Ms. Wiley, one of the more left-wing candidates in the race, said she heard from Mr. Jeffries on Friday evening and added that he, along with Ms. Clarke and Ms. Velázquez, were “leaders whose voters trust them”. respect them and they move voices. “
“Letting Hakeem Jeffries stand up with me and say, ‘This is my candidate’ is of tremendous importance in an extremely important part of this city to win for anyone who wants to become mayor of New York City,” she added .
In the June primary, New Yorkers can rate up to five mayoral candidates, and Mr Jeffries said he may disclose other rankings of his choice for mayor, but said he has not yet made a decision on how to proceed.
In the interview, he outlined a detailed map of what he saw as Ms. Wiley’s path to victory, though with an overcrowded field of candidates there is certainly significant competition for every major political constituency in New York.
“I expect Eric Adams and Maya Wiley will perform best in the communities in central Brooklyn as well as in other traditionally African American neighborhoods in New York,” Jeffries said, noting Ms. Wiley’s potential in “both traditionally African American communities.” also in parts of the city where many white liberals live, with neighborhoods like Chelsea in Manhattan and progressive enclaves in Brooklyn being mentioned.
“It’s a pretty powerful option if the campaign can keep putting it together over the next few weeks,” he said.
Some rival Democrats have feared the prospect of a late surge in Ms. Wiley and the weeks ahead will test their ability to take advantage of that opportunity.
