The Democratic House leader, Hakeem Jeffries of New York, is under increasing scrutiny from the progressive faction of his party for his failure to endorse the Democratic candidate, Zohran Mamdani, in the New York City mayoral race.
This tension within the party has been reported by multiple sources.
According to The Washington Free Beacon, an anonymous left-wing House Democrat expressed that progressives nationwide are "100%" frustrated with Jeffries. Another lawmaker questioned Jeffries' leadership, asking, "Is this a leader that truly represents me, or will this leader discard me when people think I'm too progressive?"
A third congressional member accused party leaders of being "inconsistent and hypocritical" for "saying we have to stand with our Democratic nominees and then make exceptions when we think they're left of us."
The discontent is not confined to the House. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, criticized his colleagues for their lack of support for Mamdani. "Many Democratic members of the Senate and the House representing New York have stayed on the sidelines," he said.
"That kind of spineless politics is what people are sick of. They need to get behind [Mamdani] and get behind him now." Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, like Jeffries, has also refrained from endorsing Mamdani.
However, the reluctance of some Democrats to back Mamdani is not without reason. Moderate Democrats fear that Mamdani, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist who clinched the Democratic primary for New York City's mayor in late June, could potentially alienate voters and exacerbate the party's internal discord. New York Democratic representatives Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen, who represent swing districts, have publicly declined to support Mamdani in the upcoming November election.
Mamdani's controversial stances have long been a subject of criticism. His far-left agenda includes proposals for government-run grocery stores, significant tax increases, and a $30 minimum wage. Furthermore, Mamdani has been scrutinized for his anti-Semitic rhetoric. In June, he defended the phrase "globalize the intifada," a chant popular at anti-Israel protests that advocates violence against Jews worldwide. His campaign recently announced that, if elected mayor, Mamdani would reject the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Jewish organizations. "A government that disavows IHRA isn't serious about defeating anti-Semitism," said Rory Lancman, senior counsel at the Brandeis Center for Human Rights, "but rather allowing it."
Jeffries has remained elusive regarding his stance on Mamdani, even after several meetings with him. "I'll have more to say about the mayor's race when I have more to say about the mayor's race," he told reporters on Monday.
This is not the first time Democratic Party leaders have felt the heat from Mamdani's supporters. The Democratic Socialists of America have repeatedly suggested launching primary challenges against Jeffries and other Democratic incumbents.
Top congressional Democrats were reportedly in "absolute panic and fear" following Mamdani's primary win, torn between endorsing a candidate many privately deem "toxic" and risking primary challenges from his energized socialist base.
Longtime Democratic operative Hank Sheinkopf told Politico this month, "Mamdani is the greatest threat to Democrats probably since Ronald Reagan because he's everything Democrats have been accused of being and in fact isto the extreme."
This statement underscores the deep divisions within the Democratic Party and the challenges it faces in maintaining unity while navigating the rise of far-left candidates like Mamdani.
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