Zoh could have a new foe.

Councilwoman Julie Menin revealed Wednesday that she locked up “super majority” support to become the City Council’s next speaker – putting her on a potential collision course with incoming Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The 58-year-old Manhattan Democrat positioned herself as a moderate compared to the socialist Mamdani’s simpatico ally Crystal Hudson (D-Brooklyn), the other front-runner in the pitched backroom battle for the council’s leadership role.

Sources said several members of Mamdani’s camp had scrambled to push city lawmakers to vote for Hudson and against Menin, but face-planted.

Councilwoman Julie Menin is expected to become the City Council’s next speaker. LP Media

“People on his team certainly seemed to want Crystal [Hudson] but I’m not sure he ever did,” one source said of Mamdani.

Menin will be the first Jewish speaker if her support holds when council members cast their actual votes in January at the start of the legislative body’s new term. 

She proudly declared support from a diverse slate of 36 lawmakers, from progressive Yusuf Salaam (D-Bronx) to Republican council members – and broadly signaled she’d work with Mamdani on his affordability cause.

“With this broad five-borough coalition, we stand ready to partner with Mayor-elect Mamdani’s administration and deliver on a shared agenda that makes New York more affordable through universal child care, lowers rent and health care costs, and ensures that families across the City can do more than just get by,” she said in a statement.

Menin is widely considered to be a moderating force on Zohran Mamdani’s agenda. AP

Hudson admitted defeat as the tally became clear.

“I have always said this should be a member driven process; and today, my colleagues have made their choice clear,” she said in a statement.

The race to become the City Council’s next speaker became a high-stakes contest between whether the legislative body would smooth the way for or provide a check against Mamdani’s progressive agenda.

Menin is seen as a moderate compared to Mamdani ally Crystal Hudson. LP Media

Progressive caucus member Hudson clearly was more aligned with Mamdani’s vision, making her his camp’s preferred candidate – while Menin was widely seen as a likely moderating force.

Menin joined an exodus from the progressive caucus in 2023 amid a blowup over their support for defunding the police. 

She has expressed skepticism over Mamdani’s “Department of Community Safety” proposal, although appears supportive of his call for universal childcare, sources said.

Mamdani’s camp has been pushing lawmakers to vote for Hudson. REUTERS

The doubts over Menin’s support for Mamdani’s progressive ideals led to a behind-the-scenes pressure campaign from his camp, with Councilman Lincoln Restler (D-Brooklyn), city Comptroller Brad Lander and adviser Patrick Gaspard pushing lawmakers to back Hudson.

Gaspard, a veteran of former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration and a former ambassador under former President Barack Obama, drew fire from many insiders for his missteps – particularly pushing the 1199SEIU union to back Hudson when the writing was already on the wall against her.

“How in good conscience do you ask an active union to endorse a candidate for speaker when the opponent has written support from a super majority of voting members?” one longtime political operative said. “Not a pro move.”

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“In relation to Ambassador Gaspard’s role in the speaker’s race I would say his diplomatic and negotiating prowess skills are a little rusty,” a former union adviser said. “Too little, too late comes to mind.”

The effort against Menin, however, appeared far less heavy-handed than Eric Adams’ push as mayor-elect in 2021 to put his ally Francisco Moya in the speaker role.

Adams’ unsuccessful attempt to put his thumb on the scale is widely considered to have led to the bad blood between him, current Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and the body.

Insiders said Menin’s support is likely to hold come January, barring a scandal or extraordinary renewed pressure campaign from the left.

“That said, a month is a long time to hold a group of electeds to a promise,” a source said.

Bill Cunningham, a veteran Democratic operative, called Menin a serious student of government.

“I believe she will serve the Council effectively and make sure their views and interests get a fair hearing from the new administration,” he said. “She will not be a pushover when it comes to negotiating budgets, or other big ticket items.”

“The Mayor-elect spoke with Councilmember Menin today and looks forward to working with her and the entire City Council to deliver on our affordability agenda for New Yorkers,” Mamdani Transition Spokesperson Dora Pekec said in a statement. 

Additional reporting by Haley Brown and Hannah Fierick