Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has endorsed mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani for the 2025 election, praising Mamdani as having “the right ideas” to lead the city. De Blasio,who served as mayor from 2014 to 2021,highlighted Mamdani’s focus on addressing the city’s affordability crisis and described him as a “Democratic socialist.” In an op-ed and during an appearance on MSNBC’s *Morning Joe*, de Blasio emphasized Mamdani’s attention to everyday issues affecting working families, such as inflation and housing, rather than focusing on so-called identity or “woke” issues.<\/p>\n

de Blasio also supported Mamdani’s proposals, including goverment-run grocery stores<\/a> to combat food deserts<\/a> in New York City and a plan for free bus transportation to increase access to mass transit. Even tho challenged on the effectiveness and precedent of free buses, de Blasio defended the idea without providing specific examples.<\/p>\n

Mamdani’s campaign is also backed by prominent progressive figures such as Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Senator Elizabeth Warren. Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton expressed that he is considering whether to endorse in the election as well. De Blasio downplayed Republican criticism of Mamdani, framing it as an attempt to disrupt Democratic efforts focused on key economic issues affecting voters.

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