Brad Lander gets No. 1 ranking in another progressive group’s endorsement

Are we catching the beginnings of Lander-mentum?

A second progressive group is coalescing behind Comptroller Brad Lander as their first pick for mayor in the Democratic primary. Churches United For Fair Housing’s political arm is endorsing Lander as their No. 1 candidate, and also backing Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams as unranked endorsements, CUFFH first told City & State. The affordable housing group joins Make the Road Action in endorsing Lander, Mamdani and Adrienne Adams, with Lander ranked No. 1.

Both organizations are affiliated with the New York Working Families Party and have votes in the party’s endorsement process. The WFP, which has been looked to by some progressives to organize a coalition in the Democratic primary, last month released a slate of endorsed candidates, including Lander, Mamdani, Adrienne Adams and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie. The party has not, however, ranked that slate – a step they’ve said will come later. 

Though the endorsement is good news for Lander, it doesn’t necessarily mean WFP as a whole will follow suit. New York Communities for Change, another affiliate organization of the Working Families Party, earlier this year endorsed Mamdani. Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, has captured momentum on the progressive end of the spectrum so far this cycle, maxing out on fundraising in the primary and coming in second to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in several polls. 

CUFFH Action, self-described as “small but mighty,” said their choice of Lander as their No. 1 pick came down to the group’s relationship with him and experience in government. “Brad Lander has been in the fight for a more just and equitable New York for decades,” Rob Solano, executive director of CUFFH Action, said in a statement. “At a time when New Yorkers are bracing for the return of a hostile federal administration under Donald Trump, we need someone who won’t back down and someone who knows how to govern with both integrity and urgency.”

“After spending my entire career in affordable housing, I’m especially grateful to receive the number one endorsement from Churches United for Fair Housing Action,” Lander said in a statement. “As Mayor, I’ll continue to work side-by-side with CUFFH Action to bring our rent down, protect our immigrant neighbors from the Trump Administration, and make the city affordable for hardworking New Yorkers.”

CUFFH, an organization started by clergy that advocates for affordable housing and offers workshops to help New Yorkers access it, has roughly 15,000 members. Roughly 30 people are involved in the organization’s political arm, the group said. 

“For us, having a mayor who knows how to go in and start to bring City Hall back to life on day one is really important,” said CUFFH Action political director Whitney Hu. She noted that members of CUFFH on the nonprofit side have grown frustrated with the city’s contracting process. 

The upside of ranked-choice voting, Hu noted, is that they’ll be excited if one of their other candidates wins too.

There are still plenty of reasons why Lander-mentum could be a pipe dream for some on the left. Mamdani is the only progressive candidate who has pulled ahead in recent polls, and he’s pulled in a staggering amount of cash, already maxing out on fundraising for the primary. And Cuomo has dominated the rest of the field in recent polls, and has amassed endorsements from major labor groups including 32BJ SEIU and the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council.