The Democratic leader dodges the question about whether Zohran Mamdani is the future of the party

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) dodged a question about whether he sees New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani (D) as the “future” of his party.

“You have already cast your vote for mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Do you see Mamdani as the future of the Democratic Party?” CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Jeffries on Sunday’s “State of the Union.”

“No, I think the future of the Democratic Party is going to decline, as far as we’re concerned, relative to the House Democratic Caucus and the members who are doing great work across the country,” Jeffries responded.

Noting that the American people “deserve better,” Jeffries went on to slam President Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

“Donald Trump and the Republicans have gone too far and failed to deliver anything meaningful for the American people,” he said, before accusing the president of orchestrating the “largest pay-for-play scheme in the history of the country.”

Tapper then attempted to reset the conversation and replied: “Well, I mean, I asked you if Mamdani is the future of the party and you didn’t answer the question.”

Fake Images/YouTube.

Noting that “at least a couple of New York-area Democrats are not endorsing Mamdani,” the political commentator brought up the fact that Jeffries’ endorsement of the Democratic socialist “took a long time.”

After a long wait, Jeffries gave Mamdani a last-minute endorsement late last month despite months of pressure from his party. Following the endorsement of the New York politician, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer now remains the latest lynchpin of the state Democratic leadership to deny support to Mamdani.

Challenging Jeffries for thwarting the question, Tapper directly asked the Democratic leader if he was “worried about Republicans using him as a lightning rod to hurt their ability to take back the House in 2026.”

“No, the lightning rod in terms of what will affect either party’s ability to win control of the House or maintain control of the House in 2026 will be the failure of Republicans to deliver on the promises they have made and actively make the lives of ordinary Americans worse,” Jeffries explained.

According to a new poll, Mamdani’s current lead in the race could be narrowing: he has 40% of the vote, independent candidate Andrew Cuomo 34% and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa 24%.

Watch Jeffries’ appearance on “State of the Union” below.

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