Hakeem Jeffries Poised to Join New York Mayoral Race Discussion
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries from New York seems ready to step into the mayoral race in his home city, after weeks of sidestepping inquiries on the topic.
As the leading Democrat in the House, representing part of Brooklyn, he’s faced considerable scrutiny for not directly answering questions about his support for Zoran Mamdani, a fellow Democrat who identifies as a democratic socialist.
During a press conference on Monday, when asked if he would share his stance on the race before early voting kicks off in New York City on Saturday, October 25, Jeffries responded, “Yes, I intend to.” This opens up a few possibilities: he may back Mamdani before voting, or he could decide to hold off on an endorsement altogether.
President Trump is apparently advocating for two candidates to exit the race to create a more straightforward competition with Mamdani.
Jeffries’ recent comments echo what he conveyed to Fox News Digital on Friday, just after a mayoral debate, although he admitted he hadn’t watched it then.
When probed about the timeline for gathering support, he mentioned, “I expect to speak to Democratic candidate Zoran at some point before early voting.” He was also evasive regarding why he hasn’t endorsed Mamdani yet during an appearance on ABC News’ “This Week.”
“As I indicated, I plan to speak with him this week ahead of early voting starting next weekend in New York City. And I’m sure there’s more to discuss regarding the mayoral race and Democratic candidates,” he said.
Mamdani is currently perceived as the frontrunner, with Republican Curtis Sliwa and independent candidate, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, also in the mix. Jeffries’ colleague, Speaker Mike Johnson from Louisiana, has been vocal in labeling Mamdani a “Marxist.” Such claims have stirred some discontent among Democrats on Capitol Hill.
While Mamdani has backing from progressives like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have not made their positions clear. Moderate Reps. Laura Gillen and Tom Suozzi from the New York City suburbs have criticized Mamdani’s candidacy.
It seems Jeffries is deliberately keeping his plans ambiguous, but Republicans are accusing him and Schumer of dragging their feet on resolving the current government shutdown, possibly fearing a progressive wave led by Mamdani and other New York Democrats.
At a recent press conference, Jeffries briefly spoke on the government shutdown, which has now reached its 20th day, but both parties appear distant from a resolution.
He has also urged President Trump to take a more proactive approach to end the shutdown, stating, “Donald Trump needs to engage decisively. He needs to get off the sidelines, get off the golf course, and commit to actually ending the government shutdown that he created.” He emphasized that negotiations have been stalled due to a lack of support from Republican leaders without Trump’s backing.
On the Republican side, there have been claims that there’s nothing left to negotiate after they proposed a simple seven-week extension of federal funding. This proposal aims to allow more time for Congress to agree on a sustainable funding plan for the following fiscal year.
The House approved this measure on September 19, but it has faced repeated failures in the Senate due to the need for bipartisan support to overcome a filibuster. Meanwhile, Democratic leaders want any funding bill to also include an extension of pandemic-related Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire soon.
