Kamala Harris said Monday she supports Zohran Mamdani in New York City’s mayoral race, becoming the highest-profile Democrat to publicly back the far-left candidate.
“Look, as far as I’m concerned, he’s the Democratic nominee, and he should be supported,” Harris told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow in an appearance promoting her new book, “107 Days.”
Asked if she was endorsing Mamdani, the former vice president said, “I support the Democrat in the race, sure.”
But the Californian also warned Maddow’s audience not to “over-index on New York City.”
“He’s not the only star,” Harris said. “He’s in New York, and I know New Yorkers think they’re the center of the world … There are people like Barbara Drummond in Mobile, Alabama. Helena Moreno in New Orleans. They’re all running for mayor, too, and they are stars.”
Harris’ lukewarm nod comes amid a fissure in the Democratic Party over Mamdani’s candidacy, with some top leaders still withholding their support. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries declined over the weekend to say if they’ll endorse the democratic socialist. Jay Jacobs, the state Democratic Party chair in New York, said last week that he wouldn’t endorse the Democratic mayoral nominee.
That followed New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s announcement, in a New York Times guest essay, that she was endorsing Mamdani.
