By SÍLE MOLONEY
Photo courtesy of City Councilwoman Carmen de la Rosa (C.D. 10)
Local elected officials, Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) and Bronx Councilwoman Pierina Sanchez (C.D. 14), the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council, the 1199SEIU, and others have all recently endorsed Democratic mayoral nominee Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani (A.D. 36) for mayor of New York City in recent weeks in the upcoming general mayoral election. As reported, Espaillat, a Dominican who is chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, had previously endorsed former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary.
The congressman, who represents northern Manhattan and the West Bronx, joined the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council for a press conference on Thursday, July 10, in the United Palace theater in Washington Heights, during which the council, the congressman, and other elected officials gave their formal backing to Mamdani.
“New York City is at a tipping point and so we need someone who’ll represent those tenants, those small business people, those families, that are up against the wall without the ability to breathe, trying to stay in the city that they love, and that they grew up in,” Espaillat said in part at the event.
He added in part, “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! So, for me it is a privilege and an honor to be here and support Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani for Mayor of the City of New York.”
There were shout outs of “Preach” in response. For his part, in reference to Espaillat, Mamdani said in part, “It is such a pleasure to stand alongside an incredible trailblazer in Congressman Adriano Espaillat because my dream as the next mayor of New York City is to deliver for the people who make this city great, and the only way we can deliver that is together.”
He continued, “It is by recognizing the incredible work that has come before this moment to allow for the possibility of this moment, and I see that partnership in Congressman Espaillat, I see that partnership in the New York delegation and I see that partnership in the work that we will do to take back the House.”
Also at the event were Councilmembers Shaun Abreu, who represents Manhattan’s District 7, the Upper West Side, and Carmen de la Rosa, who represents Northern Manhattan’s District 10, including the neighborhoods of Washington Heights, Inwood, as well as Marble Hill.
“We’ve tried running a city that’s expensive,” Abreu said in part. “Now, we’re going to try to build something different, something bold, something honest. Meanwhile, De la Rosa said, “Zohran is my friend, but Zohran is also a man with a plan and a bold vision for what our city can achieve, a city that centers workers….” She then asked, “Is Labor in the House?” and was met with cheers and applause.
The trades council later wrote that they were “incredibly proud” to join Espaillat in endorsing Mamdani, “As Congressman Espaillat emphasized, it’s time to unify around our Democratic nominee. We look forward to continuing to build our winning coalition!”
Image courtesy of the Zohran for NYC campaign
As reported, prior to the Democratic primary in June, AM New York had reported on May 11 that the congressman had thrown his support behind Cuomo together with the Coalition for Community Concerns, quoting Espaillat as saying, in part, that Cuomo was, as of that date “the clear choice in the mayoral race.”
On May 28, in reference to a New York Times article on Cuomo’s campaign manifesto, Espaillat said, “I applaud @andrewcuomo’s plan to raise the minimum wage to $20 an hour. New York City’s working families and people deserve a livable wage so that they can afford to stay and thrive in our city.” For more on Cuomo’s campaign announcement, click here.
However, in March 2021, it was a different story and amid the sexual harassment allegations brought against the former governor, Espaillat said it was time for Cuomo to resign which he ultimately did, as reported. However, prior to that sexual harassment scandal, Espaillat had openly supported at least some of Cuomo’s actions going back to 2019 and well before.
The congressman had commended Cuomo and State representatives for enacting a law that would give Congress the ability to fulfill its Constitutional responsibilities to hold then-U.S. President Donald Trump accountable and “to ensure our democratic system remains strong.” In 2017, the congressman had also openly thanked the then-governor for answering his calls for assistance for his constituents amid Hurricane Irma, and in 2018, also thanked Cuomo for ensuring New York remained welcoming to immigrant families and for vowing to fight the separation of children from their parents.
As reported, on June 29, Espaillat and Rep. Nydia Velázquez (NY-7), a Puerto Rican who represents parts of Brooklyn, were refused entry to the 10th floor of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan.
The two were attempting to conduct oversight of the facility amid allegations of “overcrowding, unbearable heat, and people being forced to sleep on bathroom floors.” Read more here. The two revisited the building once again on July 14 to continue conducting oversight and were refused entry. Federal authorities have denied any mistreatment of immigrants.
Meanwhile, Espaillat’s constituency office in Manhattan was previously vandalized, seemingly in reaction to the posting of fliers in the office window of missing Jewish hostages after the the Oct. 7th 2023 terrorist attacks on Israel by Hamas.
For his part, Mamdani has divided Jewish New Yorkers due to his comments on “globalizing the intifada” though, as reported, since his primary win, the assemblyman has said he understands the term is offensive to the Jewish community and is discouraging its use. Mamdani has also drawn the ire of the Italian American community since an old photo of him giving the bird to a statue of Christopher Columbus has been circling online.
The same day, Sanchez, who represents City Council District 14 and serves as chair of the city council’s housing and buildings committee, also “proudly” announced her endorsement of Mamdani, adding that her own win against her primary challenger last month, former three-term Council Member Fernando Cabrera, in his attempt at a comeback, showed that Bronx voters were “ready for bold, new leadership.”
Sanchez emphasized the “urgent” need for a shift in city leadership that “centers the needs of working-class, immigrant, and low-income communities.” She added, “As a daughter of the Bronx and a proud representative of a working-class, immigrant, resilient community, I’m honored to endorse the Democratic Nominee, Zohran Mamdani, for Mayor of New York City. Zohran’s campaign isn’t just inspiring—it’s bold, urgent, and rooted in the realities of neighborhoods like mine, where families are fighting to stay housed, fed, and hopeful.”
She continued, “We need a leader who won’t shy away from taking on slumlords, who understands safety starts with stability and will invest in our homes, create good-paying jobs, and pour resources into our children’s futures—keeping them learning, dreaming, and off the streets. Our city’s most vulnerable—Black, Brown, immigrant, and low-income New Yorkers—deserve more than survival.”
The council member described Mamdani’s campaign as one powered by working-class New Yorkers, not corporate donors. She said with record numbers of young voters turning out citywide, it is time to re-engage New Yorkers in inclusive, transparent governance, and “not rely on the same politics that have failed so many for so long.”
“We deserve a city where we can thrive. Zohran has the courage and vision to lead us there. I’m proud to stand with him–alongside the 545,000 New Yorkers who stood with him in June–and I hope you will too,” Sanchez concluded.
On Friday, July 18, the nation’s largest healthcare union, 1199SEIU, United Healthcare Workers East, announced its endorsement of the assemblyman. Its executive council, the union’s highest, decision-making body comprised of elected officers and rank-and-file members from every region of 1199SEIU, took the vote the same day.
Source: Emma G. Fitzsimmons via X
Representing some 200,000 healthcare workers in New York City and over 450,000 members along the East Coast, 1199SEIU is the largest and fastest growing healthcare union in the county.
“Working people across New York City are uniting to defend our neighborhoods and our city from unprecedented attacks from extremist politicians and their billionaire donors who are taking away healthcare, ripping families apart and endangering our democracy,” 1199SEIU President Yvonne Armstrong said.
“We are proud to endorse Zohran Mamdani who will fight side-by-side with us to ensure New Yorkers get the services they need, build affordable housing, and create safe communities. 1199SEIU’s 200,000 New York City members are frontline healthcare workers who save lives and care for the most vulnerable New Yorkers every day, but the city’s cost of living is wearing us down. We need a mayor like Zohran who has a plan to ensure frontline caregivers can continue working and living in our city.”
Meanwhile, as reported, Espaillat’s congressional colleague, Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15), who represents a large section of The Bronx stretching from the northwest to the South, had endorsed Cuomo in the Democratic primary. Following Mamdani’s win, and although he denounced calls by Republican colleagues in Congress to deport Mamdani, the congressman declined to say whether he would endorse the assemblyman in the general election.
As for Cuomo, despite his primary loss, he announced Monday, July 14, he is definitely running as an independent in the general election, along with New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Torres had told CNN on June 30, “My endorsement of the governor only applies to the Democratic primary which is over.”
“The voters of the Democratic primary have spoken and my focus is on [inaudible],” Torres said. Asked by the anchor if he would endorse Mamdani, he said, “I have not endorsed the assemblyman. We spoke on Sunday [June 29]. We had a mutually respectful conversation. We have profound differences of opinion. There was no discussion of an endorsement but there was a discussion of a commitment to continuing the dialogue.”
