Rep. Hakeem Jeffries Friday held what he called a “constructive” meeting with Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, but the House minority leader isn’t endorsing Mamdani just yet.
After the hourlong sit down at an East New York office space, the pair agreed to meet again soon with members of the city’s congressional delegation and community leaders.
“The meeting… was constructive, candid and community-centered, with a focus on affordability,” said Justin Chermol, a spokesman for Jeffries.
The two men also discussed antisemitism, crime, gentrification and the Democratic effort to win back Congress in the 2026 midterms, Chermol said.
Mamdani’s campaign said the Queens assemblyman was “pleased to meet” Jeffries.
Jeffries didn’t make an endorsement in last month’s Democratic primary in which Mamdani romped to victory over ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and a field of other candidates.
The top Democrat in the House has stayed on the fence since Mamdani’s win, even as other prominent Democrats who backed Cuomo have gotten in line behind the party’s standard bearer. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) has taken a similar noncommittal stance and has said he plans to meet with Mamdani soon in New York.
Mamdani will run in the November general election against Republican Curtis Sliwa, with incumbent Eric Adams and Cuomo both running as independents.
The charismatic City Hall candidate drew rave reviews from Democratic members of Congress after a whirlwind visit to Washington, D.C. on Thursday organized by his ally, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He also met with progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, who praised him as an important new voice in the Democratic Party.
Despite the groundswell of support for Mamdani in the city, some moderate Democratic leaders worry Republicans could use him as a poster child for the party’s leftward drift.
