STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani picked up his biggest national endorsement yet from former Vice President Harris. Despite his primary victory, many Democratic leaders in New York and around the country have kept their distance from the Democratic Socialist, which has caused some tension inside the Democratic Party, which NPR's Brian Mann is covering. Brian, good morning.
BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: Good morning.
INSKEEP: What did Harris say?
MANN: Well, the former VP's endorsement of Mamdani came during an appearance on MSNBC, and it was actually pretty lukewarm, Steve. Harris said Mamdani, who's widely seen as this big, new progressive voice, shouldn't be overhyped. That's her take. He shouldn't be seen as the only rising star in the Democratic Party. But Harris said it is time for Democrats to get on board.
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KAMALA HARRIS: Look, as far as I'm concerned, he's the Democratic nominee, and he should be supported.
MANN: And after a lot of hand-wringing, some other top Democrats have moved to back Mamdani. New York Governor Kathy Hochul endorsed him in an essay in The New York Times. But that, too, came more than two months after Mamdani's primary victory.
INSKEEP: Yeah. Would you remind us why it is that so many Democrats are reluctant to just say, well, he's our party's nominee?
MANN: Yeah. It's an interesting story. Until this year, Mamdani was a relatively unknown state assemblyman. But - and even his critics say he's run a dynamic, really charismatic campaign, a lot of engaging social media and young volunteers. But here's the thing. He's well to the left of many Democratic leaders. He's a member, as you say, of the Democratic Socialists of America. His economic policies include a rent freeze and higher taxes for rich New Yorkers.
Another big factor is Israel. Mamdani has been a critic of Israel's war in Gaza. In an interview this month with The New York Times, he said he would instruct the NYPD to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on international war crime charges if Netanyahu visits New York City. That's controversial with a lot of Democrats. And finally, Steve, Mamdani would be the first Muslim elected to lead America's biggest city. He's also young, only 33 years old, so we're looking here at a huge generational change.
INSKEEP: Yeah, a lot of provocative stances. You can't know how many of them would actually come to pass. Netanyahu does visit New York. He's in New York this week, but we don't know the New York City police would actually try to arrest him. Nevertheless, he's saying these things. So which Democrats are just not willing to sign up?
MANN: Well, two of the country's most powerful Democratic leaders are still on the sidelines here - Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both from New York City. They've met with Mamdani repeatedly. Despite those meetings, they've declined to back him. Senator Bernie Sanders, the independent from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats, is a Mamdani supporter. And speaking on CNN, Sanders blasted top Democrats.
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BERNIE SANDERS: That is, to me, absurd. How do you have - be a Democratic leader and not select the Democratic candidate for mayor who ran an extraordinary campaign?
MANN: But this opposition runs deep. The chair of New York's entire state Democratic Party, Jay Jacobs, released a statement saying he flat-out refuses to back Mamdani because of Mamdani's economic ideas and positions on Israel.
INSKEEP: And there's a lot of Democrats feeling that way. Does it really matter to voters, though?
MANN: So far, Mamdani seems pretty unfazed. The latest Siena Research poll shows him leading by 20 points. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo was in second place, Republican Curtis Lee was in third, and Mayor Eric Adams is trailing badly in fourth. The problem for centrist Democrats who would like to derail Mamdani is that the alternatives, Cuomo and Adams, have been plagued by scandals, and they're splitting the anti-Mamdani vote.
INSKEEP: In just a couple of seconds, does this matter for national Democrats?
MANN: It's a test for whether they can incorporate a big, new voice like Mamdani, whose ideas in some ways make them nervous.
INSKEEP: NPR's Brian Mann on the New York City mayor's race. Thanks so much.
MANN: Thanks, Steve.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "EMPIRE STATE OF MIND (FT. ALICIA KEYS)")
ALICIA KEYS: (Singing) In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of. There's nothing you can't do... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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