‘Tells You Everything That You Need To Know’: Turrentine On Why Schumer And Jeffries Aren’t Backing Mamdani

Former Democratic strategist Dan Turrentine explained Thursday on Fox News why prominent Democratic Party figures haven’t expressed support for New York’s mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced Wednesday that they are arranging a meeting with Mamdani. During an appearance on “The Ingraham Angle,” Turrentine weighed in on the reason why the two leaders haven’t endorsed Mamdani.

“They know that their members, Democrats in the House and the Senate, are going to have to answer for this guy. And I think they are trying to figure it out. Do they endorse him, or do they just remain silent?” Turrentine said to host Laura Ingraham.

Turrentine said the reluctance of these prominent Democrats to endorse Mamdani signals a deeper concern within the party.

WATCH: 

“Not only has Chuck Schumer not endorsed him, Hakeem Jeffries hasn’t endorsed him and the other senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, who is the head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, has also been silent. I think that tells you everything that you need to know,” Turrentine added.

Despite posting congratulatory messages on their X accounts, Schumer and Jeffries stopped short of offering full support to Mamdani. While they announced plans for a meeting, they have not revealed the details of their discussions. (RELATED: Eric Adams Says Mamdani Never Passed A Bill But Now Wants To Run NYC)

With 88% of votes tallied, Mamdani was in the lead with 43.5% of first-choice selections, while former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo lagged behind with 36.3%. Prior to Tuesday’s Democratic primary, Mamdani received support from Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

If Mamdani maintains his lead, he will face Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa in November as well as incumbent Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is seeking reelection on an independent ballot after bypassing the Democratic primary.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.