New York, NY — September 3, 2025
Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has officially endorsed Democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani in the 2025 mayoral race, calling his agenda “bold” and “achievable” in a Tuesday op-ed for the New York Daily News.
“We need him because in his heart and in his bones he cannot accept a city that prices out the people who built it and keep it running,” de Blasio wrote, praising Mamdani’s focus on affordability, including proposals for rent freezes, free child care, and fare-free public buses.
De Blasio, who served as mayor from 2014 to 2021, acknowledged public skepticism toward government promises, but insisted Mamdani’s platform is realistic. “I can say definitely — and I know better than anyone — that the answer is yes,” he said.
Reflecting on his own tenure, de Blasio defended past initiatives like universal pre-K, paid sick leave, and affordable housing, which he said were once dismissed as “recklessly idealistic.” He argued that the same forces resisting Mamdani’s campaign are those that resisted his own — “politicians and special interests” invested in the status quo.
De Blasio, who previously endorsed Mayor Eric Adams in 2021, said the current political climate — especially under what he described as a “cost-cutting agenda” from former President Trump — makes Mamdani’s progressive platform even more necessary.
Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary in June, is considered a front-runner heading into the November general election.
