Zohran Mamdani, a socialist candidate for New York City mayor, received the endorsement of the United States’s most famous socialist, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), on Tuesday.
The announcement wasn’t a surprise, as the two men share many views, in a race that could see America’s largest city by population come under the rule of a socialist for the first time.
“At this dangerous moment in history, status quo politics isn’t good enough. We need new leadership that is prepared to stand up to powerful corporate interests & fight for the working class,” Sanders said, adding that Mamdani “is providing that vision.”
“He is the best choice for NYC mayor,” he concluded.
Mamdani openly welcomed Sanders’s endorsement, describing him as “the single most influential political figure in my life.”
“As Mayor, I will strive to live up to his example by fighting for the working class every day and hopefully make Brooklyn’s own proud,” he said.
Sanders’s backing could help give a candidate who had been viewed as a long shot until a few weeks ago more momentum. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), another socialist, endorsed him earlier this month and campaigned alongside him.
Mamdani has sought to portray his foremost opponent, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as someone who billionaire donors own, a position boosted by Ocasio-Cortez and hinted at by Sanders.
“Our nation faces a fundamental choice: Will we continue with a corporate-dominated politics driven by billionaires or will we build a grass-roots movement fueled by everyday people, committed to fighting oligarchy, authoritarianism, and kleptocracy?” Sanders said in a statement, obtained by the New York Times.
ADAMS EXPECTS GENERAL ELECTION CHALLENGES FROM CUOMO, MAMDANI DESPITE PRIMARY
“The New York City Democratic primary presents a clear choice as to the path forward,” he added.
Early polls had Cuomo trouncing all his rivals by double digits, but newer polls show Mamdani closing the gap. The Democratic primary will be held on June 24.