 16 to meet other lawmakers. She also shepherded him around Capitol Hill. He got an enthusiastic reception from fellow progressives.
“He is so smart, so authentic, cares so much about working people, and he has put together an incredible coalition. We’re thrilled,” Jayapal said.
Cuomo, meanwhile, has picked up one big-name endorsement already, from the president every Democrat loves to hate: Trump. READ MORE…
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