- cross-posted to:
- usa@midwest.social
- cross-posted to:
- usa@midwest.social
cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/209042
Photo: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
Vermont senator Bernie Sanders announced Tuesday that he is endorsing fellow democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani for mayor, giving the 33-year-old assemblymember another boost in his challenge to front-runner Andrew Cuomo.
In a statement, Sanders said Mamdani is running “an inspirational grassroots campaign” backed by small-dollar donors and praised his plan to pay for his platform of new affordable housing and free buses through an increased tax on the wealthy and corporations, a staple of the senator’s own political ideology. Sanders notably did not endorse in the 2021 primary and only backed Bill de Blasio during his reelection bid in 2017.
“At this pivotal and dangerous moment in American history, status-quo politics is not good enough. We need the kind of visionary leadership that Zohran is providing in this campaign. In my view, Zohran Mamdani is the best choice for mayor of New York City,” he said.
Mamdani acknowledged Sanders’s support on social media, writing that the veteran progressive senator “has been the single most influential political figure in my life.”
“As mayor, I will strive to live up to his example by fighting for the working class every day and hopefully make Brooklyn’s own proud,” he said.
Speculation about Sanders’s plans to endorse in the race grew after Mamdani received the support of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a longtime friend and ally of Sanders. The two recently embarked on the cross-country Fighting Oligarchy tour together, holding massive rallies in Republican strongholds in an effort to harness voters’ growing opposition to Trump between election years. Our Revolution, the progressive political organization founded by Sanders during his 2016 presidential bid, also announced its own endorsement in the primary, backing Mamdani and Comptroller Brad Lander, who have both cross-endorsed each other in the ranked-choice race.
It’s not yet clear if Sanders will join Mamdani on the campaign trail in the waning days of the race. A 2019 rally for Sanders’s presidential campaign with Ocasio-Cortez drew a reported 26,000 attendees to Queensbridge Park. Over the weekend, Mamdani rallied with the congresswoman at Terminal 5 in Manhattan, attracting thousands of supporters to the venue.
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Na progressive liberals love Burnie. This is good for Mamdani, who is to the left of Sanders.
Left of Bernie is a pretty low bar. The shitlibs were always going to vote for Zorhan, it is the radlibs he was hoping to gaslight into actually voting. A Zio-Bernard endorsement may make them question that choice and stay home, since they are still butt hurt by Bernard’s 2016 and 2020 betrayal.
Left of Burnie is a low bar in some Euro or Nordic context. Its a high bar for American electoral politics. I don’t think radlibs make up a consequential amount of the electorate. Regardless, he has indicated he would “follow international law” if Netanyahu was to go to NYC. He calls what’s happening in Palestine a Genocide and defends his use of the term. The list goes on. I don’t think he’s loosing anyone who already wasn’t disillusioned with electoral politics.
its a fucking pole vault in NYC
Seriously, every mayor of NYC in my lifetime was a conservative piece of shit except DeBlasio and he was a spineless lib who didn’t go anywhere near far enough on anything
For real. He shouldn’t be polling as well as he is, yet here we are.
Ngl nyc is only place ive lived and seen socialists calling themselves such organizing and canvassing (like back even when i thought it was a scary word )
For mayor? I don’t know enough about who else was running in previous mayoral elections. I know AOC gets elected under the “socialist” designation.
I wasnt paying attention to them at the time beyond “huh didnt know people actually called themselves socialists” think it was some local election.
He’s got his media on lock but let’s face it, when was the last time a mayoral candidate promised to do good things actively instead of let bad things happen drip drip? Like the chuds might hate him for being a damn liberal and a communist but if he wins he’ll freeze their rent soooo
LMAO
Amerikkkan “tankies” are a joke.
I’m not sure what you expect from a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Regardless, he is the most progressive candidate, probably ever, for NYC mayor. If he is elected, its going to have an impact on other regional elections. It would represent a rejection of establishment Democrats in the largest city in the country. Its hard to ignore.
Really? More liberal apologia? Can you fucking stop already?
These elections, comrade, change the conditions under which we have to live and operate, it is in our best interest to understand the changing landscape within electoral politics.
LOL, thanks comrade Chomsky.
He’s seemingly committed to improving people’s material conditions. Who gives a shit if he’s not going to press the communism button? If leftist politics are allowed to take root in people’s minds, future organizing and fundraising becomes easier. Rejecting him out of hand because he’s not a maoist or utopian ultra is dumb.