Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a key influencer among Latino voters, threw his weight behind Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral candidacy on Thursday.
The endorsement comes after Espaillat supported ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his failed primary run. The congressmember also previously backed Mayor Adams.
Mamdani, who appears in early polling to be the frontrunner headed into November’s general election, has collected institutional support from unions and other elected leaders since his 12-point win in June.
Other key party leaders, such as Gov. Hochul, continue to express reluctance about Mamdani.
“The city is at a precipice, and people are forced to move out because they can’t make ends meet,” Espaillat said at a Washington Heights press conference announcing the endorsement. “And I think he represents that vision. I think more and more people are lining up with that vision.”
Espaillat stressed the importance of unity among Democrats in supporting their nominee and said that he would campaign and make calls on Mamdani’s behalf.
“I have never chosen to be outside of the Democratic lane, and we will continue to back those candidates, those nominees, that voters tell us that they support,” he said.
Mamdani said Espaillat, the first Dominican American member of Congress, was a model for how to push back against President Trump.
“We have to fight the authoritarian administration in Washington, DC,” Mamdani said from the United Palace. “We have to fight for the working people in this city who are being pushed out of the place that they call home. And I look at Congressmember Espaillat and I see a guide for how to do both of those things at the same time.”
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