New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declined to comment on whether the collapse of former Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner's campaign reflects a broader problem within the progressive movement, instead saying in an interview published Thursday that it was time to "bring this chapter to a close."During an interview with NY1's Errol Lewis, the host noted that Platner's downfall had sparked a national conversation about whether progressives had moved too quickly to embrace a candidate who was "simply unfit" for office."There's a national discussion that this has triggered about whether or not the push by some progressives to sort of push the traditional mainstream Democrats aside ...they came up with a candidate who was simply unfit or not prepared for the responsibility of making it all the way through the campaign," Lewis said before asking whether that was an "occupational danger for progressives."SANDERS UNDER FIRE FOR PROPPING UP PLATNER AS DEMS TORCH HIS TOXIC ENDORSEMENT 'PATTERN'NYC Mayor Mamdani And Governor Hochul Hold News Conference On World Cup Transportation Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York, and Kathy Hochul, governor of New York, during a news conference on 2026 FIFA World Cup transportation at the MTA Rail Control Center in New York, US, on Thursday, June 4, 2026.
(Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)Rather than answer the broader question about the progressive movement, Mamdani pivoted back to Platner's campaign."I think my focus right now is how do we ensure that we bring this chapter to a close and then start to write a new chapter," Mamdani said."And I think I trust the voters of Maine to point us in the right direction." This is not the first time that Mamdani was asked to weigh in on the race in Maine.
The New York City mayor said during a news conference on Tuesday, prior to the suspension of Platner's campaign, that he believed it was "time for him to drop out of the race."KINGMAKER MAMDANI CALLS ON PLATNER TO 'DROP OUT OF THE RACE...