New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani was hosted by fellow socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Washington DC Wednesday — as he tries to rally support from Democrats after his stunning primary win set off an “earthquake” in the party.
The Mamdani-centered breakfast event at the AC Hotel in Navy Yard attracted scores of mostly House Democrats – including Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), who endorsed the left-wing hopeful following the June mayoral primary.
Ahead of the event, Ocasio-Cortez — who loudly backed Mamdani during the primary race – had said she was eager for DC folks to meet her fellow lefty firebrand face to face to hear his plan for the Big Apple.
“I think a lot of people just need to get to know folks before they issue an endorsement. I hope that this conversation can be constructive to bring the party together and rally behind our nominee,” Ocasio-Cortez said, according to Fox News.
Noticeably absent were key congressional Dems, including House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
Neither Jeffries nor Schumer has publicly endorsed Mamdani yet.
“I’m excited to go to Washington, DC, to speak with Congressman Jeffries, to speak with Senator Schumer, to speak with leaders of our party across the country,” Mamdani had said Tuesday in the lead up to the event.
Jeffries and Schumer, though, both signaled this week they planned to meet with Mamdani back in New York — and not in DC.
Still, several Dems gushed about the Queens state Assemblyman as they were spotted leaving the meeting.
“Zohran Mamdani is an incredible talent. He’s going to be a great mayor for New York City. I was proud to endorse him before the primary,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said.
“Anybody that’s staying out at this point instead of endorsing this incredible dynamic leader is missing an opportunity.”
“It was a great meeting, lots of great ideas, lots of creativity,” Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) added.
Mamdani’s trip to DC came as he is also seeking to make nice with Big Apple business leaders who have reacted to his shock win over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo with full-blown panic.
Mamdani, who just last month said billionaires shouldn’t exist, met with roughly 100 CEOs on Tuesday for a highly anticipated powwow amid concerns over his radical plan to “tax the rich.”
During the sit-down, the socialist doubled down on his vow to hike taxes for the ultra-wealthy and large corporations.
His move to engage business leaders and Dems, alike, has indicated a shift toward broader outreach ahead of November’s general election, where he’ll face incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and independent Jim Walden.
