Zohran Mamdani endorsed by (most) socialist lawmakers

Six of socialist Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani’s comrades – state Sens. Jabari Brisport and Kristen Gonzalez and Assembly Members Claire Valdez, Phara Souffrant Forrest, Marcela Mitaynes and Sarahana Shrestha – formally endorsed his mayoral campaign on Thursday morning. Like Mamdani, all six of the new endorsers are affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America and part of DSA’s nine-member “State Socialists in Office” bloc in Albany.

“We are building a grassroots campaign unlike any other and today's endorsements from six legislators on the frontlines of the fight for a more affordable New York adds to our growing momentum,” the Mamdani campaign said in a statement. “Working class New Yorkers are being crushed by a skyrocketing cost of living crisis but together, we can deliver a government that brings costs down and makes life easier.”

The endorsements from Mamdani’s fellow DSA-affiliated legislators are not exactly unexpected, considering that DSA’s New York City chapter voted to endorse Mamdani even before he launched his campaign.

But two DSA-backed state lawmakers – state Sen. Julia Salazar and Assembly Member Emily Gallagher – have so far declined to endorse Mamdani.

“My aim with eventual endorsements is to make sure we don’t have a Cuomo or Eric Adams administration. Right now, I’m watching and assessing the field and intend to make my recommendations for my constituents closer to the election,” Gallagher told City & State in a statement. “I learned a lot from 2021 and how volatile the field can be; the race is really just beginning when everyone makes the ballot.”  

“I’ve been really inspired by the support and message my colleague and our organization has been sharing and I’m proud of the work his team and our community have been doing. After petitioning is over, I’ll begin to finalize my choices to maximize our main goal – to have a competent, kind, professional mayor with a strong vision for the working people of our city during this difficult era,” she added.

Salazar declined to comment on the record.

Although Mamdani is the furthest-left candidate running for mayor, the crowded field includes a significant number of progressives like New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and state Sens. Zellnor Myrie and Jessica Ramos. Rather than endorse a single candidate, some progressive groups have opted to endorse the whole slate. The New York Progressive Action Network endorsed Lander, Mamdani, Myrie and Ramos, while United Auto Workers Region 9A endorsed Lander, Mamdani and Ramos. The UAW also launched a messaging campaign called “DREAM: Don’t Rank Eric or Andrew for Mayor” that encourages voters to leave both Cuomo and Adams off of their ranked-choice ballots.  

There have been internal tensions within the State Socialists in Office committee and skepticism over the wisdom of backing Mamdani. As Politico New York reported in October, Gallagher had strongly opposed Mamdani’s decision to run for mayor and unsuccessfully argued against DSA’s New York City chapter endorsing the mayoral campaign. 

Although most within NYC-DSA supported endorsing Mamdani’s campaign, Gallagher was part of a vocal minority within the socialist organization who feared that Mamdani’s run for mayor could be a vanity campaign that would suck up all of NYC-DSA’s energy and resources with little chance of success – a concern that was not allayed when the nascent Mamdani mayoral campaign hired away her own chief of staff Andrew Epstein to serve as its communications director.

But Mamdani’s mayoral campaign has exceeded expectations. The candidate, largely unknown six months ago, now regularly places third or fourth in the polls, behind only former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and often tied with the incumbent mayor. In one poll, Mamdani even came in second place. Mamdani had raised more than $640,000 from thousands of small-dollar donors as of the last filing deadline, which in turn unlocked millions more in public matching funds. He has engaged voter groups like Muslims who have historically been ignored in citywide elections, while energizing young progressives who have eagerly volunteered to canvass for him and spread the word about his campaign across social media.

Mamdani’s run for mayor also seems to have benefited NYC-DSA, which according to co-chair Grace Mausser has added about 1,200 members since Mamdani’s campaign launch in late October.