With less than a week until Election Day in New York City, the top Democratic leader in the U.S. Senate has yet to endorse his party’s candidate for mayor of the city he calls home. A podcaster known for challenging establishment politicians with direct questions has expressed strong criticism of this lack of support.
Jennifer Welch, co-host of the podcast *I’ve Had It*, addressed the issue publicly, urging the Democratic establishment to take action. “You can either jump on board with this shit or we’re coming after you in the same way we come after MAGA,” she said. “Period… Stop missing out on these big rallies.”
Welch made her remarks the day after 13,000 New Yorkers attended a rally at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, where progressive Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani spoke alongside prominent allies, including U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Mamdani’s campaign has focused on making the city more affordable for working people and ensuring corporations and the wealthy pay fair taxes. Despite the enthusiasm surrounding his candidacy, New York Democrats’ Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries—both residents of the city—were notably absent from the event. Welch described their absence as “an embarrassment.”
“Hakeem and Chuck should have been front and center, introducing the next mayor of New York City,” Welch said. “But no, they wouldn’t show up—because they’re pussies. They’re pussies that are beholden to the same corporations that helped [President] Donald Trump get elected.”
Jeffries later offered a last-minute, tepid endorsement of Mamdani, but both leaders have not provided full-throated support for the popular state assemblyman, who is facing disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo, running as an independent, lost the Democratic primary to Mamdani by 12 points in June. Meanwhile, Schumer avoided answering questions about the mayoral race during a press briefing.
Progressives have criticized Schumer and Jeffries for not backing the party’s nominee, which some view as tacit support for Cuomo. The former governor resigned in disgrace after multiple allegations of sexual harassment and has used racist stereotypes in attack ads against Mamdani. There are also reports that Cuomo has sought potential White House intervention in the race.
Welch warned that the Democratic establishment is being left behind by candidates like Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez. “These Democrats continue to play patty cake with corporations and lobbyists,” she said. “Nobody wants that. Nobody wants you. We want politicians to speak freely, and look at what the benefit is. And you dipshits are sitting on the sidelines, running your social media like complete dorks. It’s embarrassing. Get your shit together, Hakeem. Chuck, seriously, get your shit together.”
Welch has also targeted several politicians for accepting campaign donations from pro-Israel groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). She noted that both Schumer and Jeffries have received over $1.7 million from such organizations and urged them to stop taking the money. “Go on an ‘I’m sorry, I took AIPAC money atonement tour’ if you want to stay in power,” she said.
She added that figures like Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez, and Mamdani are succeeding where corporate-aligned Democrats have not: winning over working-class voters, including some who previously supported Trump. “They’re getting working-class Trump supporters to cross over and vote for them,” Welch said.
Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez have drawn large crowds across both red and blue states this year, focusing on issues like government corruption and inequality. This week, a viral photo showed a man wearing a “MAGA for Mamdani” T-shirt, stating, “This’ll be the first time I’m voting for a Democrat. I like his policies.”
According to Welch, the Democratic leadership’s reluctance to align with rising progressive figures reflects a broader problem. “Why Democratic leadership and why the Democratic National Committee is not hopping on those coattails and fucking riding the wave tells you everything you need to know,” she said. “That the Democratic establishment is MAGA lite. They have the same corporate donors. That’s why when you ask them a blunt question you get a word-salad answer. And this is why Zohran Mamdani is rising. This is why AOC is rising.”
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