Pro-Israel pol endorses Zohran, with reservations

Politico

02-06-2025

Presented by Resorts World New York City
YES, RESERVATIONS: Surging mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has sewn up the support of state Sen. John Liu, who made history as the first Asian American elected to both the City Council and citywide office as comptroller.
But Liu's endorsement also acknowledges a 'disagreement' with Mamdani — and an issue for moderates reluctant to support the frontrunner Andrew Cuomo, who the state senator has found fault with in the past. Any moderate thinking of endorsing Mamdani will have to grapple with his record on the Israel-Hamas war.
'He and I have a big disagreement, which is the issue of Israel and how the Jewish community needs to be viewed in the city,' Liu said of Mamdani, unprompted, during his speech announcing his support outside City Hall today. 'And though I differ from him, we have had honest conversations, and he's never lost his integrity in the process.'
Liu's support for Israel runs deep. While Mamdani has accused Israel of perpetrating a genocide and declared he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his alleged war crimes if elected mayor, Liu has traveled to the Mediterranean nation — even once declaring, 'Long live Israel! Am Yisrael Chai!' back when he was running to be the city's chief executive.
The boost for Mamdani comes as anti-Cuomo forces are beginning to coalesce around him. The left-leaning Working Families Party, which had endorsed a four-person slate for mayor without picking favorites in late March, announced Friday that Mamdani would be their No. 1 pick for mayor. Liu's support for him is also likely to boost the DSA-backed assemblymember as he attempts to build support from Asian-Americans, including in Liu's Flushing, Queens district.
'I endorse Zohran for his integrity,' Liu said today. 'He is a public official with no scars, no marks. People may disagree with him on issues, but he has held himself to the utmost integrity.'
Mamdani said he was honored to receive his endorsement.
'This is the state senator who has fought time and again to ensure inclusion in our schools' curricula so that Asian Americans can see ourselves in the studies that students go through,' said Mamdani, the first South Asian man to serve in the state Legislature.
The democratic socialist also told reporters there was another issue he and Liu don't see eye-to-eye on: Billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen's push for a casino next to Citi Field.
Liu's bill to allow Cohen's casino plan to move forward passed the Senate last week and is now on the way to the governor's desk. It faced pushback from state Sen. Jessica Ramos, who is also a candidate for mayor and represents the site of the would-be casino.
'If I was present, I would have voted in the negative,' Mamdani said of Liu's bill, adding that he is 'generally in opposition to' all casinos.
When Cuomo was in Albany, Liu occasionally sparred with the then-governor, likening him to Ebenezer Scrooge while criticizing his education funding proposals and pandemic-era nursing home policies. Liu loudly called on Cuomo to resign following a slew of sexual harassment allegations, which Cuomo denies.
But in late March, Liu had kind things to say about the former gov.
'Andrew never lets us forget that he's a Queens guy, and he remains liked in much of Queens,' Liu told the New York Post.
Liu told reporters today he had no plans to rank anyone besides Mamdani. — Jason Beeferman
From the Capitol
HOCHUL AND TRUMP: One of the more productive working relationships in politics is taking shape between Gov. Kathy Hochul and President Donald Trump.
She acknowledged in a 'Morning Joe' appearance today that dealing with Trump has been 'very complicated.'
Hochul has negotiated with Trump over the congestion pricing toll program, and the president has allowed a major offshore wind project to move forward. The governor was also appreciative of the Trump administration's move to take over a massive Penn Station overhaul.
Just last week, two interstate pipeline projects were resurrected. The development came after Hochul signaled openness to pipelines and following talks with Trump.
'As I said to the president in my first conversation, 'I'm willing to find common ground with you,'' she said during the MSNBC appearance. 'I worked for Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan in the time that Joe refers to often when Tip O'Neill could work with Ronald Reagan and there was a collaborative spirit. I was willing to go down that path and that's why we are actually moving ahead with Penn Station.'
New York's Democratic governor has performed a balancing act with a mercurial Republican president whose return to office is abhorred by much of her party.
Hochul has vowed to oppose Trump when necessary — especially on issues like abortion rights and protections for undocumented people who have not been accused of a crime.
'I want to make sure we get rid of people who are seriously committing crimes, but leave the rest alone,' she said. 'They already made it here.' — Nick Reisman
FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
ADRIENNE PROJECTS CONFIDENCE: Mayoral contender Adrienne Adams waved off a Working Families Party poll that, according to POLITICO's reporting today, showed she — and not its No. 1 ranked primary candidate, Zohran Mamdani — is the left-leaning party's best shot against Cuomo in the general election.
'We know that, we've known that since Day One,' Adams said on Fox 5 New York earlier today while adding that she's not looking past this month's primary yet. 'I didn't get in it to lose. I'm in it to win this, this primary race, and that's where I'm focused on right now.'
The City Council speaker, a reluctant late entry into the race with the backing of Attorney General Letitia James, would be in fifth place in the first round of ranked-choice voting, according to a recent Emerson College poll. She qualified for matching public campaign funds only last week, but pushed back on the notion that her late start will mean a poor finish.
'New Yorkers get into this mayoral thing a little bit later,' she told Fox. 'My timing is perfect.' — Emily Ngo
FROM THE DELEGATION
NADLER SEEKS PROBE: Rep. Jerry Nadler is urging a congressional investigation after a Department of Homeland Security agent handcuffed and detained an aide in his office last week, telling CNN today that he's writing to GOP Rep. Jim Jordan, chair of the Judiciary Committee.
The confrontation was caught on video and played out as federal immigration officers detained migrants after their court hearings in the building that also houses Nadler's district office.
'She was obviously traumatized,' the Manhattan Democrat said of his young staffer. 'The tactics were totally unacceptable, and they needed a warrant. And my office is a congressional office. It's a completely separate branch of government, a co-equal branch of government.'
In the video, one officer was heard saying that members of Nadler's staff were 'harboring rioters' while another cuffs the crying staffer.
But the agency said in a statement Saturday that Federal Protective Service officers were at Nadler's office to 'conduct a security check' after reports of 'incidents' nearby and did not mention the rioters that the agent referred to in the video.
Nadler has said DHS is lying about the incident. — Emily Ngo
IN OTHER NEWS
— CUOMO'S LEGAL WAR ON ACCUSERS: A review of thousands of pages of court documents shows how Cuomo's legal team has come after those who accused him of sexual harassment, all on the taxpayer's dime. (THE CITY)
— JUDGES AGAINST FUTURE JUDGES: A group representing judges is fighting against a proposal that would make it easier to add more judges in an effort to address criminal case backlogs. (Gothamist)
— DON'T DROP THE CHARGES: New York City Mayor Eric Adams called on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg not to drop prosecutions against students arrested for storming Columbia University's library in an anti-Israel demonstration. (Washington Free Beacon)
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