Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Sen. Chuck Schumer are still keeping Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani at arm’s length as they focus on the 2026 midterm elections amid the hope Democrats can retake Congress and stop President Trump’s right-wing agenda in its tracks.

As the November mayoral election edges closer, the Democratic congressional leaders appear to be in no hurry to embrace the progressive Mamdani , whose pro-Palestinian stance and plans to fund his affordability agenda by boosting taxes have made him a lightning rod for criticism from national Republicans and a number of moderate Democrats.

“They are probably weighing the potential blowback from swing districts nationally from the perceptions of progressive politics,” said Basil Smikle, a Columbia University professor and

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