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Teao Borrow it from Brooklyn’s other son, and if you don’t know, now you do.
Finally on Friday the House Minority Leader Endorsed Zohran Mamdana to become Mayor of New York CityThat being said, the nation’s support for the No. 2 elected Democrat was far from enthusiastic.
Jefferies said, “Zohran Mamdani has a relentless focus on addressing the affordability crisis and is clearly committed to being a mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who do not support his candidacy.” “Still, the stakes are existential.”
The Crown Heights congressman began by talking about the threat New York City faces, most recently in the form of the Justice Department’s targeting of state Attorney General Letitia James, who pleaded not guilty to fraud charges on Friday. Brought by the Justice Department under the Trump administration,
As usual, the online discussion about why Jeffries withheld his endorsement contained only partial truths. Many questioned whether Jeffries’ support for Israel and funding from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee played a role in his decision.
The truth is more complex than that. Jeffries, like many black politicians, never fully trusted progressives. The first time I covered her was when the Congressional Black Caucus’s PAC endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016.
During that endorsement, he criticized Mamdani’s political mentor Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for voting against gun violence provisions. That skepticism flowed into Jeffries’ support of Mamdani.
“For decades, working-class neighborhoods of color have been hurt by gentrification and housing displacement,” he said. “This must change. I support our nominee’s strong commitment to building a city where everyday New Yorkers can live. As needed, this must include a meaningful partnership with the private sector to dramatically increase the supply of affordable homes.”
Sanders hasn’t done much to calm Black Democrats’ fears The comments surfaced about Sanders’s progressive leanings toward racial justice, including Sanders’ angry defense of Graham Platner after he asked why black people don’t tip.
But despite his disdain for progressives, the insurgency on the left got him his current position in leadership and he has been on the front lines of the internal feud within the Democratic Party since Trump came to power. When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley, Jeffries campaigned for the job and won.
Being a manager during Trump’s first impeachment, it prepared him perfectly for Democratic leadership. When Nancy Pelosi stepped down as speaker at the end of 2022, she received unanimous support from the caucus to replace her, as Midwestern moderates, the black political establishment, and Ocasio-Cortez supported her.
Jeffries had to deal with a storm of progressives challenging his colleagues, as happened when Cori Bush challenged and defeated his friend William Lacy Clay Jr. in Missouri. He offered only modest support to Squad members Jamal Bowman in New York and Bush during last year’s primaries, when he faced heavy funding from pro-Israel groups.
And in his home state, he’ll have to deal with the rising left and the Democratic Socialists of America, including in his own district. Had he not endorsed Mamdani, Jeffries would likely have faced a primary.
Jeffries also has to acknowledge changes within the Democratic Party when it comes to Israel. For many years, support for Israel was considered a sign of solidarity with the Jewish community, a key element within the Democratic coalition.
But since Israel’s brutal campaign in Gaza following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Democratic sympathies have shifted toward the Palestinians in Gaza.
A new York Times/Siena College survey from last month revealed that 43 percent of New Yorkers thought Mamdani best addressed the Israeli–Palestinian conflict during the campaign.
The same survey showed that a combined 47 percent of New Yorkers had varying degrees of sympathy for the Palestinians, while 29 percent of New Yorkers sympathized with the Israelis.
Jeffries’ statement talked about “keeping every New Yorker safe,” and he said he received reassurance from Black and Latino neighborhoods as well as “the Jewish community that has faced a shocking increase in anti-Semitic incidents.”
The support simply acknowledges the changing tides in the city and the party. Had he not endorsed Mamdani, Jeffries would have risked a primary challenge.
Finally, there’s the question of Andrew Cuomo. Jeffries’ mention of James was also a veiled jab at Cuomo, who has refused to come to the attorney general’s defense.
That’s because James not only took aim at Trump: She released the report into Cuomo’s alleged sexual misconduct that led to the governor’s resignation in disgrace. A Democratic politician like Jeffries, whose main job in the House is to upset Trump, cannot comply.
Jeffries ended his statement by noting that he endorsed Mamdani, instead saying “I support the Democratic ticket”. This suggests that he did not come to this support as enthusiastically as Governor Kathy Hochul says. This is his way of saying that he will support Mamdani but will not give his full support.
It’s a preview of the bigger battle Jefferies will face in Washington, should he become speaker: How to balance protecting his vulnerable members while also handling an increasingly disgruntled leftist faction that wants to aggressively fight Trump and push his own policies that frontliners may not be in favor of.