City Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, a longtime political ally to Mayor Adams, is expected to endorse Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani in the race for City Hall on Sunday, the Daily News has learned.
Rodriguez and a spokeswoman for Mamdani did not immediately return requests for comment. But two sources with direct knowledge said Rodriguez is expected to deliver the endorsement during a rally in Washington Heights with Mamdani that will also be attended by New York Congressman Adriano Espaillat, who’s backing the Democratic mayoral nominee too.
The endorsement — which comes on the heels of early voting that started Saturday — is significant for multiple reasons.
Only a few top-ranking advisers to Adams have come out with endorsements in the 2025 mayoral race since he abandoned his own reelection bid last month.
Essentially all those advisers, such as First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro and Adams confidant Frank Carone, have thrown their weight behind Mamdani’s main opponent, former governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent.
Rodriguez, in endorsing Mamdani, offers the Democratic nominee a credible inroad with the city’s large Hispanic communities.
A former City Council member, Rodriguez was seen as instrumental in helping line up Latino support, especially from uptown Manhattan neighborhoods, for Adams’ successful 2021 run for mayor.
Rodriguez’s nod also comes after Mamdani in a recent interview with The News wouldn’t rule out keeping Rodriguez as his Department of Transportation commissioner if elected. During his tenure as DOT head, Rodriguez’s agency has at times clashed with Adams’ City Hall over the need to expand the city’s networks of bike and bus lanes.
A spokesman for Adams, who ended his reelection effort last month as he polled dead last in the race, declined to comment Sunday on Rodriguez’s expected announcement.
Mamdani continues to poll as the clear favorite to win the Nov. 4 election, which also includes Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa.
