Mamdani seeks support from wary Democrats in Washington

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is taking steps to connect with Washington's political class amid signs of division within the Democratic Party over his insurgent mayoral bid. 

Mamdani, who won the Democratic nomination for mayor in an upset against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) last month, is planning to take part in a Wednesday breakfast with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in Washington. Later in the week, he’s expected to sit down in Brooklyn with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who has not yet endorsed him.

The meetings come as Democrats grapple with how the democratic socialist fits into a party that remains bitterly divided over how to move forward in the wake of its devastating losses in 2024.

“As long as he continues to build up his political coalition, reinforce his allies, make new allies and friends, he's on a path to win the general election,” said New York Democratic strategist Trip Yang. “For him to shore up his congressional allies is really smart.” 

“It doesn't hurt him from an electoral standpoint, in terms of winning an election in November. But what this really does is build relationships when he does become mayor in January.” 

Mamdani pulled off a stunning win in the late June primary in the race to replace embattled Mayor Eric Adams (D). A little-known state legislator, Mamdani’s momentum surged as he snagged support from high-profile progressives, including Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and the Working Families Party. 

While Mamdani will be the November favorite in the heavily Democratic-leaning city, he is facing opposition on multiple fronts, making the race potentially more competitive than usual. Adams is running a long-shot bid for reelection as an independent, while Cuomo announced Monday he would continue with his campaign, also as an independent.

Mamdani is now running in a five-way race, which also includes GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa and another independent, Jim Walden. Early polling has shown the progressive ahead but with less than a majority of the vote, and some of Mamdani’s critics have called for the other candidates to coalesce behind one candidate who has the best chance to beat him.

The Democratic dissent is driven largely by voices fretting that Mamdani’s socialist platform poses a threat to the party’s chances of winning, as well as about Mamdani’s positions on hot-button issues like the Israel-Hamas war.

Against that backdrop, Mamdani is expected to be in D.C. on Wednesday for a breakfast with Ocasio-Cortez at the National Democratic Club.

“Checking in with one of your top surrogates that you share a base with — that’s just smart politics,” Yang said. 

Michael Lange, a political strategist who’s written extensively about the mayoral race, predicted the congresswoman will help Mamdani make connections with key leaders as he works to “make certain elements of the Democratic establishment less nervous about him, to see him not as an ideologue but someone committed to governing, despite what their top donors might say or think."

The Hill has reached out to Mamdani’s team for additional details about the progressive’s plans in Washington.

Jeffries, who has not yet endorsed Mamdani’s campaign, said Monday he’s scheduled to meet with Mamdani at the end of the week in Brooklyn. 

Lange pointed to Mamdani’s primary successes to suggest endorsements from Washington veterans like Jeffries or New York Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand aren’t likely to make a big difference in who wins the general election. But either way, Mamdani will want to build relationships with party leaders to alleviate tensions and lay the groundwork for governing later.

“If you are Zohran, you want to play nice with these various leaders, but I don't think you should lose sleep trying to win them over," Lange said. 

Jeffries has previously said the mayoral hopeful needs to reassure Jewish New Yorkers he plans to prioritize their safety if elected in November, telling Punchbowl News he expects Mamdani’s refusal to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada” will “be part of our discussion.” At the same time, some of Mamdani’s far-left allies have reportedly floated primarying Jeffries and other incumbents. 

Meeting with Jeffries is a “smart, strategic move” to try and “calm down the leadership,” said New York Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf, who is not supporting Mamdani’s bid. He speculated, though, that Jeffries will more likely be looking for the democratic socialist to answer the question “why should I help you?”

Mamdani’s momentum has been a cause for celebration among progressives, and he’s argued his platform could be successful outside the Big Apple. But other Democrats have been wary about the party turning to Mamdani’s playbook as the party fights off accusations of being too far left following the 2024 presidential election.

“Some folks think his policies aren’t what the party should advocate for, but if we want to win in different places, it’s OK for someone in NYC to be different than someone in West Virginia,” said Democratic strategist Eddie Vale.

“Also as a New Yorker, everyone thinks the world revolves around us … but just as stupid as it turned out to be that Eric Adams was the brand and savior of the Democratic Party nationwide, it is similarly not going to rise or fall on what Mamdani says about rent control.”

One Democratic strategist disagreed, saying the party isn’t learning its lesson if it backs Mamdani. 

“Do we ever learn anything? If people think this guy represents the future of the party, they are f‑‑‑ing kidding themselves. Supporting him would be like going backward, and Republicans are right to use him as a foil because he is exactly why we lost in November.” 

Another strategist concurred. 

“He is not the solution,” the strategist said. “He talked about issues that we should all be talking about like affordability, but thinking that he is the answer to all our problems couldn’t be farther from the truth.” 

Yang acknowledged the concerns from other Democrats but stressed the big picture as well.

“One, it is rational for Democratic leaders who are not familiar with Zohran to be a little bit apprehensive: ‘Is this 33-year-old unknown socialist going to hurt our party’s chances in the midterms and beyond?’” Yang said. 

“Two, he actually polls really well. … And as he does outreach, he'll naturally win more fans from the Democratic coalition.”

Amie Parnes and Jared Gans contributed.