New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stopped short of formally endorsing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for a Democratic primary challenge to Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, but signaled he is ready to embrace whatever she decides to do next.
“I’m excited to see whatever it is that she decides to do next,” Mr. Mamdani said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I don’t think she’s made a decision yet, but we’re very proud of her here in New York City.”
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, 36, and her team have reportedly been positioning her for a presidential run or a 2028 Senate primary challenge against Mr. Schumer.
The 75-year-old Mr. Schumer’s future has been a subplot of the 2026 midterm elections, with insurgent Democratic candidates running in competitive races distancing themselves from the party’s leader, and seemingly benefiting from it.
In Maine, Graham Platner, 41, is running against Schumer-backed Gov. Janet Mills in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Susan Collins. Mr. Platner has said he would not back Mr. Schumer as Senate leader.
In Michigan, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, 39, has said she would not support Mr. Schumer as caucus leader if Democrats regain the majority. Ms. McMorrow is running to succeed Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who decided not to seek reelection.
In Illinois, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, 60, the Democratic nominee to succeed longtime Schumer confidante Sen. Dick Durbin, has flatly declared she will not support Mr. Schumer as leader.
And in Massachusetts, Rep. Seth Moulton, 47, who is challenging Democratic Sen. Edward Markey, has called Mr. Schumer “ineffective” at standing up to President Trump.
All have called for a new generation of leadership on Capitol Hill.
Mr. Mamdani, 34, sidestepped a direct question about whether Mr. Schumer should relinquish his leadership post, saying his focus is on working with everyone who can deliver for New York. “It’s not predicated on, did you endorse me in the election or not?” he said.
He framed the broader generational debate within his party less as a question of age than of vision, arguing Democrats need to articulate what they stand for rather than simply what they oppose.
“It is sad that for too many Americans, when they want to look for ambition in the Democratic Party, they have to turn to a history book,” the mayor said.
Just over 100 days into his tenure, Mr. Mamdani said his experience governing New York City — including navigating a $5.4 billion budget shortfall — has only deepened his commitment to democratic socialism.
“I believe in it even more than I did the day before,” he said, “because of the fact that it is focused on the needs of working people, and working people need that focus, that fight from politicians more than ever.”
Republicans say Mr. Mamdani’s big-government, high-tax vision is fueling an exodus from New York and scaring away businesses.
Among his signature promises, Mr. Mamdani said New Yorkers will see universal child care for two-year-olds by the end of his first term, with coverage for younger children to follow in a second term. He framed the program in stark economic terms, saying it would save families $20,000 a year in child care costs.
To help foot the bill, Mr. Mamdani pointed to a pied-a-terre tax on luxury second homes — an agreement he said he has reached with Gov. Kathy Hochul, a fellow Democrat, that would raise $500 million annually.
He was emphatic that his broader tax agenda would not touch the middle class.
“Unless they make more than $1 million a year or own some of the most profitable corporations in our city or have a second home that’s worth more than $5 million, then these are not taxes that apply to them,” he said.
