Mamdani and AOC endorse DSA legislative candidates - but not the same ones

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani endorsed a slate of five state legislative candidates on Saturday, just two days after he endorsed an insurgent challenger to Rep. Adriano Espaillat on the same night Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez released her own slate of four state legislative endorsements.

Between the two of them, Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez have now endorsed almost all of the candidates backed by the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America – but they have mostly not endorsed the same candidates. Instead, their slates appear to be complementary. Mamdani is backing DSA’s state legislative candidates running for open seats and congressional candidates whom it would be politically difficult for AOC to endorse, while AOC is backing DSA’s challengers to Assembly incumbents whom Mamdani isn’t willing to endorse.

Ocasio-Cortez’s team didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Mamdani’s declined to comment.

NYC-DSA has endorsed 10 candidates in New York City: congressional candidates Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier, state Senate candidate Aber Kawas, Assembly Member Diana Moreno and Assembly candidates Samantha Kattan, David Orkin, Christian Celeste Tate, Eon Huntley, Illapa Sairitupac and Conrad Blackburn.



https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2026/05/mamdani-and-aoc-endorse-dsa-legislative-candidates-not-same-ones/413872/?oref=csny-homepage-top-story