Mayoral Democratic hopefuls Zohran Mamdani and Michael Blake cross-endorsed one another Monday morning at an event in the Bronx.

The joint announcement marks Mamdani’s second cross-endorsement in just a few days. On Friday, the Queens assemblyman joined forces with City Comptroller Brad Lander, urging voters to use ranked-choice voting strategically in an effort to ice out former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 

“I am honored to receive the support of Michael Blake as we both seek to turn the page on the broken politics of the past and the corrupt leadership of Andrew Cuomo,” Mamdani said in a statement Monday. “Michael Blake is someone who leads with his values, has relentlessly exposed Andrew Cuomo’s true record of deceit and incompetence, and I am proud to rank him on my ballot. In an election that can only be won with unity, our partnership with Michael Blake is critical to the fight for a city every New Yorker can afford.”

Mamdani is asking voters who support Lander or Blake to rank him as their second choice, ensuring that if either Blake or Lander are eliminated, those ballots will benefit him.

"I am proud to be endorsed by Zohran Mamdani and rank Zohran as my [number two] because together we’re both fighting for an affordable New York that we deserve,” Blake said in a statement. “New York City know[s] that Michael Blake and Zohran Mamdani both share a vision of New York City where everyday New Yorkers can thrive, not just survive.”

A cross-endorsement was first used in the 2021 mayoral primary when Andrew Yang and Kathryn Garcia backed each other, helping Garcia after ranked-choice voting eliminated Yang. Garcia lost to Eric Adams by fewer than 8,000 votes.

Friday’s Mamdani-Lander endorsement was the first official cross-endorsement of the 2025 primary election.

After cross-endorsing Lander last week, Mamdani felt the heat from civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton, who accused Mamdani of failing to include City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams in his alliance.

“My sister AOC endorsed Mamdani and said her second choice was Adrienne. But this morning they said that Mamdani and Lander endorsed each other. So I guess the Black woman, I mean I don’t understand that stuff,” Sharpton said on Saturday in Harlem. “Something about that politics ain’t progressive to me.”

Mamdani responded on Monday when asked about the comments.

“I spoke to Rev. Sharpton, and I made clear the facts of this campaign,” Mamdani said. “New Yorkers should rank Speaker Adams on their ballots and I’ve been proud to tell my supporters to donate to her campaign.”

The Democratic Socialist was also criticized by the New York Times editorial board. The newspaper did not endorse a candidate, but it recommended readers leave Mamdani off their ballots, arguing the 33-year-old assemblyman lacks experience.

“They have the right to their opinion. I’m excited to show that our ideas are not only urgent, they are not only feasible, but that we will in fact deliver them and implement them across the city,” he said.

Although the editorial criticized Cuomo for his sexual harassment scandals that led to his resignation, it also said the former governor is preferable to Mamdani.

Blake defended his new ally.

“Listen to what the voters are connecting to free buses and what’s happening in groceries, the voters are connecting to ending credit scores, the voters are connecting to how do we reimagine community policing,” he said.

Early voting began Saturday across the five boroughs. According to the city Board of Elections, 66,361 New Yorkers cast ballots over the weekend — nearly double the turnout from the first weekend of early voting in 2021.

Polls remain open daily through June 22. Primary Day is set for June 24.