New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani reaffirmed his support for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday, telling a reporter he “continues to support Congressman Jeffries and his bid to become the leader” if Democrats retake the House this fall.
The comment landed at a delicate moment for Jeffries, who spent the weekend fielding criticism over a private meeting with Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and White House envoy.
Mamdani’s answer set off a wave of frustration among figures on the party’s left flank who had claimed him as their standard-bearer. Kshama Sawant, a socialist organizer and former Seattle city council member, wrote on social media that Mamdani “continues to support genocidal Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker” despite the Kushner meeting. She argued the Democratic Socialists of America’s strategy of working inside the Democratic Party is not working.
I just wish this kind of thing worked both ways. Instead, we have establishment Democrats leaning into rightwing framing and ratfucking the Michigan Senate race and a potential Senate majority over a Twitch Streamer’s comments.
Cuomo made racist AI-generated ads about Mamdani and had the full backing of the establishment while he did it. Even after Mamdani won the nomination, Jeffries and Schumer (both New York dems) refused to endorse him for months. They both undermined Mamdani at every turn and peddled the same right-wing innuendo that he is somehow inherently untrustworthy/dangerous to Jews. They almost allowed a sex pest independent to beat a popular democrat in their own state.
But Mamdani better be a good little progressive and support the feckless Zionist in his conquest for a leadership role that he will use to invariably move the party further to the right. Otherwise Mamdani might create for a rift in the party.
Edit: not disagreeing with your take, just voicing frustration