New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has thrown her political weight behind two left-wing Metropolis Council members’ reelection bids, marking her first foray into this yr’s native elections as her mayoral race endorsement stays extremely anticipated.
Buzz about Ocasio-Cortez’s involvement within the Council races abounded Wednesday when it emerged on social media that one of many members, Shahana Hanif, had disseminated marketing campaign literature in her Brooklyn district touting an endorsement from the progressive congresswoman.
Shahana Hanif (AP Photograph/Emily Leshner)
On Thursday, Ocasio-Cortez marketing campaign supervisor Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben confirmed she’s endorsing Hanif in addition to fellow Brooklyn Councilwoman Alexa Aviles.
Hidalgo-Wohlleben mentioned Ocasio-Cortez will formally announce her Hanif and Aviles backing subsequent week as a part of a slate of Council election endorsements. He declined to say who else are going to get Ocasio-Cortez’s nod as a part of that announcement.
Aviles, who represents Sundown Park, didn’t instantly return a request for remark.
Alexa Aviles talking at a press convention earlier than a New York Metropolis Council assembly at Metropolis Corridor in Manhattan, New York on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Shawn Inglima for New York Every day Information)
Hanif faces a problem within the June 24 Democratic Council primaries from Maya Kornberg, a extra moderate-leaning candidate. An identical political dynamic is enjoying out in Aviles’ race, by which she faces a problem from group organizer Ling Ye.
The Aviles and Hanif endorsements are the primary Ocasio-Cortez has provided within the metropolis’s 2025 elections.
Ocasio-Cortez, whose congressional district embody elements of Queens and the Bronx, has constructed up a nationwide persona these days and ranks as one of many Democratic Get together’s hottest figures.
Her involvement in June’s Democratic mayoral major is anticipated to weigh particularly heavy, as a number of liberal political establishments, just like the New York Occasions editorial board, aren’t anticipated to supply endorsements within the race.
Hidalgo-Wohlleben declined to reveal Thursday precisely how quickly Ocasio-Cortez may supply a mayoral endorsement, however mentioned it gained’t be earlier than she declares her slate of most well-liked Council candidates.
Lander is a progressive, however has on the mayoral marketing campaign path distanced himself from a few of his earlier lefty stances on points like policing.
Lander was endorsed by Ocasio-Cortez for metropolis comptroller in 2021, a nod that was seen as vital to his victory in that race. However Lander has struggled to realize momentum for his mayoral bid, typically inserting third or fourth in most polls of the competition.
Like Ocasio-Cortez, Mamdani’s a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and has positioned himself as essentially the most left-leaning candidate within the race, working on a platform that features proposals to freeze hire on stabilized tenants and launch metropolis government-owned grocery shops.
In accordance with polls, Mamdani’s additionally the most well-liked progressive within the race, persistently rating because the runner-up to Andrew Cuomo, the favourite to interchange Mayor Adams, who dropped out of the Democratic major final month amid fallout from his federal indictment.
Aviles and Hanif are each additionally Democratic Socialists of America members.
