Is the Democratic Party veering too far left for its own good with socialist Zohran Mamdani leading the New York City mayoral race?
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has sparked a firestorm by questioning whether Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist and front-runner in the mayoral contest, truly represents the future of the party, even after reluctantly endorsing him late last month, as New York Post reports.
This drama unfolded after Jeffries delayed his endorsement decision for months, only throwing his support behind Mamdani with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm.
On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Jeffries made his reservations crystal clear, sidestepping any notion that Mamdani embodies the Democratic trajectory.
“No, I think the future of the Democratic Party is going to fall, as far as we’re concerned, relative to the House Democratic Caucus and members who are doing great work all across the country,” Jeffries stated on the show.
Translation: Jeffries seems to be saying, “Nice try, but we’re not hitching our wagon to a socialist star just yet”—a polite jab at Mamdani’s progressive agenda that many conservatives see as a risky overreach for a party already struggling with moderates.
Jeffries isn’t alone in his hesitation, as other big-name Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and former President Barack Obama have yet to officially back Mamdani, despite Obama reportedly offering kind words in a private call.
Even closer to home, several New York Democratic Representatives, including Tom Suozzi, Dan Goldman, and Laura Gillen, are keeping their endorsements under wraps, signaling a broader unease with Mamdani’s far-left platform.
Meanwhile, Governor Kathy Hochul has thrown her support behind Mamdani, though he hasn’t returned the favor ahead of her own political plans—a curious snub that raises eyebrows about party unity.
On the flip side, Republicans are having a field day, painting Democrats as tethered to Mamdani’s radical policies, which they argue could alienate mainstream voters.
Jeffries, however, brushed off concerns that a Mamdani win might drag the party down, insisting the real liability lies with GOP failures to deliver on promises—a classic deflection that sidesteps the elephant in the room.
“No, the lightning rod in terms of what’s going to impact the ability of either side to win control of the House or hold control of the House in 2026 is going to be the failure of Republicans to actually deliver on the promises that they have made and to actively make life worse for everyday Americans,” Jeffries argued on CNN.
Despite the internal Democratic squabbling, Mamdani remains the undeniable front-runner in the mayoral race, boasting a commanding 14.5-percentage point lead in the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate.
Yet, his past criticisms of Jeffries and his unapologetic socialist label continue to stoke tensions, leaving conservatives to wonder if this is the hill Democrats are willing to die on—or if it’s just another step toward a party too focused on ideological purity over practical governance.
