House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries hesitated to endorse Democratic New York City mayor contender Zohran Mamdani but praised his “successful” campaign and messaging.
“I have not,” Jeffries said when asked by “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl if he had endorsed Mamdani.
Jeffries said he spoke to Mamdani on Wednesday but plans to meet in person soon in Central Brooklyn.
“I congratulated him on the campaign that he ran, a campaign that clearly was relentlessly focused on the high cost of living in New York City and the economy. He outworked, he out communicated, and he out organized the opposition, and that’s clearly why he was successful,” he said.
Pressed on why he’s holding back from endorsing Mamdani, Jeffries said, “We don’t really know each other well.”
“Well, our districts don’t overlap. I have never had a substantive conversation with him. And so that’s the next step in terms of this process … to discuss his vision for moving the city forward and addressing the issues that are important to the communities that I represent,” he said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
