Socialist mayoral contender Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday explicitly backed down from his unpopular past “defund the police” stance in the wake of a Midtown mass shooting that left four dead, including an NYPD officer.

Back from Uganda, Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City, sought to reassure voters concerned that his left-leaning policies would endanger the city’s safety.

Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani met with the family of NYPD Officer Islam, as the city grapples with the tragic loss of one of its finest. The meeting, which took place Wednesday morning immediately upon Mamdani’s return from a vacation in Uganda,