Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took a dig at congressional Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries \u2014 and other establishment members of the party \u2014 Thursday for not backing Zohran Mamdani in New York City\u2019s mayoral race.<\/p>\n
The lefty \u201cSquad\u201d member noted that she backed former President Joe Biden when he became the 2020 Democratic nominee, prevailing over her favored candidate, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a Democratic nominee. Are we a party who rallies behind our nominee or not?,\u201d Ocasio-Cortez, a Mamdani booster<\/a>, told NY1 when asked <\/a>about Schumer and Jeffries withholding endorsements of the Democratic mayoral candidate.<\/p>\n Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called out fellow Democratic minority leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries for not backing Zohran Mamdani in the upcoming general election for mayor of New York City. Spectrum News<\/p>\n \u201cBecause what we do is we use our primary to settle our differences, and once we have a nominee we rally behind that nominee,\u201d the congresswoman, like Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, said.<\/p>\n \u201cI am very concerned about the example that is being set by anybody in our party \u2026 if an individual doesn\u2019t want to support the party\u2019s nominee now, it complicates their ability to ask voters to support any nominee later.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Gov. Kathy Hochul also has not endorsed Mamdani, after the Queens Assemblyman defeated ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and others in the June primary.<\/p>\n Schumer, the Senate Democratic minority leader and Jeffries, the House Democratic minority leader, have other considerations. <\/p>\n They\u2019re both trying to win back majority control of Congress in the next year\u2019s midterm elections.<\/p>\n Schumer and Jeffries have their sights set on the Democratic Party to win back majority control of Congress in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections. Getty Images<\/p>\n Republicans are already attempting to tie Mamdani to Democrats<\/a> in swing districts, where his brand of democratic socialism and his prior statements calling for defending the police are not popular. Mamdani now says he does not support cutting police funding.<\/p>\n Moderate Democrats are not only trying to distance themselves from Mamdani, they\u2019re repudiating him.<\/p>\n