(MENAFN- Live Mint) House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries endorsed New York City's Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, throwing the weight of one of the highest-ranking party members behind the Queens assemblyman.

“Zohran Mamdani has relentlessly focused on addressing the affordability crisis and explicitly committed to being a mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who do not support his candidacy,” Jeffries said in a statement to the New York Times.

The Brooklyn native's support, which was not guaranteed, opens a pathway for other Democratic lawmakers to endorse Mamdani - who has described himself as a democratic socialist - in the final weeks before the Nov. 4 election. Jeffries had avoided announcing a decision on who to back in the mayoral race for months.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a centrist, endorsed Mamdani, immediately drawing criticism from the state's Democrats, include the chair of New York's Democratic party. Representatives Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen, two other moderate New York Democrats from swing districts, have been very critical of Mamdani. Also Read | Zohran Mamdani pictured with Brooklyn imam linked to 1993 WTC bombing: Who is he?

National Democratic leaders have been slow to endorse the 34-year-old candidate. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, another fellow New York Democrat, has so far declined to say whether he would endorse Mamdani. Early voting in the New York City mayoral election begins on Saturday.

But Mamdani has the backing of progressives like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat representing parts of Bronx and Queens, and Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent. Both lawmakers have rallied alongside Mamdani during his campaign. Also Read | Zohran Mamdani takes lead in NYC mayoral race with 46% support amid split opposition, poll shows

Polls show Mamdani as the front-runner for the mayoral race against independent Andrew Cuomo, the state's former governor, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. An October AARP New York poll found that 43% of likely voters support Mamdani, compared to roughly 30% who back Cuomo and 19% who back Sliwa.

Mamdani has campaigned on the need for a lower cost of living for working class New Yorkers, calling for the freezing of rent prices on stabilized tenants and building more affordable housing. He has also proposed city-owned grocery stores as a fix for rising food prices and free child care.

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