Zohran Mamdani would be the “most prominent Democrat in America” if he is elected mayor of New York City, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis predicted roughly a week before the highly anticipated race.

“Assuming he gets elected, Mamdani will be the most prominent Democrat in America the day he takes office,” DeSantis said, responding to an X post from Elon Musk in which the Tesla CEO called Mamdani the “future of the Democrat Party.”

“Voters across the country will be able to watch his leftist agenda in action and know that his path is the Democrat path nationally,” DeSantis continued. “Will be good for Republicans, bad for New York City.”

His remark comes as the race heats up, with New York City Mayor Eric Adams coming out in support of former opponent and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D). Adams told the New York Times, “I think that it is imperative to really wake up the black and brown communities that have suffered from gentrification on how important this race is.”

“They have watched their rents increase in terms of gentrification and they have been disregarded in those neighborhoods,” he said, “and I’m going to go to those neighborhoods and speak one on one with organizers and groups and I’m going to walk with the governor in those neighborhoods and get them engaged.”

Meanwhile, socialist Mamdani has remained a Democrat favorite, even earning support from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), who spoke Sunday at Zohran’s rally in Queens. However, the crowed heckled her with shouts of “Tax the Rich!”

She said during her remarks that New York City and state are “under attack by Donald Trump and our Republicans in Washington.”

“They’re literally not just taking a wrecking ball to the White House, they are taking a wrecking ball to our values, our people, our progress,” she added.

Hochul formally endorsed the socialist Mamdani in September, asserting that she “heard a leader who shares my commitment to a New York where children can grow up safe.” Notably, on the subject of safety, Mamdani made his position quite clear at the final mayoral debate last week, suggesting that he wants “mental health experts” to lead the way in responding to certain crises, including domestic violence, instead of police.

The mayoral election takes place Tuesday, November 4, 2025.