In his first live interview with the former vice president since his retirement, Harris discourages young socialists from crowning the party’s only upstart.
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Straight Arrow News
Former Vice President Kamala Harris may have given Congress member Zoran Mamdani the biggest supporter in the upcoming New York City mayoral election, but she quickly pointed out that there are other upstarts in the Democrats that voters should be looking at.
Mamdani, a member of the American Democratic Socialist, was upset in the June primary and defeated the rafts of former government Andrew Cuomo and more established politicians, including citywide elected officials and state senators. He is currently taking a double-digit lead over his rivals. He includes his rivals, including Cuomo, who runs as an independent, and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and Republican Curtis Swa, in most public votes.
But many mainstream Democrats in Congress and elsewhere avoided throwing all the weight behind the 33-year-old state legislator.
“As far as I’m concerned, he’s a Democratic candidate and he should be supported,” Harris, who is promoting the new book, said in an exclusive MSNBC interview with host Rachel Madow.
Harris asked if he would support Mamdani’s candidacy. “I support Democrats in race, but he’s not the only star,” Harris said.
Harris’ comments have already sparked an online debate between centralized Democrats and progressives distributed to more activists.
Harris should not focus on the race of the mam ticks or the mayor of New York.
Mamdani’s shocking major victory made him a magnet for the political left. His platform includes ideas such as eliminating city bus fares and freezing fees in all rent-stabilized apartments.
However, despite his decisive acquisition of his party’s nomination, democratic heavyweights such as Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the House of Representatives in New York, and Chuck Schumer, the leader of the Senate minority, refused to support his candidacy.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul supported Mamdani after months of pressure earlier this month, saying the Big Apple “deserves a mayor who will stand up to President Donald Trump and make life more affordable for New Yorkers.”
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, another New York Democrat with a national profile, apologized to Mamdani, a Muslim.
Mamdani has thumbs up from progressive figures such as Senator Bernie Sanders, but he is hesitant to accept him as Trump and his Republican allies appear to want him to be their opposite face. Mamdani is an outspoken advocate for reform policing reforms, including past embraces since abandoning the NYPD and Palestinian rights.
Harris, who promotes her new book in her 2024 campaign, stressed that the party is still a “big tent” and discouraged people from focusing solely on New York City in her first live interview since she left office.
“We don’t over-index the index in New York City, so we’re losing sight of the stars currently running for mayor and many other cities,” she said.
