Former Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday expressed her support for Zohran Mamdani in New York City’s mayoral race, making her the most prominent Democratic figure to publicly back the democratic socialist candidate.“Look, as far as I’m concerned, he’s the Democratic nominee, and he should be supported,” Harris told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow during an interview promoting her new book, 107 Days.Asked directly whether she was endorsing Mamdani, Harris replied, “I support the Democrat in the race, sure,” without mentioning the candidate by name. She added that Mamdani was “not the only star” running for mayor, highlighting candidates like Barbara Drummond in Mobile, Alabama, and Helena Moreno in New Orleans. “I hope that we don’t so over-index on New York City that we lose sight of the stars throughout our country. So that’s where I am — we’ve got a big tent and we’ve got a lot of stars.”Harris’ comments mark her first major television interview since losing the 2024 presidential election to Donald Trump. Her remarks also come amid caution from other top Democrats. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and New York State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs have withheld endorsement of Mamdani, while New York Governor Kathy Hochul has publicly supported him.Mamdani, a state Assembly member, has received backing from progressive leaders including Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Some moderate Democrats, however, have voiced concerns that Mamdani’s democratic socialist positions could be used by Republicans to portray the party as too far left ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
