cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/209042
Photo: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
Vermont senator Bernie Sanders announced Tuesday that he is endorsing fellow democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani for mayor, giving the 33-year-old assemblymember another boost in his challenge to front-runner Andrew Cuomo.
In a statement, Sanders said Mamdani is running “an inspirational grassroots campaign” backed by small-dollar donors and praised his plan to pay for his platform of new affordable housing and free buses through an increased tax on the wealthy and corporations, a staple of the senator’s own political ideology. Sanders notably did not endorse in the 2021 primary and only backed Bill de Blasio during his reelection bid in 2017.
“At this pivotal and dangerous moment in American history, status-quo politics is not good enough. 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,” he said.
Mamdani acknowledged Sanders’s support on social media, writing that the veteran progressive senator “has been the single most influential political figure in my life.”
“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,” he said.
Speculation about Sanders’s plans to endorse in the race grew after Mamdani received the support of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a longtime friend and ally of Sanders. The two recently embarked on the cross-country Fighting Oligarchy tour together, holding massive rallies in Republican strongholds in an effort to harness voters’ growing opposition to Trump between election years. Our Revolution, the progressive political organization founded by Sanders during his 2016 presidential bid, also announced its own endorsement in the primary, backing Mamdani and Comptroller Brad Lander, who have both cross-endorsed each other in the ranked-choice race.
It’s not yet clear if Sanders will join Mamdani on the campaign trail in the waning days of the race. A 2019 rally for Sanders’s presidential campaign with Ocasio-Cortez drew a reported 26,000 attendees to Queensbridge Park. Over the weekend, Mamdani rallied with the congresswoman at Terminal 5 in Manhattan, attracting thousands of supporters to the venue.
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I think Mamdani’s gonna win
I think so as well. He should! New York City deserves a good mayor. I think it really sets the tone too, whoever wins, is like a forecast for the next few cycles. The fact that Mamdani was so close in the polls and is now leading is an excellent sign. He’s also winning with youth and with white voters overall. I expect a win from Mamdani to really rattle Democrat establishment.
Things that rattle the democratic establishment are not allowed.
CIA performing last second interception on Mamdani in 3, 2, 1…
How do I apply to be part of his security detail? I would die for him if necessary
I really hope so, but he’s not winning on any of the polls that have been conducted recently, not even the ones sponsored by him/the DREAM campaign
What a fucking snake lmao. Waited right until the last moment, once he’s already polling close to Cuomo.
He’s learning
Finally he does something useful.
Said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m going to have a good laugh hatereading all the inevitable “the progressive case to vote Republican, just this once.” NYT articles.
Dudes more left than Bernie, critical support
Sanders doesn’t seem interested in helping people in those early stages though, pretty useless
fuck bernie sanders, give me back the money you gave to the removed joe biden
im STILL getting blasted by DNC fucks to this day
Zohran has really impressed me across the board. It’s wild he’s only 33.
Ok
Don’t care. Electoralism is a fuck. He can still turn and face the
I’m excited for Mayor Mamdani to mobilize The People’s Safety Cadre to engage in urban guerilla warfare with the NYPD.
Is he trying to tank his campaign?
people still love bernie en masse. most people aren’t leftists looking at everything through a marxist or anti imperialist lens so to them he’s the old guy that wants to raise wages and give people healthcare
i wish more people wanted more for the world than that but thats where we’re at
I don’t think this tanks his campaign. Among “progressive” liberals, Burnie still has large pull.
It’s obvious from the huge crowds he and AOC were pulling recently. We commies aren’t quite the majority of the “left” here in the US yet. But hopefully if people like this guy can win it will pull the Overton Window back to the left a bit and make it more possible in the future.
He calls himself a “Democratic Socialist”, and the media has been interrogating him over it. It’s good and definitely pushing the window to the left.
Yeah I feel the same way about his bill against war with Iran
Like yeah, fuck Bernie for all of his spineless cuckery but also if this convinces even a few normie libs to
Zohran or to oppose the war then that’s a good thingIn my assessment, Zohran is also better on Israel than Bernie, too. In so many words, Zohran basically said he would “comply with international law” if Netanyahu came to NYC, implying he’d have him arrested.
That’d be so fucking cool if it happened
If anything he’s trying to join the winning team at the last minute
I think the argument is persuasive that he (and AOC) waited so long for their endorsements was to be fresh when most people check-in
The week before an election is the most important time. A late endorsement is often better because people will actually remember and be paying attention the election.
You think this doesn’t help Mamdani?
Sorry, I was forgetting that most people don’t care about genocide and the like. As some commenters have sagely pointed out.
Even if they do I assume Mamdani isn’t any less supportive or critical of israel than bernie so his endorsement won’t affect him on that front
Fuck off bernie
this is always the correct response
Well it made for good TV didn’t it?
Unfortunately he seems to be a petit bourgeois stooge, hooray to “social democray”!
What gives you that impression?
The whole “small businesses” thing and being from the DSA lol
unless I’m mixing up names here
Yeah I don’t know his small business stuff. I just know hes pissed off every Zionist in NYC and beyond with his mild stances on Israel.
