Mamdani and Stewart-Cousins Agree: Democrats Don't Really Need Jay Jacobs

On a glorious late summer afternoon, standing next to one of New York's most powerful state lawmakers, Zohran Mamdani stated the obvious: Jay Jacobs's pointed refusal to back his mayoral candidacy is a sign that the state's Democratic Party chair is discouraging voters from joining the Democratic party.

"We need to ensure we're building a tent that can not only win elections, but can also reflect the concerns of so many who have lost their faith in the Democratic process," Mamdani said, when asked about Jacobs's non-endorsement. "It's hard to fully understand a party chairman that looks at a campaign that has won a primary with the most votes in history, that has made the top three voting age demographics all below the age of thirty-five, and has increased turnout among the very Asian voters we were losing to Donald Trump less than a year ago, and say 'this is a step too far.'"