huffpost Press
Sour Jeffries Says Mamdani Has 'Work To Do' After His Candidates Oust House Incumbents
Images
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) says New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is going to have to smooth things over with congressional Democrats after backing several progressive candidates who ousted incumbents during Tuesday’s primary elections. Asked if Mamdani’s endorsements were making him “enemies” with Democrats in Washington, D.C., Jeffries told CNN that he and Mamdani “strongly” disagreed over his primary picks ahead of Election Day. Now, according to Jeffries, the mayor has serious “work to do in terms of the conversations that he’s going to have with members of Congress moving forward.” Mamdani, a democratic socialist, seemed to cement his new role as a progressive kingmaker when his candidates of choice, former campaign organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier and ex-NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, bested Reps. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) and Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), respectively. Reflecting on the wins during a press conference in the Bronx on Wednesday, Mamdani said the primary results are a sign “New Yorkers are hungry for a new kind of politics” and believe “working people should be at the heart” of their platforms. The mayor went on to say he was “looking forward” to collaborating with Jeffries about how to best serve the people of New York and that the pair had plans to speak later that day. While Jeffries warned Mamdani the Democratic establishment may be looking for apologies when speaking to CNN in the halls of Congress, he was more metered about the Empire State primary upsets with the New York Post. Thanking Espaillat and Goldman for their service, he said, “Every race is going to be judged on its own merits, and I’m sure that there’ll be an assessment of what happened.” During NYC’s mayoral primaries last June, Mamdani triumphed over ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic Party’s pick for Gracie Mansion. Proving his primary win was no fluke, the mayor thoroughly trounced Cuomo come November when the scandal-plagued ex-governor continued the contentious race as an independent candidate. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.