NYC mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani is literally a hot potato for Democrats, and they don’t know what to do with him. The extreme social democrat won the Dem primary for mayor, beating out former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and sits in an enviable position for the November general election.
The problem for many Democrats: his whacked out socialist vision is too extreme for even them.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) met with Mamdani Friday, and it would seem that the House minority leader still has no idea how to handle the situation. In the course of normal events, he would endorse his fellow New York Democrat in a heartbeat—but so far, he hasn't been willing to pull the trigger, and did not do so after the face-to-face as many anticipated.
Sounds like the meeting was really exciting:
In a lukewarm statement, Jeffries called the pair’s hourlong meeting in his Brooklyn stomping grounds “constructive,” but did not indicate whether he would throw his weight behind the lefty candidate.
“The meeting between Leader Jeffries and Assemblyman Mamdani was constructive, candid and community-centered, with a particular focus on affordability,” said Jeffries spokesperson Justin Chermol.
“Leader Jeffries and Assemblyman Mamdani discussed a variety of other important issues, including public safety, rising antisemitism, gentrification and the importance of taking back the House in 2026.”
Did they discuss Mamdani’s refusal to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada?” I doubt Jeffries had the intestinal fortitude to bring up that subject.
Since Mamdani’s June primary victory, Jeffries has been wishy washy about the threat of Mamdani and finds it easier just to change the subject:
READ MORE: New: Cracks Form in Zohran Mamdani's Armor As NYC Mayoral Race Intensifies
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Interestingly, Mamdani’s statement following the sit-down was equally lukewarm, saying the candidate was “pleased to meet” the minority leader. Look at it from his point of view: Hakeem Jeffries is a listless leader of a party on the decline—with approval numbers dropping hourly—while Mamdani is the progressives' flavor of the hour and is getting tons of national attention. He’s probably thinking, “You should probably be more worried about whether I endorse you, Jeffries.”
Hakeem is not the only spineless New York Democrat who is afraid to take a stand and is hoping for some new poll to tell them what to do: Gov. Kathy Hochul and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have also not endorsed Zohran—but neither have they strongly condemned his ruinous Marxist ideology or his antisemitism.
Schumer has said that he will meet with Mamdani soon, but no date has been set. He's presumably waiting to see which way the wind will blow.
They find themselves in a similar situation to that encountered by Dr. Frankenstein: they’ve created a monster, but they have no idea how to control it.
As the old playground insult goes, “sucks to be you.”
Editor’s Note: Zohran Mamdani is an avowed Democratic Socialist and has a real chance to become the next mayor of New York City.
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