With less than a week until the Democratic primaries, Bernie Sanders, the progressive juggernaut and Vermont Senator, has put his full support behind two notable New York City candidates, Zohran Mamdani for mayor and Justin Brannan for comptroller. Sanders praised Mamdani's grassroots campaign focused on creating 200,000 new affordable housing units, instituting a rent freeze, providing free public buses, cutting fines for small businesses, investing in mental health services, establishing city-owned grocery stores, guaranteeing free childcare, and raising the minimum wage, all to be funded by higher taxes on corporations and the city's wealthiest residents, as reported by ABC 7 New York.
Mamdani's surge in the polls positions him as a burgeoning progressive option against the backdrop of frontrunner Andrew Cuomo, who is attempting a political return following his resignation amidst controversy in 2021, and within the deeply charged political theatre of the New York City mayoral race, Mamdani's alliance through cross-endorsements with other candidates including Michael Blake and Brad Lander have laid a strategic groundwork to bolster his chances in the ranked choice voting system, this election not only a contest for municipal office but a litmus for the soul of post-Trump America. Sanders' endorsement reportedly lands on the heels of Mamdani receiving backing from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, further cementing his status within the progressive movement.
Former Governor Cuomo, on his end, has attempted to counterbalance the narrative by pointing to support from prominent labor unions as evidence of his working-class alignment, yet Sanders' stark backing for Mamdani challenges the narrative, as AMNY cites Sanders deeming the mayoral primary a clear dichotomy between "corporate-dominated politics" and a grassroots movement that seeks to combat "oligarchy, authoritarianism and kleptocracy." Mamdani himself has expressed reverence towards Sanders, vowing to emulate his political approach, advocating for broader affordability in New York City and expressing a desire to make his Brooklyn roots proud.
As for the comptroller's race, Sanders' support of Justin Brannan, the southern Brooklyn City Council member, recognizes Brannan's resolute stance against Mayor Adams' sweeping budget cuts and his potential to take on greed and corruption from the comptroller's office, with Sanders highlighting Brannan's commitment to early childhood education, parks, libraries, and schools, as ABC 7 New York notes despite Brannan polling behind Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, a significant portion of voters remain undecided, paving a path for political surprises.
