NEW YORK – Rep. Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday praised New York Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani for sticking by NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and suggested he would make a long-awaited statement of support by Saturday.
Asked about his oft-repeated pledge to take sides in the contentious race before voting begins this weekend, Jeffries said he is sticking to that timeline.
“I look forward to sharing much more about the mayor's election, as I promised in advance,” Jeffries said in an interview on CNN.
“I am ready to give my opinion before the early elections start on Saturday,” he added with a smile during a call with Bloomberg TV.
Jeffries, who represents a central Brooklyn district, called Mamdani “our Democratic candidate” and praised him for focusing on the signature issue of affordability in the race against Republican Curtis Sliwa and the ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent candidate.
Jeffries also praised Mamdani for agreeing to retain Tisch if elected, calling the police commissioner a “highly respected” leader of the NYPD.
The Democratic House minority leader has refused to endorse Mamdani for months since the youthful Queens lawmaker defeated Cuomo in the Democratic primary in June.
Jeffries has met with Mamdani at least twice, including one meeting with other Black elected officials and faith leaders.
Mamdani has built a healthy lead over Cuomo in the opinion polls, with Sliwa behind him. Mayor Adams endorsed Cuomo on Thursday, just weeks after he pulled the plug on his own sputtering re-election campaign, but it's unclear whether Adams' nod will move the political needle.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, who lives a few miles from Jeffries in Brooklyn, also has not endorsed the mayor's race.
