Progressive standard-bearer Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced her long-anticipated endorsements in the Democratic primary for NYC mayor on Thursday morning — ranking Democratic socialist Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani first on a slate of five candidates.
In making her June 24 primary picks, Ocasio-Cortez, who revealed them via The New York Times on Thursday morning, fully embraced using ranked-choice voting to try and overcome former Gov. Andrew Cuomo — who holds a double-digit polling advantage in the race.
She ranked City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, city Comptroller Brad Lander, his predecessor Scott Stringer, and Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie as her second through fifth choices.
The Congress Member, whose Bronx and Queens district overlaps with Mamdani’s, said in a statement that the Assembly member has “demonstrated a real ability on the ground to put together a coalition of working-class New Yorkers that is strongest to lead the pack.”
She also encouraged her supporters “do not rank Andrew Cuomo on your ballot at all. Leave the bubble next to his name blank.”
Mamdani has built his campaign on a simple message of using government to make life more affordable for New Yorkers by making city buses free, instituting universal subsidized child care, and freezing rent increases for stabilized tenants. His strategy using that message to build grassroots enthusiasm among progressives echoes Ocasio-Cortez’s own that led to her upset victory over former US Rep. Joe Crowley in 2018.
AOC and Mamdani also share a savvy for using social media to communicate their message to young voters.
“Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a once-in-a-generation leader and I am honored to have her endorsement as we seek to turn the page on the broken politics of the past,” Mamdani said in a statement. “In 2018, AOC shocked the world and changed our politics for the better with her historic victory. On June 24th, we will do the same.”
Ocasio-Cortez’s backing could give Mamdani, who has been polling in second place to Cuomo, a significant boost in the final days before the primary. While Mamdani was shown to be closing his polling gap with Cuomo in an Emerson College survey released last week, he is still 12 points behind in the first round of ranked-choice voting and eight points in the 10th round.
AOC’s profile has also grown among Democrats in recent months as she’s rallied with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, another progressive leader, across the country in opposition to President Trump’s policies. The “Fight Oligarchy” rallies have drawn tens of thousands of people in each location.
The Bronx/Queens Congresswoman has also been floated as a possible challenger to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer when he is up for re-election in 2028.
Her endorsement could also elevate Speaker Adams, who has placed third and fourth in recent polls, to the top of progressive voters’ ballots. The speaker was a late entrant into the race and is still unknown to most voters.
“I am so proud to have @AOC’s support in this race,” Speaker Adams said in a Thursday X post. “She knows what it takes to stand up to Trump and stop Cuomo—and she sees that we’re building the broad, working-class coalition that it takes to win. Let’s do this, together.”
Four of the five candidates Ocasio-Cortez supports also appear on the New York Working Families Party slate. The progressive WFP also ranked Mamdani first last week, but placed Lander second, Speaker Adams third, Myrie fourth, and state Sen. Jessica Ramos fifth.
It comes on the morning after the first of two televised debates in the contest.
The two-hour affair saw the AOC-endorsed candidates hammer Cuomo with an onslaught of attacks. They painted the former governor as corrupt, beholden to corporate interests pouring money into a super PAC supporting his bid, and wholly unapologetic for scandals that sunk his political career.
