Mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani picked up a major endorsement Thursday from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The Bronx Democrat and the Mamdani campaign confirmed the endorsement to NY1 just hours after the Queens assemblymember participated in the first televised debate of the race alongside eight other Democratic contenders, including the frontrunner and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Ocasio-Cortez first shared her ranked-choice picks in an interview with The New York Times, naming Mamdani as her top choice.
“New York City needs a mayor who will put the needs of working people first, and rebuild trust in our city's government," she said in a statement. "Mamdani has demonstrated a real ability on the ground to put together a coalition of working-class New Yorkers that is strongest to lead the pack. In the final stretch of the race, we need to get very real about that.”
Mamdani said the backing was perfect timing.
"This endorsement is not just something we're so proud to have earned its also something key to winning this race,” he told NY1.
Ocasio-Cortez said she would rank City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams second, City Comptroller Brad Lander third, former Comptroller Scott Stringer fourth and Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie fifth.
"Speaker Adrienne Adams is a fantastic candidate. I absolutely encourage people to rank her and Controller Brad Lander as two and three," she said.
"I am very honored to have her endorsement and I thank her for it,” Speaker Adams said.
Previously, the congresswoman had backed Lander for comptroller. So her third placement of him on the ballot came as a surprise.
"I will keep making the case that I am the candidate in this race that best combines the progressive values New York City is founded on and the proven management and leadership experience to deliver on my promises," Lander said.
Ocasio-Cortez notably left Cuomo off her ballot, telling the Times he “belongs to the hedge funds.”
It's unclear what effect the congresswoman's endorsement might have for Mamdani, since the two politicians have overlapping constituencies and draw in support from the same young voters.
Even so, AOC's reach and following could bring more attention to Mamdani's campaign.
Under New York City’s ranked-choice voting system, Democratic voters have the option to rank up to five candidates on their primary ballot, but can rank fewer if they choose.
A recent Emerson College poll showed Mamdani in second place behind Cuomo. When ranked-choice preferences were factored in, Cuomo’s lead narrowed to under 10 percentage points.
That marked a significant shift from a May 14 Marist University poll, which showed Cuomo winning the Democratic primary with 53% in the final round compared to Mamdani’s 29%.