NEW YORK — On Friday, Zohran Mamdani and Hakeem Jeffries met quietly in Brooklyn, their first in-person talk since Mamdani’s powerful upset in the mayoral primary reshaped the city’s Democratic future.
The meeting capped a frenetic week for the 30-year-old. He’d been honored by the city’s labor royalty, summarily challenged by corporate executives, pressed by Jewish officialdom, and courted by House rebels convinced he’ll drive the party’s next turn. Having won the city’s largest private-sector union just before the Jeffries meeting, he walked in hoping for a second big stamp of approval.
The hour in a plain East New York office, however, unfolded differently. Jeffries, the House Democratic leader and Mamdani’s old congressman, let the nominee tell his story, then asked pointed questions laced with the caution that comes from two decades of Brooklyn politics. Mamdani wanted a full-throated endorsement; he walked out with a promise to talk again.
Even Jeffries’s measured handling of Mamdani’s rising prominence shows how delicately he is weighing the imprint the 33-year-old Democratic Socialist might leave on the party. The House minority leader told reporters he has yet to meet the freshman whose win over Andrew Cuomo sent shock waves through the state. He has pointed out in the same breath that he still disagrees with Zohran Mamdani over the original defense of the slogan “globalize the intifada,” a remark the new member has only grudgingly begun to soften.
“The meeting between Leader Jeffries and Assemblyman Mamdani was constructive, candid, and community-centered, with a particular focus on affordability,” Jeffries spokesperson Justin Chermol said in a statement, noting the two also discussed public safety, antisemitism, gentrification, and the party’s shared determination to hold the House in 2026.
That last goal is a principal reason Jeffries must be so restrained. The moment Mamdani’s victory became evident, Republican operatives seized on the 33-year-old as the new prototype of a party they want swing voters to fear. The National Republican Congressional Committee has taken to branding Mamdani the face of Democratic excess every time he stands beside a senior member. Moderates in perilous districts—along with Reps.
Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen, both of Long Island, just a stone’s throw from New York City, have moved quickly to distinguish their agendas from the sweeping ambitions of Shahana Mamdani. Still, Mamdani is the sure bet to succeed Eric Adams, and even critics of her leftward lunge concede her promise to make the city cheaper is the surest ticket back to the voting booth. Last fall’s House defeat taught the party that the GOP won the cost-of-living argument, and Democrats paid the price.
The Mamdani-Jeffries meeting, held in a community center on the eastern fringes of Brooklyn, landed in a neighborhood that once powered Andrew Cuomo’s rise. The blocks have shed a few warehouses and a lot of talk, but the cranes that once promised shiny towers have idled, and the rents have inched up, not down.
Gentrification came up over the coffee and notepads, and its ripple explains just about everything. Mamdani’s strength lay in a new, kaleidoscopic electorate that turned out purse-holders and protestors alike. Yet the marrow of her primary engine remains the white, upwardly mobile, and well-degreed precincts of Astoria and the quieter corners of Crown Heights.
House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries’ operation has taken to calling the surge of democratic socialists threatening to primary sitting members “Team Gentification,” CNN reports.
After the Friday meeting, a statement from campaign spokesperson Jeffrey Lerner closely mirrored Jeffries’ own.
“As a next step, both agreed to reconvene soon with the full New York City delegation and key community leaders,” Lerner said.
Mamdani has also secured the endorsements of four of his House colleagues: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Nydia Velázquez, Jerry Nadler, and Adriano Espaillat. Other members, including Reps. Greg Meeks, Ritchie Torres, and Yvette Clarke have voiced cautious unease and withheld formal backing.
On Wednesday, Mamdani joined Ocasio-Cortez and a group of House progressives in Washington to exchange campaign organizing and messaging strategies. Nadler has been facilitating Mamdani’s meetings with Jewish elected officials and community leaders in New York City. The Democratic nominee for mayor has also been conducting quiet discussions with business and tech leaders wary of his ascent and his platform.
Earlier Friday, the 1199SEIU health care workers union announced its endorsement, solidifying his status as the labor establishment’s…
Zohran Mamdani will face Cuomo, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and independent Jim Walden in the November general election. Cuomo and Adams are running as independents. Source
