NEW YORK (Diya TV) — U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders endorsed New York State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani for mayor of New York City on Tuesday, calling the 32-year-old Queens Democrat “the bold and visionary leader this moment demands.” The high-profile backing marks a significant moment for Mamdani’s progressive campaign, which has steadily gained momentum ahead of the June 24 Democratic primary.

“We need new leadership that’s ready to stand up to powerful corporate interests and fight for the working class,” Sanders said in a statement. “Zohran Mamdani is providing that vision.”

Mamdani, who was elected to the State Assembly in 2020, represents the 36th District in Queens. He is the son of acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair and Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani. Born in Kampala and raised in New York, he previously worked as a housing counselor and became one of the first South Asians and Muslims elected to the state legislature.

His campaign focuses on a sweeping progressive platform. Key proposals include constructing 200,000 units of affordable housing, instituting a citywide rent freeze, providing universal free childcare, and making buses fare-free. He also pledges to open city-owned grocery stores, reduce small business fines, expand mental health services, and raise the minimum wage. Mamdani plans to fund these initiatives through higher taxes on large corporations and the wealthiest 1% of New Yorkers.

“This campaign isn’t backed by billionaires—it’s powered by the people,” Mamdani said in response to the endorsement, adding that he hopes to “make Brooklyn proud” while honoring Sanders’s legacy of working-class advocacy.

Mamdani’s campaign has raised funds largely through grassroots support, pulling in more than 27,000 individual small-dollar donations. He has also drawn support from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who endorsed him earlier this month and has since campaigned alongside him. Like Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez has framed the race as a stark choice between establishment power and people-powered progressivism.

“Our nation faces a fundamental choice,” Sanders said in a statement obtained by The New York Times. “Will we continue with a corporate-dominated politics driven by billionaires, or will we build a grassroots movement fueled by everyday people?”

Early polls showed former Governor Andrew Cuomo leading the crowded Democratic primary field by double digits. However, recent polling suggests Mamdani has closed the gap considerably, thanks in part to support from younger and more left-leaning voters. Cuomo, who is seeking a political comeback, has secured endorsements from establishment figures such as former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and ex-Governor David Paterson.

Meanwhile, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, facing low approval ratings among Democrats, has opted to skip the Democratic primary and is instead running as an independent.

Despite his momentum, Mamdani faces steep criticism. The New York Times Editorial Board recently urged voters to oppose his bid, writing that his experience is “too thin” and that his policy agenda resembles “a turbocharged version of Mr. de Blasio’s dismaying mayoralty.” 

Moreover, his comments towards Israel and India is seen by many as antisemitic and Hinduphobic. Mamdani is also one of the primary sponsors for a caste discrimination bill for New York State, similar in nature to one in California that was ultimately vetoed, which caused deep divisions amongst the diaspora.

Still, Mamdani’s supporters argue that his campaign offers a needed departure from the status quo, especially in a city grappling with rising housing costs, deepening inequality, and voter frustration.

“If we want a New York City that works for the many and not the few,” Mamdani said, “we have to be unafraid to challenge power—and build something better in its place.”

With early voting already underway and ranked-choice voting in place, the race remains fluid. Mamdani’s grassroots surge, now bolstered by the endorsement of America’s most prominent democratic socialist, has injected new energy into the primary—and could reshape the future of city leadership.