U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., delivered a blunt rebuke on Saturday to New York Democratic elected officials who have not endorsed Zohran Mamdani, the party’s mayoral nominee in New York City, calling their reticence “spineless” and urging them to rally behind him immediately.
Speaking at the Polk County Democratic Party’s Steak Fry in Des Moines, Van Hollen said the Democratic Party has grown too cautious and must coalesce behind candidates fighting for economic security. “Many Democratic members of the Senate and the House representing New York have stayed on the sidelines,” he said. “That kind of spineless politics is what people are sick of. They need to get behind him and get behind him now.”
Van Hollen’s remarks come after a controversial episode earlier this year in which he met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an El Salvadoran man who was deported under the Trump administration and whose case drew attention from progressives; Garcia has since been returned to the United States amid an ongoing legal battle. The senator’s visit to Iowa follows a string of appearances in the state by national Democrats despite Iowa’s diminished role in the presidential nominating calendar.
Top New York Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Gov. Kathy Hochul, have avoided endorsing Mamdani. Some members of the New York congressional delegation, such as Reps. Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen, have publicly distanced themselves from the nominee, citing concerns about elements of his platform.
Leaders in New York have met with Mamdani in recent months — Jeffries has met with him at least twice this summer and Schumer met with the candidate last week — but have so far stopped short of formal endorsements. New York Democrats have said they are weighing the implications of supporting a candidate who advocates for policies that some in the party view as politically risky ahead of wider national contests.
Mamdani, a progressive who has emphasized affordability and workers’ rights, has proposed measures including expanding public-sector grocery options and pushing for higher taxes to fund services, positions that have drawn sharp criticism from centrist Democrats and opposition from business groups. He also has a history of contentious statements about the New York Police Department that have raised concern among more moderate party figures.
Van Hollen defended Mamdani’s appeal to working voters, saying the candidate is “focused on ensuring that people can afford to live in the place that they work.” He framed the reluctance of other Democrats to endorse as an example of a broader problem within the party, urging officials to move beyond cautious, poll-driven calculations. “We’ve become a party that too often trims its sails. Too cautious, too rudderless,” Van Hollen said. “This finger-in-the-wind stuff has got to end.”
The debate over endorsements occurs against a backdrop of Republican efforts to link Democrats nationally to Mamdani’s positions ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. GOP strategists have indicated they view the New York mayoral contest as a potential vulnerability to exploit in broader messaging to suburban and moderate voters.
Mamdani is competing in the mayoral race against incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, both of whom have been prominent figures in New York politics. The hesitancy of congressional and statewide leaders to endorse the nominee reflects internal calculations about electability, messaging and the potential national repercussions of local races.
Van Hollen’s criticism underscores a widening conversation within the Democratic Party over how to balance progressive policy priorities with broader electoral strategy. Whether New York’s congressional delegation and statewide leaders will respond to his call for swift endorsements remains uncertain as the city’s mayoral contest continues to draw national attention.