Overview
- Barack Obama phoned Zohran Mamdani to praise his campaign and offered to serve as a future “sounding board,” according to the candidate’s spokesperson, while stopping short of a public endorsement.
- An AtlasIntel survey shows Mamdani at 40.6% to Andrew Cuomo’s 34% with Curtis Sliwa at roughly 24%, narrowing the margin even as other recent polls still show larger leads for Mamdani.
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries endorsed late and said he doesn’t view Mamdani as the party’s future, while Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have not endorsed and Democrat Tom Suozzi backs Cuomo.
- Mamdani is closing his campaign with an affordability-focused platform — rent freezes on stabilized units, higher taxes on top earners and corporations, free buses, a $30 minimum wage, and expanded public childcare — and released an Arabic-language ad after Islamophobia claims roiled the race.
- Criticism over his Israel/Gaza positions and concerns about limited executive experience persist, as President Trump attacks him and has already frozen $18 billion for two New York transportation projects.