Hakeem Jeffries Endorses Zohran Mamdani After Waiting Til Last Second

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries finally endorsed Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor Friday.

The Brooklyn native extended his support with less than two weeks until Election Day. Early voting in the Big Apple begins Saturday.

“Zohran Mamdani has relentlessly focused on addressing the affordability crisis and explicitly committed to being a mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who do not support his candidacy,” Jeffries told The New York Times in a statement. “In that spirit, I support him and the entire citywide Democratic ticket in the general election.”

The backing of the national Democratic leader is valuable—but may have come too late to make any real difference. Jeffries, one of the country’s most prominent Black politicians, made the decision only after months of mounting pressure. And even in the hours preceding the announcement of his public support, Jeffries appeared uncertain as to whether he would ultimately back the Democratic socialist, a party he has spent years criticizing.

While echoing Mamdani’s affordability message on CNBC Friday, Jeffries backtracked on the highly anticipated endorsement.

“That’s what he stands for, therefore you’re endorsing Mamdani?” pressed host Joe Kernen.

“No, that’s not what, that’s not what I’m saying, that’s not what I’m saying,” Jeffries said.

After a tight Democratic primary (and stunning upset victory) this summer, Mamdani has gained citywide appeal. The Ugandan-born New Yorker is leading the mayoral race by double digits, garnering 46 percent support after Mayor Eric Adams announced his withdrawal, according to a Quinnipiac poll published earlier this month.

Jeffries’s is potentially the last major endorsement for Mamdani’s campaign, which has collected support from the likes of Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

The 33-year-old has also caught the eye and ire of the White House. Donald Trump has spent months openly browbeating Mamdani, accusing the local lawmaker of being in the country “illegally” while promising to arrest Mamdani if the mayoral hopeful follows through on defying ICE.

The president has also posed direct threats to the denizens of New York, claiming that he would leverage the power of the executive branch to choke funding from the country’s wealthiest metropolis unless it rejects Mamdani’s bid come Election Day next month.