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Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio endorsed democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani for mayor on Tuesday morning.
Penning his endorsement in an opinion piece for the New York Daily News, the former mayor highlighted Mamdani’s commitment to affordability for working-class New Yorkers.
“We don’t just need Zohran Mamdani to be our mayor because he has the right ideas, or because they can be achieved. We need him because in his heart and in his bones he cannot accept a city that prices out the people who built it and keep it running,” de Blasio said.
Mamdani’s Democratic primary win proved that New Yorkers are aligned with his progressive mission, including freezing the rent, providing free child care and establishing city-run grocery stores, de Blasio said.
MAMDANI’S PRIMARY WIN EXPOSES DEMOCRAT DIVIDE AS TOP LEADERS WITHHOLD ENDORSEMENTS
When reached for comment, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa told Fox News Digital, “De Blasio nearly destroyed NYC and defunded law enforcement. His endorsement of Mamdani is a warning. Mamdani is de Blasio 2.0, but far more dangerous.”
EX-NYC MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO SAYS THERE’S ‘A LOT OF EXAGGERATION’ OVER MAMDANI FEARS
Despite Mamdani’s success reaching New Yorkers this year, the former mayor acknowledged that many are still skeptical that he can deliver on his ambitious campaign promises, writing, “I can say definitely — and I know better than anyone — that the answer is yes.”
The former New York City leader said he faced the same criticisms during his tenure as mayor of the nation’s biggest city, from 2014 to 2021.
“Throughout my time in City Hall, the argument that my vision was recklessly idealistic — that it was both unrealistic and fraught with dangerous unintended consequences — was thrown at my plans for affordable housing, paid sick days, the $15 minimum wage and most of all, pre-K for all — all initiatives I delivered on,” he said.
The former mayor defended Mamdani’s promises, including rent freezes, which his own administration secured several times for New Yorkers.
“My administration delivered a rent freeze for rent-stabilized apartments three times, helping millions make ends meet as they were afflicted by the effects of the Great Recession and then COVID. It’s not a question of possibility — it’s a matter of political will,” de Blasio added.
As President Donald Trump passed his “big, beautiful bill” this year, which de Blasio described as “cutting SNAP benefits, gutting Medicaid, and once again leaving working people out to dry,” he said the need for an “unwavering fighter in City Hall has never been higher.”
Describing Mamdani’s radical vision for New York City as building on his own impact there, de Blasio told voters it’s time to “go even further” with Mamdani as mayor.
The former mayor had refused to throw his political weight behind any of the mayoral candidates before Tuesday’s announcement.
Signaling support for Mamdani and defending his campaign promises, de Blasio made it clear throughout the race that he would not endorse former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, trolling him on social media and fanning the flames of their long-held feud.
While de Blasio’s endorsement shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, several New York Democratic leaders continue to withhold their endorsements for Mamdani, despite his securing the Democratic nomination earlier this summer.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer have yet to endorse Mamdani.
Fox News Digital reached out to incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, Cuomo and Mamdani but did not immediately receive a response.
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