Olivia Young

Eleven Bronx officials endorsed Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, during a Sept. 2 press conference at Lou Gehrig Plaza.

The endorsement came as a surprise to Riverdale residents after only 33 percent of Assembly District 81 — which includes Riverdale, Kingsbridge, Spuyten Duyvil, Kingsbridge Heights and Marble Hill — voted for Mamdani in the Democratic primary. Forty-six percent supported opponent and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Overall, 34 percent of Bronx voters backed Mamdani, compared with 52 percent for Cuomo, according to The New York Times.

State Sen. Gustavo Rivera, who represents District 33, was among those at the plaza. Other major leaders included Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Attorney General Tish James and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.

“These are some of the strongest New Yorkers that we have in this city,” Mamdani said. “Yet we also know the Bronx has been subject to far too much misfortune.”

The borough feels the city’s affordability crisis intensely, Mamdani said, worsened by “poverty, negligence and City Hall’s failures.”

Mamdani’s platform centers on affordability. He has proposed raising corporate taxes to make child care and buses free, along with freezing rent for tenants.

He cited citywide challenges that weigh heavily on the Bronx, including cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, rising rents and the high cost of child care.

Mamdani also addressed gun violence, noting the Bronx was the only borough to experience an increase in shootings last year. He proposed focusing on “what works,” comparing it to a crisis management system, and pledged a 275 percent funding increase.

“We are tired of the narrative we hear again and again of the Bronx being the forgotten borough,” Mamdani said. “We are tired of these caricatures, now is the time to deliver.”

Rivera told The Press he was one of the first elected officials to endorse Mamdani, outside of members of the Democratic Socialists of America, which he described as the largest socialist organization in the country.

“I believe deeply in what he’s talking about,” Rivera said. “I want to help transform the way the city is governed, and … have a positive impact on so many of my constituents.”

Union groups including the New York State Nurses Association and the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council also attended the rally. Mamdani has been a consistent advocate for unions and labor organizations across the city.

When asked what his message was to Bronx neighborhoods that did not support him in the primary, Mamdani told The Press, “I am excited to earn their vote.”

He added, “I am proud of the nearly 600,000 New Yorkers who voted for our campaign in the primary. I am looking, however, to be a mayor for the 8.5 million people who call this city home.”

Keywords

Zohran Mamdani,

Bronx endorsements,

NYC mayoral race,

affordability crisis,

Democratic primary,

union support,

gun violence plan