It\u2019s a steel.<\/p>\n
Progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren heaped praise Monday on socialist mayoral contender Zohran Mamdani\u2019s \u201csteely\u201d focus on affordability \u2014 casting it as a winning path out of the political wilderness for Democrats.<\/p>\n
Warren, who appeared alongside Mamdani at the DC37 union building to support his universal childcare proposal, said he kick-started that conversation in the right place \u2013\u00a0and has Wall Street fat cats and billionaires running scared.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, New York City is the place to start the conversation for Democrats on how affordability is the central issue, the central reason to be a Democrat, and that delivering on it in meaningful, tangible ways that will touch working families is why we\u2019re here,\u201d Warren said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is the Democratic message\u2026 Zohran is on the front lines in that fight out there, fighting for families.\u201d
Beyond their liberal politics, Mamdani and Warren also share arguably embarrassing college-related kerfuffles over their backgrounds.<\/p>\n
Sen. Elizabeth Warren offered praise for NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on Monday. Matthew McDermott<\/p>\n
Warren long faced criticism \u2013 and a derogatory nickname, \u201cPocahontas,\u201d from Donald Trump \u2013 for allegedly advancing her career as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard by\u00a0claiming Cherokee heritage<\/a>.<\/p>\n She even took a DNA test, with experts determining Warren had an ancestor who was at least partially Native American \u201cin the range of six to 10 generations ago.\u201d<\/p>\n And Mamdani recently came under fire when it was revealed he\u00a0checked both \u201cAsian\u201d and \u201cBlack or African American\u201d<\/a>\u00a0on his unsuccessful college application to Columbia University.<\/p>\n He was born in Uganda.<\/p>\n \u201cMost college applications don\u2019t have a box for Indian-Ugandans, so I checked multiple boxes trying to capture the fullness of my background,\u201d the Queens lawmaker said at the time.<\/p>\n Mamdani speaks to reporters after Warren heaped praise on him Monday. Matthew McDermott<\/p>\n The Massachusetts senator\u2019s blessing came as Mamdani continues to struggle to gain actual endorsements from other high-profile Dems, notably his fellow New Yorkers\u00a0Chuck Schumer<\/a>, the Senate\u2019s minority leader,\u00a0House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries<\/a>\u00a0and Gov. Kathy Hochul.<\/p>\n All three\u00a0avoided outright endorsing Mamdani after the Queens state Assemblyman trounced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in June\u2019s Democratic mayoral primary \u2014 an upset that prompted a wave of soul-searching among more moderate Dems wary of a socialist being the party\u2019s standard-bearer.<\/p>\n Mamdani has gobbled up endorsements from local Democratic leaders, including in\u00a0conservative Staten Island<\/a>, as well as a raft of labor unions and outspoken lefty standard bearers\u00a0Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Sen. Bernie Sanders<\/a>.<\/p>\n Republicans in New York and across the US, for their part, gleefully view the socialist as a way to hammer their opponents as radical, out-of-town \u201cMamdani Democrats.\u201d<\/p>\n The duo offered praise for each other and in their focus on \u201caffordability.\u201d Matthew McDermott<\/p>\n