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Rep. Jeffries and Gov. Hochul's differing views on Mamdani highlight Democratic divide
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Jimmy Vielkind
Published Aug 18, 2025
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By
Jimmy Vielkind
Published Aug 18, 2025
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Zohran Mamdani still hasn’t landed endorsements from the state’s top Democrats, but the mayoral contender is getting warmer treatment from Gov. Kathy Hochul than House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
The difference in rhetoric reflects each official’s political calculus, political operatives and analysts said. It also illustrates the tension within the Democratic Party over whether to embrace the 33-year-old progressive who activated new voters in the June primary to defeat candidates backed by the establishment.
Hochul is running for re-election next year, and an alliance with Mamdani could help the Buffalo-born governor with New York City’s progressive base. Jeffries, however, needs to think about candidates for the U.S. House around the nation. He has also feuded with the Democratic Socialists of America, which supports Mamdani and has backed challengers to establishment figures in Jeffries’ political backyard.
“I think he has a different way of approaching his endorsements. He also has a different base – very different from my base,” Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, said of Jeffries.
Jeffries said Thursday that Mamdani still had work to do to convince his Central Brooklyn constituents that he could deliver for them. The congressional leader met once with Mamdani and said a follow-up meeting that includes other community leaders is “being put into motion right now.”
“He outworked the opposition,” Jeffries said on CNBC. “But now during the general election, of course he's going to have to demonstrate to a broader electorate, including in many of the neighborhoods that I represent in Brooklyn, that his ideas can actually be put into reality.”
No meeting has been scheduled, aides to Jeffries and Mamdani said. Jeffries said in a Friday podcast that he’s not talking with any other mayoral candidates, and expects the meeting to take place in a few weeks.
Jeffries said on CNBC that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo raised a “legitimate issue” when the rival candidate’s campaign attacked Mamdani for living in a rent-stabilized apartment.
But Jeffries also said Friday that he’s only talking to Mamdani, and that the follow-up meeting would take place in coming weeks. Justin Chermol, a spokesperson for the leader, told Gothamist that they are aligned on pushing back against President Donald Trump.
“Assemblyman Mamdani has publicly and consistently affirmed the importance of Democrats taking back the Congress next year,” Chermol said. “His initial conversation with Leader Jeffries was constructive, they plan to meet again shortly and both agree that aggressively pushing back against Donald Trump’s extremism is a top priority.”
Indeed, Mamdani spent last week on a five-borough tour to rally against Trump. On Friday he won the endorsement of Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. Mamdani told reporters he appreciated the conversations he’s had with Jeffries and other officials.
“My focus has always been on receiving the endorsement of the 8.5 million people who call this their home, and it has been a joy to continue to expand our coalition,” Mamdani said.
Gov. Hochul has emphasized what she sees as common ground with Mamdani on affordability.
Darren McGee/ Office of Governor Kathy Hochu
Hochul met with Mamdani within a week of his primary win and their teams are in regular contact, aides said. She described the confab as productive and both have subsequently emphasized their shared focus on affordability. Mamdani has praised Hochul’s combative moves in response to Republican redistricting in Texas.
The governor has said she doesn’t see an urgent need to make an endorsement. But she has defended Mamdani against attacks, including during an interview last week on NY1.
“If he becomes the mayor, I'll stand up and defend him against Donald Trump. You're not going to come in and walk over our elected officials, so I'll make it work,” Hochul said.
Bichotte Hermelyn said the governor’s posture makes sense in light of her upcoming campaign.
“An endorsement would help [Hochul] because New York City is the largest voter turnout, Brooklyn is the largest voter turnout, and the largest voter turnout came out for Zohran Mamdani,” she said.
At the same time, Hochul needs to worry about backlash from independent voters in suburban areas. Republican U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, who is considering a run against Hochul, has used Mamdani’s primary win to paint the Democratic Party as far left.
This is also a concern for Jeffries, Bichotte Hermelyn said, because competitive districts that he is eyeing to win back the House majority tend to be more moderate.
“He has to address a Congress – a bunch of reps who represent the nation,” she said. “And so it's not as easy and simple.”
There’s some bad blood between Jeffries and the DSA. The congressmember and his allies have clashed with the group in primary campaigns for state legislative seats. CNN reported after the primary that DSA members were considering challenging Jeffries and other incumbents. A member of Jeffries’ political operation referred to the group as “team gentrification” in response, criticizing DSA supporters as wealthier newcomers to traditionally working-class neighborhoods.
State Sen. Kevin Parker clashed with a DSA-backed candidate in 2022 and won. Parker hasn’t endorsed Mamdani.
But Parker said he brought up the group’s past targeting of Black elected officials in and around his Brooklyn district in a conversation with Mamdani after the primary. Parker and Jeffries represent some of the same neighborhoods.
“I’m hoping he comports himself, and the members of the DSA comport themself, in a better way than they have until this point,” Parker said of Mamdani. “He’s promised to be better and I’m hoping that will be the case.”
Elizabeth Kim contributed reporting.
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new york city
Jimmy Vielkind
Jimmy Vielkind covers how state government and politics affect people throughout New York. He has covered Albany since 2008, most recently as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal. Jimmy led a team of reporters that won a New York Press Club award for coverage of Andrew Cuomo’s downfall and was on a team that won a Gerald Loeb Award for coverage of Amazon’s HQ2 process. A native of the Capitol Region, Jimmy has two degrees in urban planning. His position is funded by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Reach Jimmy at [email protected].
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