House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he does not view Zohran Mamdani as the future of the Democratic Party, despite having recently endorsed him for New York City mayor.
Jeffries made the remarks during an appearance on State of the Union, when asked directly by host Jake Tapper if Mamdani was the party’s future. “No,” Jeffries replied. He added that the future for Democrats lies in the work being done by the House Democratic Caucus across the country.
This comes shortly after Jeffries formally endorsed Mamdani in the mayoral race, praising his focus on affordability and inclusive leadership, while also noting “areas of principled disagreement.”
Conservative‑leaning analysts view this tension as revealing deeper fault lines within the Democratic Party—between its moderate, establishment wing and the progressive or socialist flank represented by Mamdani. The question of “who really speaks for the party” gains urgency ahead of the 2026 mid‑term elections.
