Mamdani’s Wife Snubs Brad Lander in Social Media Endorsement

New York City’s first lady, Rama Duwaji, handed Congressional hopeful Brad Lander a pointed rebuff on Tuesday, sharing a social media endorsement of progressive candidates that left the former comptroller — one of Mayor Mamdani’s most eager Democratic allies — off the list.Ms. Duwaji took to Instagram on Tuesday morning to show off her “I Voted” sticker and to urge her followers to support candidates in New York’s 7th and 13th districts, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier, both of whom are backed by the Democratic Socialists of America.Notably absent was Mr. Lander, who is running to unseat the incumbent representing New York’s 10th district, which covers lower Manhattan, Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, and surrounding parts of Brooklyn. The omission stands out as Mr. Lander’s campaign has leaned heavily on the mayor’s backing, featuring Mr. Mamdani’s image and name across advertisements and campaign materials. Mr. Mamdani has also endorsed Ms. Valdez and Ms. Chevalier and in recent weeks has appeared alongside all three candidates on the trail.Some speculated that Ms. Duwaji’s slight reflected Mr. Lander’s uneasy standing within the DSA coalition. Though he has embraced Mr. Mamdani’s characterization of Israel’s war in Gaza as genocide and vowed to oppose sending offensive and defensive weapons to the American ally, some of his views on Israel, namely his identification as a “Liberal Zionist,” remain out of step with the movement’s harder line. The editor-in-chief of JewishInsider, Josh Kraushaar, noted that Ms. Duwaji omitted “the one Jewish candidate” who “supports Israel’s right to exist, at least.” A former multimedia producer for the office of Mayor Adams, Benny Polatseck, went even further, writing that Ms. Duwaji “can’t bring herself to endorse a Jew, even though her husband endorsed him and he has sold out all his fellow Jews in order to gain the Mayor’s support.” He added: “They will never love you, @bradlander.” Neither Mr. Mamdani nor Ms. Duwaji has commented on speculation surrounding the Instagram post.The Instagram post is the latest sign that the partnership between the two men may not be as warm as Mr. Lander has let on. Mr. Lander and Mr. Mamdani forged an alliance during the mayoral race earlier this year, agreeing to cross-endorse each other. Mr. Lander, who is Jewish, helped Mr. Mamdani court Jewish voters skeptical of the candidate’s anti-Israel advocacy.They had discussed the possibility of working together in government, and in the weeks before the primary Mr. Lander was reportedly telling associates he hoped to be named deputy mayor should Mr. Mamdani win the general election.Mr. Mamdani, reportedly not “much impressed” with Mr. Lander, had no plans to incorporate Mr. Lander into his administration. A day before the general election, Mr. Lander had already started reaching out to donors for a potential run for Congress.Polls show that Mr. Lander holds a commanding lead over his opponent, Mr. Goldman, a more moderate Democrat who has held the NY-10 seat since 2023.

Mamdani’s Wife Snubs Brad Lander in Social Media Endorsement

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