House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Sunday that he does not view New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani (D) as his party’s “future.”
“You’ve already cast your ballot for mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Do you see Mamdani as the future of the Democratic Party?” CNN’s Jake Tapper asked on “State of the Union.”
“No, I think the future of the Democratic Party is going to fall, as far as we’re concerned, relative to the House Democratic Caucus and members who are doing a great work all across the country,” Jeffries replied.
Tapper then pushed back on Jeffries’ response and asked if he was “concerned about Republicans using him as a lightning rod so as to hurt your ability to win back the House in 2026.”
“No, the lightning rod in terms of what’s going to impact the ability of either side to win control of the House or hold control of the House in 2026 is going to be the failure of Republicans to actually deliver on the promises that they have made and to actively make life worse for everyday Americans,” Jeffries replied.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, shocked the political world with his June win in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The former governor is now running as an independent in the mayor’s race against Mamdani.
Jeffries endorsed Mamdani late last month, backing the Democratic nominee who has caused commotion in his party for his leftist views. The Democratic leader, who represents portions of Brooklyn, had not weighed in on the campaign for months.
“Zohran Mamdani has relentlessly focused on addressing the affordability crisis and explicitly committed to being a mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who do not support his candidacy,” Jeffries said in a prior statement.
“In that spirit, I support him and the entire citywide Democratic ticket in the general election.”
Cuomo recently called Mamdani “the most divisive candidate I have ever experienced in New York.”
“He alienated the Jewish community,” Cuomo said on the “Cats Roundtable” radio show. “Alienated the Italian community. Offended the LGBTQ community … ‘[New York Police Department], you’re ‘racist, wicked, and corrupt.’ ‘Barack Obama, he’s evil and he’s a liar’ … He’s in favor of decriminalizing prostitution, that’s haram according to the Quran. He has offended everyone.”
The Hill has reached out to the Mamdani campaign for comment.
