(JEWISH VOICE NEWS) With New York City set to choose its next mayor on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is keeping his cards close to the vest.

When pressed by reporters on Friday about whether he plans to vote for Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani, Schumer abruptly walked away rather than reveal his choice. “The bottom line is very simple. I have a good relationship with him, and we’re continuing to talk,” Schumer said when questioned by CNN’s Manu Raju. But when Raju followed up—“What are you going to do?”—the senator turned and exited the room without another word.

Mamdani, who shocked the Democratic establishment with a surprise primary win earlier this year, now holds a commanding lead heading into Election Day. Three recent polls show him ahead by double digits. An Emerson College survey released Thursday found Mamdani with 50% support among likely voters, followed by former Governor Andrew Cuomo at 25% and Republican Curtis Sliwa at 21%, leaving only 5% undecided.

The race has become a defining moment for Democrats, testing the party’s ability to adapt to its increasingly communist drift. As The New Republic pointed out, Mamdani’s rise highlights a widening gap between the party’s energized left flank and its cautious leadership, many of whom have hesitated to embrace his movement.

Despite the reluctance of some top Democrats, Mamdani has drawn endorsements from major progressive figures, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Governor Kathy Hochul.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, another top New York Democrat, only recently offered his endorsement—just days before the election—an eleventh-hour move that underscored the establishment’s uneasy relationship with the socialist candidate’s surging popularity.

As voters head to the polls, Schumer’s silence speaks volumes about the rift within his party: one side driven by a call for bold change, the other wary of embracing it.