Cuomo the a--hole

Politico

4 hours ago

POLITICAL ANAL-YSIS: The word 'asshole' has become so closely associated with mayoral primary front-runner Andrew Cuomo that one needs not even name him — the profane sobriquet is enough.
'I'd rather have an asshole than a progressive,' a retired lawyer named Robert told mayoral candidate Brad Lander at a farmer's market on the Upper West Side Sunday. 'Those are the choices we have: a socialist or an asshole.'
Everyone in earshot knew who he was talking about. Zohran Mamdani is the socialist. Cuomo is the asshole.
The former governor has a well-earned reputation for domineering and bullying. So does the president of the United States of America. And the semi-apologetic line from many Cuomo supporters has been 'we need an asshole to fight an asshole.'
That argument has made it into print, emphasizing that it has become too widespread for squeamish editors to avoid the curse word. 'He'd stand up to Donald Trump. He's an asshole, but he's our asshole,' The Atlantic wrote last week, summarizing the case for Cuomo.
Actor and activist Cynthia Nixon responded — speaking from the position of somebody who ran against Cuomo in the 2018 primary for governor, and who knows assholes from a four-decade career in Hollywood.
'I don't think that we need our own sphincter to challenge Trump,' she said at an anti-Cuomo rally ahead of the No Kings march in Manhattan Saturday. Cuomo 'is bought and bossed, not just by random billionaires or corporations, but in many cases, by the exact same billionaires and corporations that bought Donald Trump four more years,' she added.
'Andrew Cuomo is not our asshole. Say it with me!' The crowd, soaked in the rain, yelled back: 'Andrew Cuomo is not our asshole!'
It's not just supporters who've dubbed him with the term.
'He's an abuser and an asshole,' state Sen. Gustavo Rivera said when asked if Cuomo was a tough guy. 'There's one thing about having that as an option available to you and play it as a card. It's another thing to operate like that on a day to day basis.'
You can buy a 'Cuomo is an asshole' flag on Amazon for $9.00 — with the image of the Democratic donkey replacing the word.
Cuomo has been associated with the word going back a decade, at least. 'You gotta fight asshole with asshole,' a democratic operative told POLITICO early in 2016, selling Cuomo as an anti-Trump campaign surrogate for Hillary Clinton.
It came up again when Cuomo was earning national acclaim for his covid pandemic briefings. 'Stop trying to make Andrew Cuomo happen,' Current Affairs wrote in 2020. 'Andrew Cuomo is an asshole.'
And Cuomo's alleged assholery came up again in 2021, after women came forward accusing him of sexual harassment. Comedian John Oliver devoted the opening monologue of his show to the 'colossal asshole.' The Daily Beast also published an essay: 'Cuomo Is Not Your Dad. He's Your Dad's Asshole Boss.'
The expletive is coming up again, as Cuomo runs for mayor. But as he heads into primary day as the favorite in the race, Cuomo's campaign continues to emphasize his get-stuff-done ethos over any criticisms of his personality.
'New Yorkers know Andrew Cuomo fights for them and has produced a real record of results that improve their lives, that cut through the bureaucracy and cut through the mediocrity and got stuff done,' Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said.
'They know he is the only candidate with the experience and the record to fix what's broken. And after 12 long years, put city hall back on the right track,' he added. 'Since this word is apparently now fair game, nobody better blush when I start using it to talk to reporters.' — Jeff Coltin
FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
ADAMS SAYS BALLOT NOT SO SECRET AFTER ALL: City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams went back on her word today and clarified who she wants her supporters to rank on their ballots after her.
'I encourage New Yorkers to rank the full slate of Working Families Party candidates,' Adams said in a statement.
The candidates on the WFP slate include Mamdani, Brad Lander, Adams and Zellnor Myrie, in that order. Adams did not specify what in order her supporters should rank the slate.
The announcement came after Adams declined to back those candidates — and repeatedly refused to answer if she voted for Mamdani and Cuomo amid an internal debate among her aides, POLITICO reported Thursday.
'I still believe in the secrecy of the ballot, and I voted for me and my community,' Adams told reporters after voting in Jamaica, Queens.
In her statement today, Adams clarified that she does not think Cuomo should be on voters' ballots.
'His record is part of the same pattern of neglect that our communities, and so many New Yorkers, have faced,' she said of the former governor. — Jason Beeferman
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: A state-of-the-race memo released today by the Working Families Party reviews its strategy and lays out its progress with Primary Day just around the corner.
Its mission for 2025? Combat the disillusion that led 900,000 Democratic voters in New York State to sit out the 2024 election. Its strategy? Present the choices as working families versus billionaires.
'Even small increases in turnout among our base could tip the balance in critical races across the state,' local party co-directors Jasmine Gripper and Ana María Archila wrote.
In New York City, the third party endorsed Mamdani as its first choice in the Democratic primary for mayor, followed by Lander, Adams and Myrie. It lauded the Mamdani-Lander cross-endorsement, which came late in the cycle as Cuomo continues to lead almost every poll.
The party's ranked endorsement was also relatively late in a cycle dominated by Cuomo. One of its choices broke with party leadership: state Sen. Jessica Ramos endorsed Cuomo and got dropped from the slate altogether. Myrie hasn't done any cross-endorsements, but said he'd rank the party's slate, as did Adrienne Adams today, as noted above.
And it argued that Cuomo, 'the candidate favored by Trump's billionaires,' is hitting his ceiling in polling. A recent Marist poll found Cuomo leading Mamdani by 10 points in the final round of a ranked-choice voting simulation, and Mamdani's critics argue he too has hit his ceiling.
The third party — whose line Cuomo was accused of seeking to nix in 2020 — is also backing Dorcey Applyrs for Albany mayor, Sharon Owens for Syracuse mayor and Sean Ryan for Buffalo mayor. — Emily Ngo
SPEAKING OF MEMOS: Moderate national think tank Third Way released its own memo today urging New York City Democrats not to rank Mamdani, writing, 'Leaving aside Mamdani's positions that some believe border on antisemitism, it is his proud affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) that worries us most.'
The memo excerpts parts of the DSA platform.
And the group argued that Mamdani as mayor would help Trumpism and hurt Democrats nationwide in upcoming elections.
'Republican attack ads in swing districts attaching moderate Democratic candidates to Mamdani and the DSA practically write themselves,' Third Way said in its memo.
Asked whether Cuomo as mayor would also hurt the Democratic brand nationally, given his sexual harassment allegations and having taxpayers foot his legal costs, Third Way co-founder Matt Bennett told reporters, 'I don't want to get into Cuomo and whether he is or isn't a good candidate for New York. ... I will point out the things that you noted are personal to him and very hard to connect to other Democrats.' — Emily Ngo
FROM THE CAMPAIGN COFFERS
THE CAP STAYS: The city's Campaign Finance Board threw cold water on a request from Mamdani to raise the spending cap for mayoral candidates.
In a statement today, the board said there is no legal mechanism allowing it to relax the roughly $8 million expenditure limit for primary candidates.
'We understand the challenge posed by independent spenders to the goals of the matching funds program,' spokesperson Timothy Hunter said in a statement. 'The Campaign Finance Board closely monitors spending by all campaigns as well as independent spenders and provides expenditure relief when permitted by law.'
The democratic socialist sent a letter to the board seeking more leeway to counteract two super PACs supporting Cuomo. Together, they have flooded the race with a record $19 million to boost the former governor and attack Mamdani.
'Andrew Cuomo is trying to buy this election,' Mamdani said at a press conference outside the Campaign Finance Board's headquarters. 'He has a super PAC, that is now the best funded super PAC in New York City's history … that is ensuring that every New Yorker, when they turn on their television, they open their mailbox, and they watch a video on YouTube will be met with yet another attack ad that is lying about myself and this campaign.'
The board said it can only raise the cap in response to excess spending from other campaigns operating outside the public matching system — such as Ray McGuire's mayoral bid in 2021 — and not super PACs. — Amira McKee and Joe Anuta
LANDER'S LAST STAND: Brad Lander's campaign is throwing $320,000 into an attack ad against Cuomo, in a final effort to curb the former governor's lead in the final days of the race.
Titled 'Cost,' the ad tears into Cuomo's record as govenor, citing the numerous sexual harassment allegations that precipitated his resignation in 2021. Cuomo denies the allegations, but his contentious record has been picked apart by his competitors. Lander, the candidate who has been the most consistently tough on Cuomo, zeroed in on the claims during the final mayoral debate last week.
The ad also claims the former governor is funded by 'Trump's billionaire donors,' echoing a Mamdani ad last week. Playbook reported that Cuomo received nearly $400,000 from GOP or Conservative Party donors, and his super PAC received funds from high-profile Trump donor and billionaire Bill Ackman.
Cuomo has said some of those donors, and specifically Ackman, gave to him before ever donating to Trump and insists he is unmoved by campaign contributions to him or his super PAC.
The ad could be a boost for Mamdani, who cross-endorsed Lander last week. Lander's polling a distant third in the race.
The ad features a clip of Ocasio-Cortez, who endorsed Mamdani as her first pick, telling voters, 'do not rank Andrew Cuomo on your ballot.'
One of the last major expenditures of Lander's run, the ad leaves it all on the table as the bookish city comptroller delivers an energetic finale to a slow-to-build campaign. — Amira McKee
IN OTHER NEWS
— ADVICE FOR THE NYT: Twelve veteran political observers weighed in to give their opinion on The New York Times' 'vexing' editorial on the mayor's race. (Vital City)
— ERIC ADAMS SAYS NEVERMIND ON HEALTH PLAN: Mayor Eric Adams pulled the plug on a Medicare Advantage move for New York City retirees. (POLITICO Pro)
— 'FUCK THE DECORUM': Justin Brannan explains why 'people want fighters' to represent them in the Democratic party. (Interview Magazine)
And WELCOME TO THE WORLD: Victor Botnick, born on 6/13 to Jeanette and Mark Botnick, a Bloomberg alum. pic.
Missed this morning's New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.