From the Liveblog of
Friday, June 13, 2025
Lander, Mamdani endorse each other for NYC mayoral primary
Luke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent.
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and New York State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, two leading progressives in the city’s mayoral primary race, cross-endorse each other a day ahead of early voting.
Lander, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the city government, identifies as a progressive Zionist, and Mamdani is a harsh critic of Israel who has identified as an anti-Zionist.
Mamdani’s anti-Israel rhetoric and his support for policies such as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) campaign have alarmed many Jewish supporters of Israel.
His far-left Democratic Socialists of America party has made anti-Israel activism one of its planks.
Early voting begins tomorrow and election day is June 24. The Democratic party primary will likely determine the winner of November’s November election in the mostly Democratic city.
The city uses a ranked-choice voting system that allows voters to select up to five candidates in order of preference.
The cross-endorsement means Lander and Mamdani are asking their supporters to rank the other candidate in second place, in a boost to both campaigns.
Mamdani is polling in second place, close behind frontrunner Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor. Lander has been polling in third place.
During the campaign, Cuomo has courted Jewish voters, saying combating antisemitism is a priority, voicing support for Israel, visiting synagogues and wearing a yellow ribbon in support of the hostages. Cuomo is the leading candidate for Jewish voters, according to polls.
Lander and Mamdani have also reached out to Jews by appearing at Jewish events and earned a joint endorsement from the far-left Jews for Economic and Racial Justice through the group’s electoral arm, the Jewish Vote.
Lander and Mamdani take aim at Cuomo in their cross-endorsement announcements.
“With early voting starting tomorrow, we’re cross-endorsing to defeat the ex-Gov. and win a city everyone can afford,” Mamdani says.
“[Mamdani] and I are officially cross-endorsing each other to join forces — and defeat [Cuomo],” Lander says.
The pair will hold a joint press conference to announce the endorsement at 3 p.m., Lander’s campaign says.
The Times of Israel Community.