{"id":542,"date":"2026-06-18T09:38:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T09:38:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=542"},"modified":"2026-06-18T09:38:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T09:38:50","slug":"zohran-mamdani-and-aocs-split-endorsements-are-raising-eyebrows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=542","title":{"rendered":"Zohran Mamdani and AOC\u2019s Split Endorsements Are Raising Eyebrows"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Two of the biggest progressive stars in the country are taking a split path on endorsements in messy Democratic primaries, leaving some Democrats reading the tea leaves for what it means for their political futures.<\/p>\n

Read more Florida Fliers Rage Against Trump International Airport<\/a><\/p>\n

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is backing a trio of insurgent candidates in House races, including two who are challenging Democratic incumbents, while staying out of contentious state legislative primaries. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is supporting several Democratic Socialists of America candidates in competitive New York state legislative races, while so far staying out of contentious congressional primaries.<\/p>\n

Theseeminglycomplementary slates, when combined, cover most of DSA\u2019s endorsed candidates, leading some consultants to speculate that the pair \u201cdivided and conquered,\u201d as one put it. They\u2019re also a sign of the pair\u2019s diverging political realities, more than a half-dozen New York Democratic strategists said. <\/p>\n

Mamdani, who must work with Albany powerbrokers for his city\u2019s budget, is avoiding run-ins with state leaders, while Ocasio-Cortez, who is seen as a potential presidential candidate, isn\u2019t alienating relationships with her congressional colleagues, they said.<\/p>\n

Mamdani has \u201cgot to build his allies, and for him, clearly the path that he\u2019s taken is working locally, within New York City, to do that,\u201d said David Hogg, co-founder of progressive group Leaders We Deserve, an early backer of Mamdani. \u201cWhereas, for AOC, it\u2019s been much more of a national focus.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a brief interview with NOTUS, Ocasio-Cortez, who has endorsed in a handful of other House races, said she and Mamdani are \u201cin two different positions,\u201d and \u201cas a member of the New York delegation,\u201d it was \u201cimportant to let those processes \u2026 bear out.\u201d She also acknowledged her \u201cmuch deeper focus\u201d in building a progressive bench downballot. Spokespeople for both Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez declined to comment on the suggestion of the pair coordinating their endorsements.<\/p>\n

New York\u2019s June 23 primaries feature a slew of races for solidly blue seats, riven by all the forces dividing the Democratic Party: generational change, ideological battles, U.S.-Israel politics and record-breaking spending from outside groups representing AI, crypto and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg. It\u2019s the latest round of expensive, contentious primaries that have defined much of the party\u2019s primary season as Democrats look to retake the House in November.<\/p>\n

And for Ocasio-Cortez and Mamdani, the primaries have provided a moment to flex and test their political muscles.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are very strategic political actors, but they are also political actors who are tied to an outside movement,\u201d said Grace Mausser, the co-chair of New York City\u2019s DSA chapter. \u201cThey know they can\u2019t build power just by themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mamdani is backing three left-wing challengers in some of his biggest political swings yet. He endorsed former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, a progressive ally even as they competed for mayor, against Rep. Dan Goldman (D-New York), whose more moderate position on Israel<\/u><\/span> had made him a target of progressives.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also backing Assembly member Claire Valdez in the open race to replace retiring Rep. Nydia Vel\u00e1zquez (D-New York), who has endorsed Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. Mamdani\u2019s support could prove key here in a district where Reynoso\u2019s name recognition and record would usually give him the upper hand against someone like Valdez, who was first elected in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom polling that I\u2019ve seen, Zohran\u2019s endorsement of a candidate moves a race in New York City, typically, about 30 %,\u201d said Hogg, whose group has also endorsed Valdez. \u201cIf he was any other political figure, [these endorsements] are risky, but he is so uniquely positioned.\u201d<\/p>\n

That hasn\u2019t always played out early in Mamdani\u2019s time as a political kingmaker. The mayor had an early loss when he jumped into a City Council special election in April, endorsing a candidate who ultimately went on to lose<\/u><\/span> by a wide margin.<\/p>\n

Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-New York), chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, may be hoping for a repeat of that failure. Espaillat is fending off a challenge from activist Darializa Avila Chevalier, who picked up Mamdani\u2019s final congressional endorsement. It might be Mamdani\u2019s most dangerous intervention, several Democrats said, as Espaillat is the informal dean of New York politics, mentoring a generation of Dominican and Latino leaders.<\/p>\n

Read more Reflecting Pool Party<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s minimal governing risk but a lot of political risk\u201d by backing Avila Chevalier, said Trip Yang, a Democratic consultant working on several New York races, including for Goldman. \u201cHe may very well need some of [Espaillat\u2019s] mentees\u2019 help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Mamdani has taken heat for his role in the race: The New York Times reported<\/u><\/span> last month that the mayor had originally pledged to support Espaillat. A spokesman for Mamdani declined to comment.<\/p>\n

Mamdani\u2019s intervention has infuriated the Congressional Hispanic Caucus as well as House Democratic leadership, with two senior House Democrats sharing that his endorsement could cost Espaillat that seat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Mamdani movement has never been tested, except when he himself was on the ballot, so I see him as the Donald Trump of the left,\u201d said a New York Democratic operative, granted anonymity to speak candidly. \u201cHe\u2019s only focused on his base and his strategy around appealing to his base, and these endorsements do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, Mamdani is trying to rub some of his viral magic off on his endorsed candidates. The mayor appeared in a basketball-themed TV ad, bathed in New York Knicks orange, last week, as they fought for their first championship in decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my team,\u201d Mamdani said in the ad, flanked by Lander, Avila Chevalier and Valdez. \u201cThis is our year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ocasio-Cortez was not part of the ad. She effectively stopped endorsing against incumbents after the 2022 cycle, committing to not do so<\/u><\/span> when she was running to be the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, losing to the late Rep. Gerry Connolly. But she did reopen that door earlier this spring. <\/u><\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not surprising, then, that Ocasio-Cortez has opted against endorsing in these races because \u201cgoverning is difficult, and in order to govern, you need to rely on other people in government to help you be successful, and it requires having relationships with peers and colleagues in elected office,\u201d said Jasmine Gripper, co-director of the New York Working Families Party.<\/p>\n

\u201cAOC\u2019s maturity, and being a more senior member, [she] understands that in order to continue to advance in her career, she has to have friends and partners in government in order to continue to get things done,\u201d Gripper continued.<\/p>\n

So far, she\u2019s weighed in judiciously on House primaries, often waiting until the final weeks to give her preferred candidate a boost. This \u201ccloser\u201d approach has worked in several races, including in California, Pennsylvania, Montana and New Jersey. She\u2019s not gotten involved in some high-profile primaries involving progressive candidates, including the Maine Senate race.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, observers see their endorsements and navigation as a bigger sign of what\u2019s to come for the two democratic socialists.<\/p>\n

\u201cMamdani seems to be swinging harder into these primaries than Ocasio-Cortez, while she\u2019s been taking her shots more carefully,\u201d said a Democratic consultant, granted anonymity to discuss the issue candidly. \u201cOcasio-Cortez is trying to build a national operation while Zohran is consolidating power in New York.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018A Necessary Disaster\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The two New York progressives are backing different candidates, signalling different political aims.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":541,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2026-election"],"yoast_head":"\nZohran Mamdani and AOC\u2019s Split Endorsements Are Raising Eyebrows - Modern Home Journals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=542\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Zohran Mamdani and AOC\u2019s Split Endorsements Are Raising Eyebrows - Modern Home Journals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The two New York progressives are backing different candidates, signalling different political aims.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=542\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Modern Home Journals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-18T09:38:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=542#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=542\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/533de239efc09a2ab59959cc1bff86d0\"},\"headline\":\"Zohran Mamdani and AOC\u2019s Split Endorsements Are Raising Eyebrows\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-18T09:38:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=542\"},\"wordCount\":1236,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=542#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/a3851971f942890634be3f9555ad0a30-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"2026 Election\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=542#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=542\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=542\",\"name\":\"Zohran Mamdani and AOC\u2019s Split Endorsements Are Raising Eyebrows - Modern Home Journals\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=542#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=542#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/a3851971f942890634be3f9555ad0a30-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-18T09:38:50+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/533de239efc09a2ab59959cc1bff86d0\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=542#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=542\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=542#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/a3851971f942890634be3f9555ad0a30-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/a3851971f942890634be3f9555ad0a30-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1706,\"caption\":\"Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) speaks with reporters as she departs a vote at the U.S. Capitol on April 22, 2026. (Francis Chung\\\/POLITICO via AP Images)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=542#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Zohran Mamdani and AOC\u2019s Split Endorsements Are Raising Eyebrows\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Modern Home Journals\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/533de239efc09a2ab59959cc1bff86d0\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Zohran Mamdani and AOC\u2019s Split Endorsements Are Raising Eyebrows - Modern Home Journals","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=542","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Zohran Mamdani and AOC\u2019s Split Endorsements Are Raising Eyebrows - Modern Home Journals","og_description":"The two New York progressives are backing different candidates, signalling different political aims.","og_url":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=542","og_site_name":"Modern Home Journals","article_published_time":"2026-06-18T09:38:50+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=542#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=542"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/#\/schema\/person\/533de239efc09a2ab59959cc1bff86d0"},"headline":"Zohran Mamdani and AOC\u2019s Split Endorsements Are Raising Eyebrows","datePublished":"2026-06-18T09:38:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=542"},"wordCount":1236,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=542#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a3851971f942890634be3f9555ad0a30-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["2026 Election"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=542#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=542","url":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=542","name":"Zohran Mamdani and AOC\u2019s Split Endorsements Are Raising Eyebrows - Modern Home Journals","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=542#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=542#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a3851971f942890634be3f9555ad0a30-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-18T09:38:50+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/#\/schema\/person\/533de239efc09a2ab59959cc1bff86d0"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=542#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=542"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=542#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a3851971f942890634be3f9555ad0a30-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a3851971f942890634be3f9555ad0a30-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1706,"caption":"Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) speaks with reporters as she departs a vote at the U.S. Capitol on April 22, 2026. (Francis Chung\/POLITICO via AP Images)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=542#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Zohran Mamdani and AOC\u2019s Split Endorsements Are Raising Eyebrows"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/","name":"Modern Home Journals","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/#\/schema\/person\/533de239efc09a2ab59959cc1bff86d0","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/modernhomejournals.com"],"url":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=542"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}