Kamala Harris backs Mamdani, who didn’t publicly back her over Israel and Gaza

This piece first ran as part of The Countdown, our daily newsletter rounding up all the developments in the New York City mayor’s race. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. There are 40 days to the election.

📣 Harris backs Mamdani

• Kamala Harris became the most prominent Democrat to back Zohran Mamdani this week.

• Mamdani confirmed to The New York Times that Harris called him yesterday. “I was excited the vice president reached out for a conversation where she reiterated her support for my candidacy, and I shared my appreciation,” he said. “We discussed the affordability agenda that I ran on and the importance of joy amidst the struggle of our politics.”

• Though Mamdani has said that he voted for Harris on the Working Families Party ballot line in 2024, he did not endorse her during the election. In the primary, Mamdani supported the “Uncommitted” movement and its affiliates in calling on Democrats to withhold votes to protest the Biden administration’s support for Israel.

• Harris’ call came two days after Harris gave a more tepid endorsement in an interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, her first major TV news appearance since losing the 2024 presidential election to President Trump. She was promoting her book, “107 Days,” about her short campaign after Joe Biden dropped out.

• “I support the Democrat in the race, sure,” Harris said to Maddow, when pressed for an endorsement. She added that Mamdani “should be supported” by other Democrats as their nominee. But she also quickly changed the subject to other candidates running for mayor across the country.

• By Wednesday night, Harris was praising Mamdani at an event in Manhattan. She told the crowd that she said to Mamdani during their phone call, “You are bringing people in and you are showing that there are voices that want to be heard, have felt left out and are now a part of what you are doing.”

🍯 A first on Rosh Hashanah

• Mamdani went to his first Rosh Hashanah service on Monday night. He joined Brad Lander, the city comptroller and a close ally, at Lander’s synagogue Kolot Chaiyenu in Brooklyn. The non-denominational congregation is known for its progressive politics and pro-Palestinian advocacy.

• Meanwhile, Andrew Cuomo went to a service at the Park East Synagogue on the Upper East Side on Tuesday.

• Mayor Eric Adams joined the Sephardic Lebanese Congregation, also known as Kol Eliyahu, wearing an embroidered jacket that has turned heads. The congregation is in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn, a heart of the city’s Sephardic community. He addressed the congregation, according to photos released by his office.

• And Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, who has two Jewish sons, said he wished them “a new year in which they’re able to look back at Jewish history and understand the great traditions.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams wore a jacket embroidered with Jewish stars to Rosh Hashanah services at the Sephardic Lebanese Congregation in Brooklyn, Sept. 23, 2025. (Courtesy Mayor’s Office)

📺 Mamdani celebrates Kimmel’s return

• Mamdani said he will reschedule a town hall on WABC after the Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC, returned Jimmy Kimmel to the airwaves on Monday. Earlier that day, Mamdani said he would withdraw from appearing on the network this week in protest against Kimmel’s suspension.

• Kimmel’s talk show was pulled after he spoke about the killing of conservative activist and Trump ally Charlie Kirk. Mamdani said the move sent a message that “the First Amendment is no longer a right that can be counted on.”

• Mamdani celebrated Kimmel’s return on X. “Last week, Disney/ABC caved to Trump administration pressure,” he posted. “Millions of Americans helped them find their backbone.”

💰 Bessent says NYC can ‘drop dead’ if Mamdani needs a bailout

• The Trump administration won’t bail out New York City if Mamdani becomes mayor and there is a financial crisis, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Fox Business Network yesterday.

• “I guarantee you — and there are not a lot of things in life that are sure — that New York City will be coming to the federal government for a bailout if the Mamdani plans are implemented,” said Bessent.

• He added that if the city needed a bailout, he would respond by quoting the famous headline describing Gerald Ford’s message to the city in 1975: “Drop dead.”

📊 Numbers to know

• A new poll from Suffolk University shows Mamdani leading the race with 45% of likely voters, trailed by Cuomo with 25%, Sliwa with 9% and Adams with 8%.

• A majority of likely voters, 56%, said they rejected accusations that Mamdani is antisemitic.