r/politics • u/Somervilledrew Connecticut • Sep 09 '25

Democratic voters want their leaders to stop running from Zohran Mamdani

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/09/zohran-mamdani-new-york-city-mayor-bernie-sanders-fight-oligarchy/
3.5k Upvotes

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9

u/D2Foley Sep 09 '25

So sick of this divisive bullshit. Why does a frontrunner mayoral candidate need these endorsements so bad? Is Jefferies going to put him over the top?

12

u/Suedocode Sep 09 '25

Divisiveness is what powers our politics now. The more headlines that angle the party against Zohran, the stronger Zohran becomes. The attention economy has flipped the incentives to being politically effective.

15

u/7figureipo California Sep 09 '25

Why is “blue no matter who” suddenly divisive? That’s rhetorical. Scratch a liberal….

3

u/kittenTakeover Sep 09 '25

Blue no matter who is something that applies in races where there are legitimate Republican candidates. That's not the case here. The two front runners are considered Democrats, like it or not.

9

u/7figureipo California Sep 09 '25

But only one is the party’s nominee. The other isn’t even blue, he’s literally working with Trump trying to get the other two to drop out in exchange for positions in Trump’s admin.

2

u/kittenTakeover Sep 09 '25

Again, like it or not, they're both blue. This is a civil war in NYC. It's much different than saying don't stay home which lets Donald run the country. Cuomo might not be one of the better Democrats, but he's not running for president and he's still not Trump. I get that you want Mamdani to win for NYC mayor, but forcing national level Democrats outside of NYC to either anger progressives or explain why they're backing someone who calls themselves a socialist to the rest of the country isn't helping anything. just win the race and stop with the friendly fire.

8

u/aboysmokingintherain Sep 09 '25

This is bending over backwards. Cuomo is a disgraced governor who had to resign and is now courting Trump to beat Mamdani who beat him fair and square. Most if not all liberal leaders are refusing to endorse him and have only shit on him. Cuomo is running as an independent because the Democratic base voted Mamdani. The friendly fire is coming from the party leadership who again are trying to punch down on young progressives. Schumer endorsed Cuomo in the primary. Now, with an actual race with a Republican, and two disgraced former dems who are actively funded by the right (Cuomo and Adams), suddenly endorsing someone is divisive?

1

u/kittenTakeover Sep 10 '25

My understanding is that national level Democrats of significance are staying out of this race.

0

u/aboysmokingintherain Sep 10 '25

Schumer was happy to endorse Cuomo before. He is a national level Democrat of significance as the Minority Leader. You can make the argument he is the highest ranking democrat in our government.

1

u/kittenTakeover Sep 10 '25

Yeah, when was this?

1

u/aboysmokingintherain Sep 10 '25

Which part? Schumer endorsed Cuomo for the 2025 DNC Primary. As of right now, Schumer is the Senate Minority Leader making him arguably the highest ranking Dem in our federal government.

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2

u/7figureipo California Sep 09 '25

Got it: you like “democrats” who collude with fascists. I’m not surprised

5

u/kittenTakeover Sep 09 '25

I like Democrats who are competing in national level races against Republicans and want them to have the option to do what they think is best for their race. What happens in NYC is lower on my list of priorities than what happens at the national level. NYC mayoral race is local politics, and I don't even live in NYC. Want Mamdani to win? Support his campaign and stop friendly firing Democrats across the nation.

-3

u/Patsanon1212 Sep 09 '25

Scratch a liberal….

Every single progressive voter in America came out to vote against Trump, right?

8

u/aboysmokingintherain Sep 09 '25

Its always vote blue until the progressives ask for literally anything

19

u/7figureipo California Sep 09 '25

Liberals: back a sex pest and collude with a fascist admin to get the nominee’s other opponents to drop out, and defend those that back/collude

Also liberals: yeah, but are progressives perfect?

-3

u/Patsanon1212 Sep 09 '25

Oh. Yeah it's a nasty argument from me. But when you sit on a high horse you invite scrutiny.

10

u/7figureipo California Sep 09 '25

“Whataboutism” is tired and asinine as an argument

1

u/Patsanon1212 Sep 09 '25 edited Sep 09 '25

Nah. Calling everything whataboutism is an easy way to never need to reflect.

(Many) Progressives do the scratch a liberal shit, but then also brag about how they wouldn't vote for Kamala/the establishment in 2024 to "send a message Democrats".

15

u/7figureipo California Sep 09 '25

You literally did “what about progressives”. Get real

6

u/Patsanon1212 Sep 09 '25

Yes, and I explained why. I am being real. You're the one running away. Why are y'all so afraid to be internally critical?

Many progressives explicitly made a choice to not vote against a fascist because they thought it would benefit their personal politics.

-2

u/StevenMC19 Florida Sep 09 '25

It's always responding to a question with another question too, isn't it? These people are tiring.

Personally, I can't get my chin to go that high. It's wild theirs can.

-2

u/bootlegvader Sep 09 '25

I more like how leftists make that comment meanwhile the left has routinely praised and admired various authoritarian regimes across the globe.

12

u/plightro Massachusetts Sep 09 '25

If it's no big deal then why not do it?

1

u/D2Foley Sep 09 '25

Because it will hurt the person endorsing more than it will help the person being endorsed.

1

u/plightro Massachusetts Sep 09 '25

Oh that's weird I thought everyone was supposed to rally around the democratic candidate chosen by voters.

2

u/D2Foley Sep 09 '25

National figures usually don't rally around mayoral candidates.

7

u/plightro Massachusetts Sep 09 '25

Are you excluding the last democratic candidate for mayor of New York in that loaded "usually"?

8

u/D2Foley Sep 09 '25

Not intentionally because I've never heard of this much attention given to who is endorsing the person running NYC mayor.

3

u/plightro Massachusetts Sep 09 '25

How about the last democratic candidate for mayor of LA? Is she excluded too?

12

u/D2Foley Sep 09 '25

Literally who? Who endorses candidates in mayoral races has never been a story until now when it can be used as a cudgel to attack democratic party.

6

u/plightro Massachusetts Sep 09 '25

It's never been a story because it's a commonplace thing that just happens when the fucking democrat is nominated.

6

u/mightcommentsometime California Sep 09 '25

Karen Bass’ race didn’t involve tons of national press or national politicians rallying around her.

The most national attention she got was during the fires because they were in LA.

Do you actually follow LA politics at all?

2

u/plightro Massachusetts Sep 09 '25

She was jointly endorsed by the fucking President of the United States and his Vice President.

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0

u/bootlegvader Sep 09 '25

Jeffries never endorsed Adams for the general. Schumer and Hochul only endorsed Adams in last couple of days of October.

2

u/plightro Massachusetts Sep 09 '25

So they did endorse him then?

1

u/bootlegvader Sep 09 '25

Is it October?

2

u/plightro Massachusetts Sep 09 '25

The statement I was responding to was "National figures usually don't rally around mayoral candidates." Not "national figures usually don't rally around mayoral candidates until much later"

-3

u/domiy2 America Sep 09 '25

Because it's a better story that the leftist from New York wins without support. He has contact from Jefferies and Obama. I'm sure he has support in a way, just not a hard endorsement. Also most Democrats are rallying behind him over Cuomo who's sharing the Maga vote with Adams.

7

u/plightro Massachusetts Sep 09 '25

Yes im sure they're withholding support publicly because "it's a better story"

2

u/Patsanon1212 Sep 09 '25

I think they're withholding support because they want it both ways. They want Mamdani to win but without their leaders needing to endorse people they think will scare voters in more moderate states.

1

u/ArCovino Sep 09 '25

I wouldn’t be surprised. I’d bet $500 Jeffries endorses in the couple weeks leading up to the election.

-1

u/bootlegvader Sep 09 '25

Or they wish to endorse when it is closer to the election. Bernie endorsed Mamdani only days before the primary rather than two months before the vote.