Live by the tweets, die by the tweets

Politico

8 hours ago

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'I TWEET THEREFORE I AM': Andrew Cuomo shouted out his new social media gurus at a Hamptons fundraiser Saturday evening.
'They're going to do all sorts of stupid things on social media,' the mayoral candidate said in audio obtained by Playbook. 'And I'll do it. Sometimes it works.'
Sure enough, the team did a stupid thing.
The Cuomo campaign is scrambling to distance themselves from self-proclaimed memelord Jason Levin after he proudly boasted on X late Monday about making a meme the Cuomo campaign posted — and his plan to do more.
The problem for Cuomo is that Levin's online persona is that of a provocative MAGA booster, proudly proclaiming he voted for Trump last year.
'I'M A PROUD JEW WHO VOTED FOR HITLER,' Levin posted over a photo of Trump in a yarmulke. Calling him 'Hitler' was meant as a sarcastic criticism of liberals who do the same, since Levin made clear in other X posts he believes Trump has been 'the best supporter of the Jewish people and Israel we could ever ask for.'
Levin didn't respond to a request for comment. But he 'is not paid by the campaign, he suggested one meme to someone on that team,' Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi told Playbook. 'Hatred, bigotry, misogyny and anything like that has no place in this race.'
His questionable posts were quickly spread by Mamdani allies, but Azzopardi said the Democratic nominee's team should be careful suggesting guilt by association.
'If Mamdani's campaign wants to play that game, there are plenty of problematic people who think America deserved 9/11 and who think 'from the river to the sea' is a perfectly fine thing to say standing next to him at a rally,' he said, referring to lefty streamer Hasan Piker, who's backed Mamdani.
'Hatred, bigotry, misogyny, and racism have in fact found a home in this race — on Andrew Cuomo's new-look digital team,' Mamdani campaign spokesperson Dora Pekec responded. 'There's no strategy they won't embrace in their tragic efforts at relevance. Their digital presence perfectly encapsulates Cuomo's regressive, conservative politics and wouldn't be out of place in Trump's D.C. — but it has no place in New York City.'
The memelord arose at a bad time for Cuomo, as his campaign is also trying to downplay the former governor's comments at the same Hamptons fundraiser — first reported by POLITICO — where he said he hoped to benefit from Trump's involvement in the race.
Levin posted a photo with Cuomo that appeared to be taken at a Monday night young professionals fundraiser, co-hosted by the candidate's actual social media manager, Daniel Liss.
Azzopardi declined to talk about Liss's team or how he's getting paid until the campaign reports its financial disclosure on Friday — but he noted that Levin's meme Liss approved 'did very well.'
Cuomo has pivoted to a much more 'online' voice on X since losing the Democratic primary to the social media savvy Mamdani. He explained at the Hamptons fundraiser that's part of his strategy to win the general, saying he was now 'very social media adept.'
But minutes later, he lamented the political culture today while suggesting Mamdani was thin on policy.
'This whole business has gotten very superficial, right? I tweet therefore I am. It's all about Tiktok now, right? And it all comes down to three words. Every policy is three words, right?' he said. 'But the more you discuss and explore with people what exactly you're talking about, the less sense it makes.' — Jeff Coltin
From the Capitol
GHOST IN THE GRID: Cuomo's successful quest to shut down the Indian Point nuclear plant dirtied the grid of the city he's now fighting to lead and spiked costs for consumers.
Cuomo fought for decades to shut the nuclear plant located 25 miles north of the city. He raised concerns about the safety of the aging plant and its proximity to the city, where an evacuation — if the worst happened — would be impossible.
When the plant was shuttered, gas power plants filled in the gap. The state's electricity emissions increased 22 percent from 2019 to 2022 after the nuclear plant closed, making the state's and city's climate goals more challenging to achieve.
'The city is much more reliant on its in-city fossil generation in a way that didn't have to happen the way it did,' said Dan Zarrilli, former chief climate policy adviser to Mayor Bill de Blasio. 'It was clear that natural gas was going to fill that gap.'
Electricity prices also rose — a potential political liability for Cuomo as affordability has become a paramount concern in the mayoral race.
Cuomo still defends the decision to close the plant because of major safety concerns.
But as Democratic officials embrace nuclear and the state's renewable buildout falters, they're having some regrets.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said there should have been better planning to meet the state's energy needs before shutting Indian Point. Rep. Ritchie Torres, who ultimately decided not to challenge Hochul after flirting with a gubernatorial run, said closing Indian Point was a mistake. — Marie J. French
Read the full story from Marie French in POLITICO Pro
THREE MORE YEARS: You'll have to wait 'til 2028.
Hochul said today she wishes New York's Constitution were a little more like California's so she could more quickly respond to Texas' Republican redistricting efforts.
Still, Hochul made clear her plan is to have new, Democrat-friendly congressional maps redrawn in time for House elections three years from now — the soonest the state's Constitution allows.
'Everyone says, 'Why don't you do what Gavin Newsom does?'' Hochul told reporters today, referencing California's governor, at an unrelated event in Albany. 'Gavin Newsom has a very different situation, because if I could, I would. I didn't ask for this. I wish everybody played fair. But if you're going to change the rules of the game in the middle of it, then I'm not sitting on the sidelines and letting that happen.'
On Monday, the Texas Democratic lawmakers who bolted from their state to prevent their Legislature from moving forward with Trump-led redistricting efforts returned after a two-week sojourn. Ohio is also looking to redraw its maps in a way that would favor Republicans, though their redistricting efforts were already on the calendar before the Texas showdown. Missouri's governor has yet to confirm whether he will embrace calls from his fellow Republicans to redraw maps there, too.
Newsom and the California's Democrats released their plan to redraw California's maps in response to Texas' efforts on Friday.
Hochul has said she wants to change or eliminate New York's independent redistricting commission — which she says forces her to 'fight with my hand tied behind my back' — and replace it with a process that is nakedly partisan. That would require a constitutional amendment.
But Hochul noted today there's 'no urgency' to move forward because the state's Constitution says amendments must be approved by the Legislature in two consecutive sessions — so acting now instead of January won't change the timeline. (We're currently in the 2025-2026 session). After that, voters need to approve the measure at the ballot box.
'That'll be in place for the 2028 Congressionals,' Hochul said of the new maps, noting voters will likely see the amendment on their ballots in the fall of 2027, if all goes to plan. 'Right now, we're on a path to have it not happen until 2032, so I can shave those years off.' — Jason Beeferman
From City Hall
TARGETING COURTHOUSE ARRESTS: Mayor Eric Adams filed an amicus brief today in support of a lawsuit by immigrant advocacy groups against the Trump administration calling for an end to the arrests at immigration court proceedings. Masked federal immigration agents have been detaining noncitizens outside courtrooms — including at 26 Federal Plaza — to fast-track them for deportation, though the practice has slowed as fewer people show up for court.
The amicus brief comes as the mayor, running for reelection as an independent, seeks to delineate when he will work with Trump and when he'll stand up to the president's deportation agenda.
'If people are afraid of the legal process, then they will live in the shadows, and people will prey on them,' the mayor told reporters today. 'We have to allow people to go through the legal process.'
Several New York Democratic officials have condemned the courthouse arrests, saying migrants are doing the right thing by showing up to their court dates and they're not the violent criminals Trump said he would prioritize for deportation.
New York City Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant was more blunt than Adams in her statement about the city's move to back plaintiffs African Communities Together and The Door in the Southern District of New York.
'New York City has become the epicenter of the Trump administration's courthouse arrest campaign,' said Goode-Trufant. 'With every illegal courthouse arrest, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is chipping away at the bedrock principles of fairness and due process that support our entire system of justice.' — Emily Ngo
IN OTHER NEWS
— TORRES FOR HOCHUL: Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres endorsed Hochul for reelection today after spending eight months harshly criticizing her on a host of issues while floating a primary challenge. (News 12)
— CRYPTO PAC PROBLEM: A pro-Adams Super PAC backed by cryptocurrency firms didn't disclose its spending to the city's Campaign Finance Board for weeks. (Daily News)
— SPITZER SPEAKS: Former governor Eliot Spitzer talked about Mamdani's victory, his relationships with Cuomo and Trump, and his refusal to consider whether his prostitution scandal would've led to his downfall today. (Vanity Fair)
— NEVER SETTLE: Adams' city lawyer said that there is 'no interest' in settling with the woman who filed a civil suit claiming he sexually assaulted her. (Courthouse News Service)
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