The United Federation of Teachers, which represents roughly 200,000 current and retired education professionals, has endorsed Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor. Sixty-three percent of delegates backed a resolution supporting the Queens assemblyman, marking the union’s first endorsement of the campaign after sitting out the primary. UFT president Michael Mulgrew said Mamdani is "the partner we need" to protect public education, fully fund class-size reductions, improve pay and benefits, and revamp mayoral control to give educators and parents more authority. The nod adds to a string of recent labor endorsements for Mamdani, including Local 32BJ SEIU, the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, the New York State Nurses Association and the New York City Central Labor Council. Mamdani welcomed the endorsement and contrasted his agenda with Mayor Eric Adams’s record on literacy and school spending. Adams’s campaign responded that the mayor is focused on "putting students first," citing record investments. Former President Donald Trump called Mamdani a "communist" and hinted at a federal intervention should he win, while independent rivals Adams and former Governor Andrew Cuomo face pressure to avoid splitting the vote against the Democratic socialist. The UFT’s decision sharpens debate over the future of the nation’s largest public-school system. Mamdani advocates replacing mayoral control with a co-governance model, a stance critics—including some Jewish educators and Republican officials—say could weaken accountability and limit school-choice options as the November general election approaches.