Socialists have succeeded in capturing a major American political party, as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) endorsed democratic socialist New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani Friday after months of resistance and internal division.
The New York Times reported:
In a statement to The New York Times, Jeffries acknowledged the two men had “areas of principled disagreement.” But he said that Mamdani had won “a free and fair election” in the Democratic primary and emphasized that the party needed to unite in the face of an “existential” threat from President Trump.
“Zohran Mamdani has relentlessly focused on addressing the affordability crisis and explicitly committed to being a mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who do not support his candidacy,” Mr. Jeffries wrote.
He concluded: “In that spirit, I support him and the entire citywide Democratic ticket in the general election.”
The endorsement followed weeks of confusion over Jeffries’ stance. Earlier Friday morning, C-SPAN cameras captured Jeffries responding to a reporter who asked, “Why are you refusing to endorse?”
Jeffries replied, “I have not refused to endorse. I have refused to articulate my position and I will momentarily at some point in advance of early voting.”
Jeffries’ announcement drew immediate condemnation from Republicans. National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella stated:
So-called ‘Leader’ Hakeem Jeffries has officially surrendered to Zohran Mamdani and the socialist mob now running the Democrat Party. Their far-left takeover has torched Democrats’ hopes of retaking the House and turned their agenda into pure electoral poison. Every single Democrat is a willing accomplice to their own party’s collapse.
Internal fractures within the Democratic Party were already evident before the endorsement. An October Axios survey of 113 Democratic U.S. House hopefuls found that just 24 of them confirmed they would back Jeffries for party leader, while 57 remained non-committal and 20 explicitly indicated they would not support him. Less than one-quarter offered firm support. The results, compiled between September 24 and October 15, reflected growing hesitation toward Jeffries’ leadership and the party’s direction, with several candidates citing his refusal at the time to endorse socialist New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani as a key point of frustration.
In early September Representative Tom Suozzi (D-NY) publicly suggested that Mamdani and other socialists should “create their own party,” warning that the Democrat Party risks alienating moderate voters by embracing socialism. A Gallup poll conducted in August showed that 66 percent of Democrats viewed socialism favorably, compared to 42 percent favoring capitalism — a reversal of prior trends and a sign of shifting attitudes within the party.
Jeffries has previously defended Mamdani, writing on X in July, “Stop lying about Assemblyman Mamdani. He is neither a communist nor a lunatic.” In a July interview on MSNBC, Jeffries described the Democratic Party as a “big tent,” saying that “the bigger the tent, the more likely it is that we can reach the greatest number of Americans.”
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