Mamdani\u2019s victory was a major win for progressives. Earlier in November, he defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa to become the leader of the nation\u2019s largest city. But his ability to push his agenda through hinges on a cooperative city council. More moderate Democrats and Republicans on the council could block his policies, including free bus services and city-run grocery stores.<\/p>\n
What To Know<\/strong><\/p>\n Council Member Julie Menin, a Democrat who represents the Upper East Side, announced that she has garnered enough support to become its next speaker. If this holds, she would defeat Council Member Crystal Hudson, a progressive seen as more in line with Mamdani.<\/p>\n Menin said she would have support from at least 36 current and incoming members of the New York City Council across all five boroughs. Her coalition includes many Democrats, as well as a handful of Republicans who serve on the committee.<\/p>\n Council Member Joann Ariola is among the Republicans supporting Menin.<\/p>\n \u201cShe has spent her entire career delivering for the people of New York. She\u2019s been a business owner, a nonprofit leader, a commissioner, and a Council Member, and at every step she\u2019s shown that she can cut through the red tape of city bureaucracy and produce real results. Her depth of experience and her proven record of leadership make her exactly the Speaker the Council needs right now,\u201d Ariola wrote on X.<\/p>\n The New York Times reported that some members viewed Menin as a \u201ccheck\u201d on Mamdani, who will take office in January 2026. She told the Times she believes she plans to have a \u201cclose and collaborative relationship with the administration.\u201d<\/p>\n While she is viewed as a potential foil to Mamdani, Menin did congratulate him on his victory earlier in November. She wrote on X that she was \u201cexcited\u201d to collaborate with him on \u201can agenda that meets the challenges of this moment and\u00a0withstands the threats we face from a Trump-led Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n She also praised his messaging on the affordability of child care and housing, saying it is a \u201cvision I share.\u201d<\/p>\n More progressive City Council members, including those affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), of which Mamdani is a member, did not endorse Menin for speaker.<\/p>\n What People Are Saying<\/strong><\/p>\n Democratic pollster Adam Carlson wrote on X: <\/strong>\u201cGod we need Speaker Crystal Hudson so badly. Julie Menin would just spend most of the time trying to being a foil to Mamdani to set up a 2029 mayoral run.\u201d<\/p>\n New York City Council Member Kamillah M. Hanks wrote on X: <\/strong>\u201cJulie has the vision to move our City forward and the knowledge and tenacity to get things done! I am proud to support @JulieMenin to lead the NYC Council as our next Speaker!”<\/p>\n Jeff Coltin, a reporter for Politico, wrote on X: <\/strong>\u201cJulie Menin is miles apart from Zohran Mamdani\u2019s political base on an identity level, but politically, it\u2019s not as clear cut. She was trusted by de Blasio, close with labor unions and is quick to remind you she was the one that gave Oss\u00e9\u2019s broker fee bill a hearing and a vote.\u201d<\/p>\n What Happens Next<\/strong><\/p>\n Mamdani will take office in January. The New York City Council will also meet in January, when new members take office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New York City progressives were dealt a blow on Wednesday, just weeks after Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani\u2019s landmark victory,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":407084,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,71678,67,586,132,5230,68,11036,2969,5301],"class_list":{"0":"post-407083","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-new-york","10":"tag-new-york-city","11":"tag-newyork","12":"tag-newyorkcity","13":"tag-ny","14":"tag-nyc","15":"tag-progressives","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-united-states-of-america","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","20":"tag-us","21":"tag-us-politics","22":"tag-usa","23":"tag-zohran-mamdani"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115618650209736101","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=407083"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407083\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/407084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=407083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=407083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=407083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-1405725245.jpg\"\/)
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