The top congressional Democratic leaders congratulated state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani for his victory in New York‘s Democratic mayoral primary on Wednesday, but they stopped short of offering a full-throttle endorsement of the self-proclaimed socialist.

Both Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) released statements minutes apart on Wednesday celebrating Mamdani’s “strong” and “impressive” campaign focused on the economy and affordability.

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Jeffries said he spoke to Mamdani on Wednesday morning and they “plan to meet in Central Brooklyn shortly.”

“Assemblyman Mamdani ran a strong campaign that relentlessly focused on the economy and bringing down the high cost of living in New York City,” Jeffries wrote.

Schumer said he also spoke to the assemblyman and is “looking forward to getting together soon.”

“I have known [Mamdani] since we worked together to provide debt relief for thousands of beleaguered taxi drivers & fought to stop a fracked gas plant in Astoria,” Schumer wrote. “He ran an impressive campaign that connected with New Yorkers about affordability, fairness, & opportunity.”

Neither lawmaker endorsed Mamdani, who will now face Mayor Eric Adams in the general election. Adams opted to run as an independent to seek a second term and avoid the crowded primary in which Mamdani handily defeated his opponents, including former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Mamdani’s victory puts Democrats in a tight spot. Though the assemblyman ran on the economy, an area the national party lost on in the 2024 cycle, his progressive and self-described socialist approach to politics opens the door for Republican criticism.

Democrats’ younger and grassroots base is pressuring the establishment to either stand up or stand aside as they face a generational reckoning on and off Capitol Hill. The party is at a crossroads about whether to embrace the policies of its more progressive faction represented by Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who endorsed him, or to stick by traditional, kitchen table values pushed out by leaders such as Jeffries and Schumer.

MAMDANI WIN PRESSURES DEMOCRATS TO USHER IN CHANGING OF THE GUARD

Withholding an endorsement for Mamdani could open up Jeffries or Schumer to possible progressive primary challengers. But throwing their support behind the Democratic mayoral nominee could also alienate centrist voters and prove the GOP’s narrative that the party has moved too far left for working-class people.

Eyes are already on Ocasio-Cortez to possibly primary Schumer, as the congresswoman has amassed a gigantic war chest that shows she is setting her sights beyond her safe blue district.