Zohran Mamdani scores key union endorsement as his educational record faces scrutiny

The governing body for the 200,000-member union representing New York City's teachers and education professionals voted to endorse Mamdani Tuesday. Describing New York City's wealth disparity as a "crisis," UFT President Michael Mulgrew said Mamdani is the candidate to support students and usher the city forward. 

"Donald Trump would love nothing more than to continue to hack away at one of the beacons of light in our city, which is our education system," Mamdani said Wednesday. 

But not everyone was so convinced Wednesday, as the reactions to the education union's endorsement came flooding in. 

Author and university law professor David E. Bernstein undermined UFT's efficacy, writing, "Notice how little the teachers' union agenda has to do with improving education or anything else that would directly benefit students."

Along with the endorsement announcement, the Mamdani campaign is touting support from more than a dozen unions across the city, including the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council (HTC), SEIU 32BJ, New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and the New York City Central Labor Council (AFL-CIO). 

Mamdani has been under scrutiny for his radical policies since he secured the Democratic nomination last month. Since then, his personal education record has also attracted headlines. 

After it was reported that Mamdani identified as "Asian" and "Black/African American" in his application to Columbia University, his SAT scores were revealed to be below the median score for students admitted into the school, according to a new report. 

"I think 2140 is a fine SAT score, but I think that the Adams War room is very focused on every little thing that they can talk about. Ultimately, their focus is on old tweets [or] on anything but what we actually campaigned on [and] the promises I've made to New Yorkers over the course of this campaign," Mamdani told reporters Wednesday. 

"Those are the promises that I will be judged on, and they are promises to freeze the rent, to make buses fast and free, to deliver universal childcare. And what Eric Adams and others would seek to focus on are any one of a number of issues that have nothing to do with affordability," Mamdani added. 

Adams did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. 

Fox News Digital's Andrew Mark Miller, Paul Steinhauser and Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.