Former Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has “the right ideas” to lead the Big Apple, granting the Democratic nominee his endorsement.

De Blasio served as New York City’s mayor from 2014 through 2021, and said in an op-ed Tuesday that he is endorsing Mamdani. The former mayor said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe that Mamdani focused on the “affordability crisis” in the primary election, and the mayoral nominee is “a Democratic socialist” over simply being a socialist.

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De Blasio downplayed Republicans’ concern that the Democratic Party is elevating a candidate like Mamdani, calling it “an attempt” at throwing a “monkey wrench” as Democrats are campaigning on “kitchen table issues.”

“Look, here is a guy, Zohran Mamdani, talked about relentlessly kitchen table issues. He did not talk about quote-unquote ‘woke issues’ or identity issues. He talked about the kitchen table. He won overwhelmingly,” de Blasio said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

“I argue if, with all due respect to [former Vice President] Kamala Harris, if she and the Democratic Party in general in 2024 had talked relentlessly about inflation, about how to bring down prices, about how to help working people, we could have won that election,” de Blasio continued.

De Blasio said Mamdani’s plan for government-run grocery stores would remedy the “food deserts” in New York City. He also praised Mamdani’s plan for free buses, which would allow people “to get into mass transit more.”

Morning Joe cohost Joe Scarborough quizzed de Blasio on “where” free buses benefit cities across the United States. De Blasio replied, “I’ll get to a list of cities” before defending Mamdani’s proposal, but never gave specifics during the interview.

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De Blasio is the latest feather in Mamdani’s hat of endorsements. The Democratic nominee is also backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). 

Rev. Al Sharpton also appeared on Morning Joe, saying he is “praying” about a possible candidate in the New York City election.