‘Chris Van Who?’ Hakeem Jeffries Takes Dem-on-Dem Swipe at Maryland Senator Over Mamdani Support

U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during his weekly press conference at the U.S. Capitol building on September 10, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) took a swipe at fellow Democratic congressman Chris Van Hollen this weekend, after the Maryland senator criticized other liberal politicians for not endorsing New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani (D) like he has.

Technically, Jeffries’ spokesman Justin Chermol took the swipe in a new report from The New York Times on Saturday. Chermol, when asked if Jeffries was moving towards an official endorsement in the NYC race, said the representative would have more to say “well in advance” of the Nov. 4 election, before hitting Van Hollen with this wisecrack:

“Meanwhile, confused New Yorkers are asking themselves the question: Chris Van Who?”

Jeffries, as the Times pointed out, is among a number of Democratic leaders who have not backed Mamdani. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) have declined to endorse the frontrunner, while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a Democratic Socialist like Mamdani, recently campaigned alongside Mamdani in Brooklyn.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), meanwhile, has also endorsed Mamdani for NYC mayor.

Van Hollen has criticized Democrats like Jeffries, Schumer, and Hochul for staying “on the sideless” and not endorsing the 33-year-old. Mamdani currently has a strong polling lead against NYC Mayor Eric Adams (D), Republican Curtis Sliwa, and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D), who is in second place.

“That kind of spineless politics is what people are sick of,” Van Hollen said on Saturday. “They need to get behind [Mamdani] and get behind him now.”

Van Hollen has had a busy year beyond publicly campaigning for Mamdani. He made headlines earlier this year when he traveled to El Salvador to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the alleged violent criminal who illegally entered the U.S. and has since found himself in the middle of a high-profile legal struggle.