Puerto Rico's Democratic Party boss offers rare endorsement of Andrew Cuomo for NYC mayor
The head of the Democratic Party of Puerto Rico is endorsing Andrew Cuomo for mayor of New York City, marking an unusual foray into Big Apple politics for the organization, which typically only focuses on issues local to the island.
Luis Dávila Pernas, the party's chairman, made the endorsement official in a new campaign ad that Cuomo's team was set to air on television and digital platforms during Sunday's Puerto Rican Day Parade in Manhattan. Cuomo's camp said it's spending about $100,000 on airing the ad over the course of a week.
'Andrew Cuomo always has and always will stand with the people of Puerto Rico,' Dávila Pernas says in the 1-minute ad, which the Daily News got a preview of before it hit television and online.
Dávila Pernas then lists off how Cuomo, as governor, traveled to Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017 to 'coordinate aid' when President Trump's first administration 'failed to act.' Again, in 2020, when devastating earthquakes rocked the island, Dávila Pernas notes in the ad, Cuomo was back on Puerto Rico with National Guard troops to help local leaders rebuild.
'As we come together for this year's Puerto Rican Day Parade, let's remember: When Puerto Rico needed an ally, Andrew Cuomo was there,' Dávila Pernas adds in the spot.
Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid accusations of sexual misconduct and of having mismanaged nursing home policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, is expected to march in Sunday's Puerto Rican Day Parade along Fifth Ave. Many other local politicians typically also march in the parade, including Mayor Eric Adams, who isn't running in this month's Democratic mayoral primary, having dropped out of it in the wake of the Trump administration's controversial dismissal of his corruption indictment.
The new ad highlights how Cuomo, who denies engaging in wrongdoing as governor, is seeking to appeal to Puerto Ricans in particular and Hispanic voters more broadly. New York City is home to a number of large Hispanic communities seen as key constituencies in local elections.
'I am honored to have Chairman Luis Dávila Pernas' support and look forward to continuing to work with and support the Puerto Rican community any way I can as the next mayor of New York City,' Cuomo told The News.
Cuomo remains the favorite to win the June 24 Democratic mayoral primary, according to most polls. Some recent surveys, though, have shown Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who is polling in second place, cutting into Cuomo's lead, as the election looms less than three weeks away.
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