Lefty Zohran Mamdani ally duking it out with pro-Israel pol in NYC Council speaker race

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A showdown is brewing between progressive Zohran Mamdani ally Crystal Hudson and pro-Israel pol Julie Menin over who will be the next City Council speaker.

Hudson (D-Brooklyn) and Menin (D-Manhattan), were the leading contenders for the influential position, with each holding their own competing events Thursday night at the annual SOMOS retreat to court fellow councilmembers still on the fence.

“They are pushing very hard,” one moderate councilmember who was still undecided told The Post.

Menin was pushing hard for the spot, arguing she would serve as a check on the incoming socialist mayor.

Hudson, who had been actively out campaigning with Mamdani — including on Election Day — would try to create a less combative relationship between the council and City Hall after four years of clashing under Mayor Eric Adams.

“He wants her,” one source said about Mamdani’s support for Hudson, but noted it was unclear if the mayor-elect would actually try to put his thumb on the scale.

After Adams was elected in 2021, he notoriously tried to throw his weight behind Queens Councilman Francisco Moya for speaker, which frustrated council members who typically want to be seen as independent checks on the mayor.

His meddling left outgoing Speaker Adrienne Adams with enough support to secure the seat, and the two have duked it out over several issues throughout his term in office.

While most eyes were glued to the mayoral campaign, the speaker race was heating up.

“The whole Brooklyn delegation may vote as a bloc for Hudson” one source said.

But another source noted that even that wouldn’t be enough to push Hudson over the edge.

Menin, meanwhile, has stitched together a coalition with reps in The Bronx, Queens and parts of Manhattan, as well as special interests who don’t want Mamdani to run roughshod over the 51-member council, sources said.

Bronx Councilwoman Amanda Farias had been a dark horse contender but appears to be losing what little steam she had with the Bronx abandoning her and not having a real path to victory.

Farias’ calculus rests on Menin and Hudson bruising each other up in the race, leaving her to nab support by being a middle-of-the-road option between the two pols.