Hakeem Jeffries Dodges Question About Whether Zohran Mamdani Is ‘The Future Of The Party’

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) sidestepped a question about whether he views New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani (D) as his party’s “future.”

“You’ve already cast your ballot for mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Do you see Mamdani as the future of the Democratic Party?” CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Jeffries on “State of the Union” Sunday.

“No, I think the future of the Democratic Party is going to fall, as far as we’re concerned, relative to the House Democratic Caucus and members who are doing great work all across the country,” Jeffries responded.

Noting that the American people “deserve better,” Jeffries then switched to torching President Donald Trump and the GOP.

“Donald Trump and republicans have gone way too far, and have failed to deliver anything meaningful for the American people,” he said, before accusing the president of orchestrating the “largest pay-to-play scheme in the history of the country.”

Tapper then tried to get the conversation back on track, replying, “Well, I mean, I asked you about if Mamdani is the future of the party, and you didn’t answer the question.”

Noting that “at least a couple house democrats from the New York area are not endorsing Mamdani,” the political commentator brought up the fact that Jeffries’ endorsement for the democratic socialist “took a long time.”

After a lengthy wait, Jeffries gave Mamdani a last-minute endorsement late last month despite months of pressure from his party. Following the New York politician’s endorsement, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer now remains the final linchpin in state Democratic leadership to withhold support from Mamdani.

Challenging Jeffries for thwarting the question, Tapper directly asked the Democratic leader if he was “concerned about Republicans using him as a lightning rod so as to hurt your ability to win back the House in 2026.”

“No, the lightning rod in terms of what’s going to impact the ability of either side to win control of the House or hold control of the House in 2026 is going to be the failure of Republicans to actually deliver on the promises that they have made and to actively make life worse for everyday Americans,” Jeffries explained.

According to a new poll, Mamdani’s ongoing lead in the race could be shrinking, with him holding 40% of the vote, independent candidate Andrew Cuomo at 34% and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa at 24%.

Watch Jeffries’ appearance on “State of the Union” below.