House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries doled out light praise for New York state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani after his stunning victory in Tuesday’s New York City Democratic mayoral primary, embracing Mamdani’s successful focus on affordability as a campaign target for 2026 Democratic hopefuls.
Mamdani’s likely win — ranked choice tabulations will be released next week — opened a new chapter for a Democratic Party that has struggled to home in on a successful messaging strategy to counter President Donald Trump and boost its own approval ratings. The 33-year-old democratic socialist made affordability the centerpiece of his campaign, hooking into New Yorkers’ frustration with the cost of living and longtime political players like former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who had been favored to win the primary.
But the stunning upset also marks a reckoning for Democrats, who face the choice of whether or not to lean into the candidate’s progressive policies to chart more party wins in 2026.
“I think what’s clear is that the relentless focus on affordability had great appeal all across the city of New York. He also clearly out-worked, out-organized and out-communicated the opposition,” Jeffries told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Wednesday. “And when someone is successful in being able to do all three things at the same time, it’s usually going to work out for them.”
Jeffries — who also represents New York City — did not endorse a candidate in the primary. He was not asked about endorsing his party’s standard bearer on his Wednesday morning appearance, and did not proactively offer his backing.
The Democratic leader skirted directly addressing the gap between Mamdani’s democratic socialist policies and the party’s status quo, instead aiming criticism at their common target: Donald Trump.
“From the standpoint of House Democrats and what our focus has been, clearly we have an affordability crisis in the United States of America, and our focus will continue to be on driving down the high cost of living in this country,” Jeffries said, when asked whether Mamdani has an “ideology” that Democratic 2026 candidates should adopt. “Donald Trump promised to lower costs on day one. Costs haven’t gone down. They’re going up.”
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