In yet more bad news for the Democratic Party headed into the 2026 midterms, particularly the man regarded as the closest thing the party has to a real figurehead at this point, Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), chaos has broken out in his home state’s Democratic Party over New York Gov. Hochul’s decision to back socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani for NYC’s mayoral election.
As background, the main fight is between longtime New York state Democratic Party leader Jay Jacobs and Gov. Hochul, as Jacobs categorically refused to back Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayoral race, and could potentially step down over what he sees as a stab in the back from Hochul, which would send the state party spiralling into chaos.
Hochul, for her part, backed Mamdani in an opinion piece for the New York Times, saying, :The question of who will be the next mayor is one I take extremely seriously and to which I have devoted a great deal of thought.” She added, clearly backing the socialist, “Tonight I am endorsing Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.”
Jacobs was reportedly furious, and, as he said in a statement, refused to back Mamdani for the mayoral race. Beginning that statement, he said, “Mr. Mamdani and I are in agreement that America’s greatest problem is the continued growth in income disparity in our nation. On how to address it – we fundamentally disagree.”
Continuing, Jacobs explained that he disagrees with Mamdani on key policies, though he didn’t articulate what those were other than US-Israel policy, which is hardly overly relevant for a mayoral position. He said, “Furthermore, as I expressed to him directly, I strongly disagree with his views on the State of Israel, along with certain key policy positions.”
Then, getting to the really searing part of the statement, he said, “I reject the platform of the so-called ‘Democratic Socialists of America’ and do not believe that it represents the principles, values or policies of the Democratic Party. For those reasons I will not be endorsing Mr. Mamdani for Mayor of the City of New York.”
According to a Democratic Party official who spoke with the New York Post, Hochul’s decision could lead to Jacobs quitting his position, which would be an utter disaster for the state. That official began, “She’s putting him in a bad situation. The governor is trying to get him to stay on, but he’s saying he’s not going step back and be for this guy who is against Jews.”
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Continuing, the official pointed to the resignation threat and what the whole situation means for the party, saying, “How does Jay Jacobs win in Nassau County? You’re almost going to force him to resign. Do you stay a state chairman or lose your local party? And how does the state chairman not endorse the largest city’s Democratic pick?”
Hocul’s office responded to the threat by stating that a new chair could be found, telling the NYP, “The governor and party chair have not discussed his tenure since his statement today. As the leader of the party, the governor is holding ongoing discussions about who the best person is to serve as chair moving forward.”
Watch Tom Homan scorch Mamdani here: