No, You Don't Get To Celebrate Zohran Mamdani's Win If You Endorse Seattle's Andrew Cuomo

Seattle Congress Member Pramila Jayapal rushed to congratulate Zohran Mamdani’s landslide win over establishment darling Andrew Cuomo in New York, calling it a “blueprint for Democrats across the country.” But when it comes to mayoral elections where her endorsement might actually move the needle, Jayapal slips that very blueprint in the shredder. She endorsed Mayor Bruce Harrell—basically the Cuomo of Seattle—right out the gate and she hasn’t wavered, even as strong left challengers like Katie Wilson entered the field and matched him in fundraising.

For Jayapal, it seems the revolution stops at the Seattle city limits.

In so far as a comparison to the New York Mayor's race is appropriate (the analogy is far from a perfect match), Harrell and Cuomo occupy the same niche. Both are deeply entrenched in the political establishment, both have seen corporate interests bankroll their campaigns, both have come under fire for their treatment of women. They are, in short, the problem.

And Seattle voters know it. Every time Jayapal has posted on social media about her support of Mamdani, Seattle voters inundate her with comments asking her to rescind her endorsement of Harrell.

“Now oppose Harrell,” one commenter wrote.

“Zohran Mamdani = Katie Wilson while Andrew Cuomo = Bruce Harrell,” another wrote. “Make it make sense.”

Whoever runs her Instagram account limited comments on her most recent post about Mamdani.

Jayapal did not respond to my request for comment, but I'll update if she does. Jayapal has answered for her early endorsement of Harrell before. Back in December, Jayapal told me that Harrell earned her endorsement by being a “great partner” to her and her office.

“He made a concerted effort to work with me on ensuring we bring the maximum amount possible of federal funding to Seattle for projects that have helped to build more affordable housing, support transportation and infrastructure, and to fight climate change,” Jayapal said in an email last December. “Mayor Harrell has also been a partner to me in pushing back on the MAGA extremist characterizations of Seattle, and helped me push the facts about how our city is a diverse, welcoming, and progressive place to live and work.”

It's not a very strong argument for Harrell.

And it also goes against the “blueprint” of Mamdani. Jayapal admits in that statement that Harrell helps put on a moderate face to a City that often gets characterized as Antifa's headquarters. But Mamdani owes his victory to his clear, consistent leftward messaging.

We could try to dissect Jayapal's cognitive dissonance hours, but it really boils down to cowardice. Jayapal's making the same calculation that all the powers that be seem to be making. They believe Harrell is unbeatable, so they don't want to damage their relationship with him by endorsing a challenger, even if they better align with their politics. It’s completely defeatist, a self-fulfilling prophecy, and the very chilling effect that freezes progressive momentum.

There's no precedent for Wilson to win – nor is there precedent to suggest a win for Ry Armstrong or Joe Molloy. But there was no precedent for Mamdani's victory either. And progressives will never triumph over the “status Cuomo” or “stop the Harrell horror show” if our “progressive” leaders don't get more comfortable standing up to the conservative Democrat powerplayers — not just when the fight is far away and already leading in the polls, but when it's an actual risk.