The chairman of the New York State Democratic Party said on Thursday that he would not support Zohran Mamdani, his party’s nominee for mayor of New York City, citing fundamental disagreements over Israel and democratic socialism.
The position puts the chairman, Jay Jacobs, directly at odds with both Democratic primary voters and Gov. Kathy Hochul, his de facto boss, who endorsed Mr. Mamdani on Sunday despite her own differences with the nominee.
Mr. Jacobs, a moderate from Long Island, was so opposed to the governor’s endorsement that he told associates in recent days that he would sooner resign as chairman than back Mr. Mamdani, a 33-year-old state lawmaker and democratic socialist, according to people who spoke with the chairman.
He does seem to be kind of bad at politics. Hochul just showed him how to thread the needle, he could have followed her lead.
Hochul just showed him how to acquiesce to public sentiment in the same way a windsock acquiesces to the wind. It is entirely impossible to pretend there was any level of shrewdness or political aptitude in Hochul’s tepid and tardy endorsement.
The only difference here is that Hochul could lose her job due to voters thinking she’s an idiot, while Jacobs is not actually accountable in any meaningful way to the voting public.
Hochul can see which way the wind is blowing and adapt, this guy can’t or won’t. He sucks at politics worse than Hochul is my only point.