Top Democrats Keep Mamdani at Arm’s Length as Cuomo Confirms Independent Bid for New York Mayor

The House minority leader, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, says he has no “current” plans to meet with either Governor Cuomo or Mayor Adams as the general election campaign for New York City mayor kicks off with three registered Democrats running. The party’s nominee, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, has yet to win the endorsement of many prominent New York Democrats. Mr. Jeffries had previously promised to back whoever won the Democratic nomination in the general election. When asked by the Sun in early June if he was committed to supporting his fellow Democrats’ choice for mayor, Mr. Jeffries simply replied, “Yes.”On Monday, he confirmed that he would sit down with Mr. Mamdani at the end of the week. The House minority leader has said he takes issue with some of Mr. Mamdani’s anti-Israel views. “I’m scheduled to meet with the Democratic nominee at the end of the week back home in Brooklyn,” Mr. Jeffries said at a press conference on Monday, declining to mention Mr. Mamdani by name. “[I] haven’t had a conversation with Eric Adams or Andrew Cuomo since the primary, and have no current plans to do so at this moment.”When asked if he believed Mr. Mamdani’s candidacy would be any kind of political liability for his fellow Democrats, Mr. Jeffries dodged the question. “Donald Trump is a gift to Democratic prospects in Virginia, New Jersey, and in the midterm elections next year,” Mr. Jeffries responded, offering no other comment. Any decision to reverse himself and step away from the official nominee could create an even more fraught situation now that Mr. Cuomo has officially entered the race. Mr. Adams, vying for a second term, declined to run in last month’s Democratic primary and instead launched an independent campaign. In a video posted to X on Monday afternoon, Mr. Cuomo — wearing a white, short-sleeve button-up shirt — told supporters that he was “in it to win it.” He said too few New Yorkers had a voice last month, with just more than 1 million of the city’s more than 6 million registered Democrats casting ballots. “To the 440,000 New Yorkers who voted for me: a sincere thank you,” Mr. Cuomo said in his message to supporters. “I am truly sorry that I let you down.“But as my grandfather used to say, ‘When you get knocked down, learn the lesson and pick yourself back up and get in the game. And that is what I am going to do.”Looking into the camera, Mr. Cuomo added that only 13 percent of New Yorkers voted in the June primary. “The general election is in November, and I am in it to win it. My opponent, Mr. Mamdani, offers slick slogans, but no real solutions.”By Monday afternoon, Mr. Cuomo’s campaign announcement on X had garnered just more than 1,000 likes. Just beneath that remark, Mr. Mamdani posted a link to contribute to his campaign with no comments attached. That post received nearly 40,000 likes within an hour. Several top Democrats from New York’s congressional delegation have, like Mr. Jeffries, so far kept their distance from Mr. Mamdani. Congressmen Ritchie Torres, Gregory Meeks, and Dan Goldman, as well as Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, all have so far refused to endorse Mr. Mamdani. Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, too, have not yet backed their party’s nominee for mayor.

Top Democrats Keep Mamdani at Arm’s Length as Cuomo Confirms Independent Bid for New York Mayor

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