Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a prominent voice in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx, has endorsed Zohran Mamdani for mayor, further consolidating support behind the Democratic nominee ahead of November’s general election.

Espaillat, who represents New York’s 13th congressional district, had previously endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the lead-up to the June 24 mayoral primary.

What You Need To Know

  • Rep. Adriano Espaillat on Thursday announced his endorsement of Zohran Mamdani for mayor

  • Espaillat, who represents New York’s 13th congressional district, had previously endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the lead-up to the June 24 mayoral primary

  • The endorsement comes amid a wave of institutional backing for Mamdani

"This is the moment when we begin to come together as Democrats in this city," the congressman said as he stood next to Mamdani at a press conference Thursday. "So, we've had our primary. We had our election. And the people have spoken. And the Democrats have spoken. And they have said clearly, that they have selected Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani to be our nominee of the Democratic party." 

In his own remarks, Mamdani praised Espaillat for his work in Congress.

"We have to fight the authoritarian administration in Washington, D.C. We have to fight for the working people in this city who are being pushed out of the place that they call home," he said. "And I look at Congressmember Espaillat, and I see a guide for how to do both of those things at the same time." 

Mamdani, a democratic socialist and state assemblyman from Queens, won the June primary by a commanding margin, carrying Espaillat’s district by nearly 13 points, according to the mayoral candidate’s campaign.

The endorsement comes amid a wave of institutional backing for Mamdani. 

On Tuesday, the United Federation of Teachers threw its support behind him, saying its delegates “believe he is the best candidate in the race to advance our union’s agenda.”

Mr. Mamdani has also secured endorsements from powerful unions including Local 32BJ SEIU and the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, both of which had previously backed Cuomo ahead of the Democratic mayoral primary.

Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jerrold Nadler and Nydia Velázquez have also endorsed Mamdani.

Mamdani received 565,639 votes in the mayoral primary, surpassing Cuomo's 440,655 votes.

Meanwhile other top New York Democrats like U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Gov. Kathy Hochul have yet to rally around Mamdani. They’ve promised to meet with him in the coming weeks.

“They have been conversations that have been productive, they have been conversations that I’ve enjoyed, they have been conversations that have always been focused on the importance of affordability,” Mamdani said Thursday.

Meanwhile, Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa claimed in an interview with PIX11 that Mayor Eric Adams offered him a job in exchange for dropping out of the race.

“It’s Eric Adams who spread that rumor. He’s gone into business groups and they all say, ‘Well, now they want us to back you up with our money.’ You know the billionaires have now one from Team Cuomo who sunk to Team Eric Adams without vetting him out,” he said.

But an Adams campaign spokesman told NY1, he made no such proposal.

“I have not said one word to Curtis in months. He takes this serious moment as a radio skit and not as one of the most important races of our lifetime,” Adams said in a statement.