Queens Borough President Donovan Richards on Friday endorsed Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani in the November general election, urging other prominent Democrats who have been “sitting on the fence” to “meet this moment” and get behind his campaign.
The Queens Beep, during a Friday news conference in Richmond Hill, commended Mamdani for inspiring young and first-time voters with his affordability-focused platform to turn out in droves for him during the June Democratic primary. He said Mamdani gave voters and himself “hope” with proposals like freezing rent increases for stabilized tenants and making buses free.
Richards, who did not endorse a candidate in the primary, said he is backing Mamdani in spite of the lawmaker’s democratic socialist branding because his platform is simply “common sense.” He advised other establishment Democrats who have been hesitant to embrace Mamdani to do the same.
“We have an obligation to stand together as a borough, to stand for the best candidate who represents the very value that this community represents, and that is Zohran Mamdani,” Richards said. “So we are here today to officially endorse him, but also to send a message that we have to meet this moment.”
Richards also sees Mamdani as the candidate best to take on Republican President Donald Trump, who he said wants to “break the very values that this borough represents.”
Mamdani has spent the past week on a “Five Boroughs Against Trump” tour focused on highlighting how Trump’s policies are hurting New Yorkers across the city — including a crackdown on undocumented immigrants and massive social safety net cuts.
Mamdani launched the tour after The New York Times reported last week that his chief rival, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, recently spoke with Trump over the phone about the mayor’s race — a call both Cuomo and Trump deny took place.
Richards, who is Black and represented part of southeast Queens in the City Council, could help Mamdani make inroads with Black elected officials and voters as the Democratic nominee tries to expand his coalition in the general election. That is something Richards said he is ready to do.
“We’re going to crisscross this borough, this city, wherever he needs me, to make sure that especially Black communities know that this is a man who understands the importance of not just rhetoric but policies,” Richards said. “I can’t speak for those people who haven’t endorsed yet, but I think my stamp of approval speaks for itself.”
The Black establishment Democrats who have yet to endorse in the race include U.S. Reps. Gregory Meeks (Queens) and Hakeem Jeffries (Brooklyn). More broadly, other party leaders, such as Gov. Kathy Hochul and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, have held off as well.
Nonetheless, Mamdani appears to steadily be coalescing the party’s establishment behind his campaign. In addition to Richards, Mamdani has also won the backing of U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, several City Council members, and most of the city’s major labor unions.
