Having conquered New York City with a stunning primary night sweep on Tuesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani is wasting no time in moving on Capitol Hill.

In an uncharacteristically long question-and-answer session at an unrelated announcement on Wednesday, the mayor — having deposed two congressional incumbents in Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) and installed his favored candidate in the seat of retiring Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) — announced he would sit down later in the day with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). 

Jeffries is a longtime critic of Mamdani’s Democratic Socialists of America, and attempted unsuccessfully to rally last-minute support for Espaillat.

The mayor nonetheless kept his comments civil and conciliatory for the potential future speaker of the House. Despite endorsing challengers against two Democratic lawmakers, Mamdani blocked a DSA ally from running against Jeffries in this year’s primary. 

“I’ll be speaking with Congressman Jeffries later today, and I’m looking forward to working with Congressman Jeffries on delivering for the people of our city,” the mayor told reporters. “What we saw last night was a hunger for leaders who will be there on the front lines.”

Mamdani stuck mostly to his usual rhetoric about affordability, but noted former City Comptroller Brad Lander — who defeated Goldman — had committed to supporting the Block the Bombs Act cutting off military aid to Israel.

Jeffries, for his part, had less favorable remarks for Mamdani, alluding to the distrust his endorsements engendered with himself and the rest of the delegation.

“He’s got work to do in terms of the conversations that he’s going to have with members of Congress moving forward,” the Democratic leader told reporters, saying he and the mayor “agree to strongly disagree about some of his endorsements.”

Lander has committed to backing Jeffries for speaker, as has another candidate who triumphed last night: Assemblymember Micah Lasher, the establishment-backed successor to Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY). Mamdani stayed aloof from the contentious and costly race for the Manhattan district, which boasts a large and progressive Jewish population, but Lasher enlisted the skills of Morris Katz, the mayor’s closest political advisor.

Pressed by Jewish Insider at his election party Tuesday night as to whether he would look to the mayor or to Jeffries for leadership, Lasher answered: “I expect Hakeem Jeffries will be the leader of the House caucus.”