Former Mayor Bill de Blasio has thrown his political weight behind Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, endorsing the Queens assemblyman’s insurgent bid for City Hall with a sweeping declaration that his progressive agenda is the only way to rescue New York City from spiraling inequality.

In a New York Daily News op-ed published Tuesday, de Blasio — who helmed the city for two terms from 2014 to 2021 — hailed Mamdani’s platform as “bold” and “sweeping,” arguing it represents the city’s best hope to remain livable for working-class New Yorkers.

“We don’t just need Zohran Mamdani to be our mayor because he has the right ideas, or because they can be achieved,” de Blasio wrote. “We need him because in his heart and in his bones he cannot accept a city that prices out the people who built it and keep it running.”

Mamdani, who stunned the city’s political establishment by clinching the Democratic primary in June, has campaigned on an ambitious – and entirely unrealistic – platform: freezing rents, providing free child care, and making city buses fare-free. De Blasio credited those promises for Mamdani’s primary victory, saying they address the city’s deepest anxieties over affordability.

“Many New Yorkers agree with him — many others are skeptical,” de Blasio admitted. “Still others have lost faith in the city government’s ability to not only talk, but deliver. They want to know one fundamental truth: can it be done? I can say definitely — and I know better than anyone — that the answer is yes.”

The former mayor, who weathered years of criticism over his own progressive policies, compared Mamdani’s agenda to initiatives he championed — from pre-K for all to paid sick leave — that were initially dismissed as “recklessly idealistic.”

“Often, these critiques were lodged by politicians and special interest groups who had a vested interest in maintaining the broken status quo,” de Blasio argued. “In short, labeling my agenda as infeasible masked their true problem with it: an unwillingness to cede power and opportunity to working people.”

He insisted that, just as his administration delivered on programs once deemed impossible, Mamdani’s vision is not only viable but urgently necessary.

De Blasio’s endorsement represents a sharp rebuke to Mayor Eric Adams, whom he backed in 2021. Adams, now seeking re-election as an independent, has centered his campaign on public safety and fiscal restraint.

Mamdani, meanwhile, is positioning himself as the polar opposite: a champion for renters, working families, and social justice causes. He faces a crowded November ballot that includes Adams, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, and attorney Jim Walden.

The former mayor also invoked national politics, blasting President Donald Trump’s administration for slashing federal safety-net programs.

“At a time when Donald Trump is cutting SNAP benefits, gutting Medicaid, and once again leaving working people out to dry, the need for an unwavering fighter in City Hall has never been higher,” de Blasio wrote.

The endorsement is one of the most high-profile boosts Mamdani has received, underscoring how seriously New York’s progressive wing is rallying behind him. But it also carries political risk: de Blasio left office with sagging approval ratings, and critics may seize on his backing as a liability.

“In 2025, the same overheated condemnations yield the same result as in 2013,” de Blasio wrote. “Not only does the public want what Mamdani is proposing — it actually all can be done.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)