New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s endorsement of Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral bid is putting a spotlight on the other top Democrats in New York City who are dragging their feet.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have yet to throw their support behind Mr. Mamdani, illustrating the lingering concerns that establishment Democrats, and some donors, have about the impact the 33-year-old democratic socialist will have on New York City and the party’s overall brand.
“I met with him last week,” Mr. Schumer said Monday. “We had a good meeting. We know each other well, and we’re gonna keep talking.”
Mr. Schumer’s comments came a day after Ms. Hochul said in a New York Times op-ed that she came off the sidelines because Mr. Mamdani supports making the city safe for children, combating antisemitism, and making New York City more affordable.
Ms. Hochul also said she needs a partner in the city who is willing to set aside their differences and stand up against Mr. Trump’s reckless policies.
“Mr. Mamdani and I will both be fearless in confronting the president’s extreme agenda — with urgency, conviction and the defiance that defines New York,” Ms. Hochul said. “And we must never allow Mr. Trump to control our city like the king he wants to be.”
She also took a thinly veiled jab at Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who is seeking reelection as an independent.
Mr. Adams had faced federal charges of corruption that the Trump administration opted not to pursue in exchange for his cooperation in its immigration efforts. A federal judge dismissed the charges in their entirety in April.
“Anyone who accepts his tainted influence or benefits from it is compromised from the start,” Ms. Hochul said.
Mr. Schumer and Mr. Jeffries are getting criticized for not jumping on the Mamdani bandwagon.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Maryland Democrat, did not name names, but did say that New York Democrats must rally behind the party’s nominee.
“That kind of spineless politics is what people are sick of. They need to get behind him and get behind him now,” Mr. Van Hollen said Saturday in Iowa.
Meanwhile, liberal groups are warning that Mr. Jeffries has more to lose than Mr. Mamdani.
“Rep. Jeffries is dangerously misreading the balance of power here,” said Eric Naing, spokesman for Demand Progress Action.
President Trump panned the Hochul endorsement of the “Liddle’ Communist.”
“This is a rather shocking development, and a very bad one for New York City,” Mr. Trump said Monday. “How can such a thing happen?”
“Washington will be watching this situation very closely. No reason to be sending good money after bad!” he said.
Rumors have swirled around the idea that the Trump administration offered Mr. Adams an ambassadorship in exchange for his dropping out of the mayoral race, which could boost former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s chances. Mr. Cuomo is also a Democrat running as an independent. Mr. Adams has denied the reports and said he is remaining in the race.
Mr. Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations, lost to Mr. Mamdani in the Democratic primary for mayor but decided not to abandon his bid for a political comeback.
Mr. Mamdani has held a consistent lead over Mr. Adams, Mr. Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, founder of the crime-prevention group Guardian Angels and whom Mr. Trump has dismissed as being “not exactly prime time.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.