The campaign arm of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is leaning on New York’s top Democratic leaders in Congress to endorse New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, who would be the city’s first Muslim mayor.

CAIR Action called on Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to “reject anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian pressure” from lobby groups and endorse Mr. Mamdani.

In a letter sent to both New York lawmakers on Wednesday, Action Executive Director Basim Elkarra wrote, “Assemblymember Mamdani made history by decisively winning the Democratic primary, and stands on the cusp of making further history as New York City’s first Muslim mayor.”

“Your silence months after his [primary] victory is not only an insult to the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who supported his vision for addressing the affordability crisis, but also to American Muslims across the country who see in his candidacy a long-overdue moment of representation and inclusion,” the letter stated.

He warned that Mr. Schumer’s and Mr. Jeffries’ refusal to endorse “can only be read as the result of pressure from the notoriously anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian lobby group AIPAC and from donors hostile to Assemblymember Mamdani’s principled support for Palestinian human rights.”

Either option would be considered “unacceptable” and “deeply out of step with the values of the Democratic Party and its base” if true, the letter said.

Mr. Mamdani, a self-described Democratic Socialist state assemblyman, is leading his opponents, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Eric Adams, both well-known Democrats running as independents this election, and Republican Curtis Sliwa, a WABC talk radio host, in recent polls.

Although Mr. Mamdani has the endorsement of several senior Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, he has yet to secure the endorsements of Mr. Schumer and Mr. Jeffries.

Members of the Democrats’ more liberal faction are often strong-armed to support more moderate nominees, and are upset that their party’s establishment leadership will not immediately endorse Mr. Mamdani.

Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Schumer are not the only senior members in New York’s Democratic delegation to avoid endorsing Mr. Mamdani. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Gov. Kathy Hochul also have avoided throwing their support behind him.

However, Mr. Mamdani recently racked up new endorsements from other Democratic lawmakers, including Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Pat Ryan of New York.

The Washington Times reached out to the offices of Mr. Schumer and Mr. Jeffries for comment.

• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.