New York, New York - Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez officially endorsed progressive Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani in New York City's mayoral race, ending months of heated speculation.

"Assemblymember Mamdani has demonstrated a real ability on the ground to put together a coalition of working-class New Yorkers that is strongest to lead the pack," AOC told the New York Times in an interview published Thursday. "In the final stretch of the race, we need to get very real about that."

She went on to rank the other Democratic candidates, with Adrienne Adams, Brad Lander, Scott Stringer, and Zellnor Myrie following Mamdani in that order.

She also encouraged voters to use NYC's new ranked choice voting system to make sure former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has been the frontrunner throughout the race, does not return to office.

Donald Trump Trump is reportedly fuming at the Supreme Court justices he nominated

Cuomo has been vying for a comeback after he resigned in disgrace in 2021 following multiple sexual harassment and corruption allegations.

AOC's hugely consequential endorsement of Mamdani came a day after the nine Democratic candidates held their first debate, during which Mamdani and Cuomo held the spotlight as the two clashed over who would be better to take on President Donald Trump.

A poll conducted by Emerson College in late May found Cuomo leading the race with 54%, while Mamdani has been notably closing the gap, currently sitting at 46%.