Jeffries endorses Wiley in New York mayor’s race

New York City mayoral candidate Maya Wiley on Sunday announced an endorsement from Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).

Wiley touted the endorsement on Twitter, and said that she would appear at a campaign rally with Jeffries at the Restoration Plaza in Brooklyn later in the day. 

Excited to join @hakeemjeffries at Restoration Plaza in Brooklyn this afternoon! You won’t want to miss it. pic.twitter.com/auLEqm7TWi

— Maya Wiley (@mayawiley) May 16, 2021

According to The New York Times, Jeffries, who is the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, said that he endorsed Wiley because she is a “change candidate” running in a “change election.”  Jeffries also cited Wiley’s humble beginnings.

“Maya’s life experiences, if she can get out and tell that story, will be particularly compelling,”  Jeffries said. “An African-American woman who lost her father at a very young age but rallied back from that adversity to follow in her father’s footsteps as a civil rights champion is a quintessential change candidate.”

Jeffries also reportedly added that he is drawn to Wiley’s proposed policies including her promise to lead an equitable economic recovery coming out of the pandemic.

“Those communities who have been hurt the most in terms of an economic crisis have often been helped the least,” Jeffries said, according to the Times. “Those communities that have been hurt the least have often been helped the most. It seems to me that Maya Wiley is the person to make sure that this time will be different.”

Wiley, who is a former counsel to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) and civil rights lawyer, is trailing Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and entrepreneur Andrew Yang according to recent polling ahead of the Democratic primary on June 22. 

The Hill has reached out to Jeffries’s office for comment.