They seemed like the perfect political couple.
Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander’s cross-endorsement in the final stretch of the Democratic mayoral primary was hailed as a “progressive bromance” that demonstrated the promise of ranked-choice voting.
Mamdani was gaining momentum in polls, while Lander was coming off a high-profile week after getting arrested by ICE agents.
But as often happens in relationships, one partner wants to set boundaries.
In what has become the worst-kept secret in New York City politics, Lander has been telling people he wants to become the first deputy mayor — the no. 2 role in City Hall — should Mamdani win the general election, according to multiple sources who have spoken to him.
But weeks after the primary, Mamdani told Lander, the city comptroller, to knock it off. In July, before leaving for a wedding celebration in Uganda, Mamdani called Lander to address the chatter the campaign had been hearing and told him that no personnel decisions had been made, according to two sources with knowledge of the call.
The conversation shows how Mamdani is keeping a tight rein on talk of who may be in consideration for jobs in his administration – and shutting down speculation over appointments that will be highly scrutinized given his lack of experience in city government.
Deputy mayors manage the day-to-day operations of the city and its more than 300,000 employees.
Choosing the right deputies to surround yourself with is one of the most important decisions a mayor makes.
“It’s like a marriage,” said Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, who worked for four mayors and served as deputy mayor of health and human services in the de Blasio administration. “No matter how much you know somebody, you don’t know until you take the plunge. Either it becomes easier or it becomes more difficult.”
Mamdani’s campaign didn’t dispute the account of the call with Lander before his wedding party in Kampala.
Mamdani campaign spokesperson Jeffrey Lerner said the candidate is “laser focused on the general election,” and that “no personnel decisions have been made.”
“As he has said before, he is intent on staffing City Hall with experience and excellence to help enact his affordability agenda,” Lerner said.
Lander rejected the notion that any tension had emerged between him and Mamdani.
“All of this is gossip mongering and none of it is accurate. Brad is focused on helping Zohran win in November, and will do all he can after that to contribute to the city we love,” Alison Hirsh, Lander’s campaign manager during the primary, said.
At the outset, Lander and Mamandi’s partnership appeared mutually beneficial. Mamdani, 33, has been criticized for his lack of experience. Lander, who is a fixture of city politics, appealed to progressive voters and had a tougher stance on public safety. He finished third in the primary.
But sources said Lander had caused unease among some members of Mamdani’s campaign soon after the cross-endorsement.
Before the primary, Lander communicated with Kathy Wylde, the influential head of the Partnership for New York City, a coalition of business leaders, according to two people who did not want to be named because the discussion was private.
Lander sought to assure Wylde that he would be in a Mamdani administration to address concerns from the business community, according to the two people.
After the primary, Wylde asked a member of the Mamdani campaign if Lander had been promised a senior role if the assemblymember should win, sources with direct knowledge of the inquiry said. The call set off alarms in the campaign that Lander was getting ahead of himself.
Since winning the primary, Mamdani has made delicate overtures to win over the business community, some of whom are wary of his platform pitching tax hikes on the wealthy, rent freezes on rent-regulated apartments and vocal criticism of Israel over the war in Gaza.
Another episode came during a farewell lunch at the comptroller’s office over the summer. Lander told a group of college interns he was probably the happiest mayoral candidate to ever come in third place, that he was “going to be fine,” and there was no reason to worry about his future, a person who heard the conversation said.
The person, who asked not to be named because the remarks were private, did not come away with the impression that Lander suggested he’d have a spot in Mamdani’s administration. But they nonetheless were interpreted by some in political circles as Lander boasting to a group of interns that he’d be joining Mamdani at City Hall.
The story had reached at least two prominent people in city politics, including one close to the Mamdani campaign.
Longtime observers said Lander broke a cardinal rule in politics – discussing a job that hadn’t yet been offered.
“Pre-election jockeying for a deputy mayor position is not smart,” said Joe Lhota, former budget director and deputy mayor of operations for Mayor Rudy Giuliani, when asked about the nature of the relationships between a mayor and deputies. “It doesn’t help the cause to get ahead of your skis.”
Since winning the primary, Mamdani has delicately tacked to the center on some positions to build broader support ahead of the general election. He told business leaders he would discourage use of the phrase “globalize the intifada,” and said he would be willing to apologize for tweeting in 2020 that the NYPD is “racist, anti-queer, & a major threat to public safety.” Last week, he met with former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire centrist and former mayor who backed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the primary.
During an event last week hosted by Vital City, a policy-oriented civic group, Mamdani said he had not yet formed a transition committee.
“That will be the first order of business after winning the general election,” he said.
He said that should he win, he planned to build a team with “a track record of excellence.”
“That means ensuring that you are not just surrounded by the people that are quickest to say yes, but rather people who will push you and be able to deliver on this agenda that we’ve laid forward,” he added.
Who Mamdani will tap for his senior leadership team has been the subject of particularly intense speculation due to his relative lack of experience. Cuomo and Mayor Eric Adams have sought to paint Mamdani as a radical political novice not ready to withstand pressure from President Donald Trump.
Of the leadership roles at City Hall, the first deputy mayor is considered the most important. And picking the right person to serve in this role can determine whether a mayoralty succeeds.
“One common denominator between all mayors and deputy mayors is a matter of trust,” said Lhota. “If there’s a deputy mayor that the mayor doesn’t trust, that deputy mayor has a very short lifespan.”
Although some progressives would like to see Lander work alongside Mamdani in City Hall, some political experts have opined that Lander could handily win a liberal congressional district covering lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn.
A Data for Progress poll released last week shows Lander leading incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman by 19 points in a hypothetical primary challenge.
Lander hasn’t expressed interest in running for the seat, according to people who have spoken to him.
Mamdani and Lander have continued to publicly shower one another with praise.
Last Wednesday, the two were headline guests at a fundraiser in Brooklyn hosted by Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, a left-leaning activist group.
Quinn Parker, 27, who was in the front row, had canvassed for both candidates. The Manhattan resident said she was elated when they endorsed one another.
“It showed me that we can do politics in a way that is fundamentally new and build coalitions rather than running against each other,” she said.
Still, she said she did not interpret the cross-endorsement to mean that Lander would be joining Mamdani’s administration.
“I personally would like to see it,” she said. “But there’s a lot at play.”
Elizabeth Kim, Brigid Bergin
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