Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) announced his endorsement of Zohran Mamdani in the race for New York City mayor on Tuesday, giving the progressive up-and-comer his backing in an ever-tightening election.
In a statement, Sanders said that New York City voters are being given the choice between the status quo, with billionaires and corporations dominating politics, or a movement that represents everyday people, focused on building momentum against growing “oligarchy, authoritarianism and kleptocracy.”
“The New York City Democratic primary presents a clear choice as to the path forward,” Sanders said. “We need a new politics and new leadership which is prepared to stand up to powerful corporate interests and fight for the working class.”
Mamdani represents a strong choice for this future, Sanders said, citing his “inspirational grassroots campaign” based on progressive policy proposals like affordable housing, public transportation, and groceries. The senator also praised Mamdani’s grassroots campaign funding, powered by small donations from individuals — in sharp contrast to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mamdani’s main competitor, and the army of billionaires and corporations backing him.
“At this pivotal and dangerous moment in American history, status quo politics is not good enough,” Sanders said. “We need the kind of visionary leadership that Zohran is providing in this campaign. In my view, Zohran Mamdani is the best choice for mayor of New York City.”
Mamdani welcomed the endorsement. “As for so many across this country, [Bernie Sanders] has been the single most influential political figure in my life,” he said. “As Mayor, I will strive to live up to his example by fighting for the working class every day and hopefully, make Brooklyn’s own proud.”
The endorsement, from one of the most popular politicians in the U.S., may prove a crucial boost for the Mamdani campaign, just a week from the primary on June 24. Mamdani has also been endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), who has urged voters to rank the Democratic socialist as their first choice in the polls.
Recent polls have shown that the two candidates are neck-and-neck, with Mamdani trailing by just a few percentage points in final rounds of ranked choice voting. This is a major surge for Mamdani over polls from just months ago, when Cuomo had significant double digit leads over Mamdani.
A rally for Mamdani on Saturday with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez drew a large crowd, with thousands of supporters packing New York’s Terminal 5 cheering, holding signs and banners backing the candidate.
As Mamdani’s campaign has surged, however, corporate news outlets are consolidating their voices against him. Last week, The Atlantic published an article entitled “New York Is Not a Democracy” — a screed against ranked-choice voting, asking, ominously, “Could ranked-choice voting help Zohran Mamdani beat Andrew Cuomo?”
Meanwhile, the New York Times editorial board trotted out familiar arguments against Mamdani’s progressive vision in a non-endorsement op-ed this week, which criticized Cuomo but also praised him even as the writers acknowledged the numerous sexual harassment allegations against him.
Our most important fundraising appeal of the year
December is the most critical time of year for Truthout, because our nonprofit news is funded almost entirely by individual donations from readers like you. So before you navigate away, we ask that you take just a second to support Truthout with a tax-deductible donation.
This year is a little different. We are up against a far-reaching, wide-scale attack on press freedom coming from the Trump administration. 2025 was a year of frightening censorship, news industry corporate consolidation, and worsening financial conditions for progressive nonprofits across the board.
We can only resist Trump’s agenda by cultivating a strong base of support. The right-wing mediasphere is funded comfortably by billionaire owners and venture capitalist philanthropists. At Truthout, we have you.
We’ve set an ambitious target for our year-end campaign — a goal of $205,000 to keep up our fight against authoritarianism in 2026. Please take a meaningful action in this fight: make a one-time or monthly donation to Truthout before December 31. If you have the means, please dig deep.