A Cuomo clash fest

Politico

2 days ago

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Andrew Cuomo's scandals and Donald Trump's meddling were the mood music for the two-hour Democratic mayoral debate Wednesday evening.
The candidate who seemed most eager to lace into the frontrunning Cuomo was longshot ex-Assemblymember Michael Blake.
The Bronx Democrat has little support, but he had zingers.
The former DNC vice chair leveled one of the sharpest barbs at Cuomo, knitting together the sexual harassment allegations and Covid policies that have dogged the former governor: 'The people who don't feel safe are the young women, mothers and grandmothers around Andrew Cuomo — that's the greatest threat to public safety.'
The attacks on Cuomo during the first televised debate of the boisterous Big Apple Democratic mayoral primary underscored the strategic need of his opponents to swing hard and fast against the prohibitive favorite to win the party's nomination. They parried with early voting set to begin in 10 days.
Nine candidates — Cuomo, Blake, City Comptroller Brad Lander, state Sens. Zellnor Myrie and Jessica Ramos, former City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and businessperson Whitney Tilson — squared off in the debate co-sponsored by POLITICO and WNBC.
The crowded forum was marked by periods of extensive crosstalk from the candidates mostly trying to pile on Cuomo, who is mounting a comeback bid after scandal-induced resignation four years ago.
The candidates all pledged to tackle issues that have resonated with voters, like affordability and housing, while vowing to fight Trump's meddling in his native city — especially with targeting undocumented people for deportation. They uniformly condemned Trump's threats against Columbia University over charges the school failed to protect Jewish students.
Lander turned the Trump talk back to Cuomo.
'With all the corruption that's in Washington, we can't have corruption back here in New York City as well,' he said before blasting Cuomo's controversial $5 million contract for a Covid-era memoir.
The criticisms of Cuomo flowed forth from there.
Attacking Cuomo, who has largely shied away from speaking with reporters and attending candidate forums, was an imperative for his opponents Wednesday as voting fast approaches. But it was the longshot Blake, who frequently laced into Cuomo with cutting criticism.
Mamdani accused the former governor of being 'allergic to accountability' when Blake re-surfaced a 2008 Cuomo quote who criticized candidates who 'shuck and jive' as Barack Obama was running for president.
Adrienne Adams was incredulous when Cuomo could not name a 'personal regret' in politics, summoning a cinematic rebuke: 'No regrets when it comes to cutting Medicaid or health care? No regrets when it comes to cutting child care? No regrets when it comes to slow walking PPE and vaccinations in the season of Covid in Black and brown communities?'
Stringer blasted the former governor's approval of a controversial cashless bail law.
The ex-governor counterpunched at points. He accused his opponents of supporting defunding the police and attacked Mamdani's lack of experience in government — saying that it would hinder the democratic socialist's ability to fight Trump.
'Mr. Trump would go through Mr. Mamdani like a hot knife through butter,' Cuomo said. 'He would be Trump's delight.'
Hitting back at Lander, Cuomo asserted the city comptroller approved contracts for organizations with ties to Lander's wife.
'Mr. Lander knows corruption,' Cuomo said. Lander called the claim 'a lie.'
Whether the barrage against the leading contender — which mainly came within the first hour — will work won't be known until the votes are counted.
But Cuomo is a known quantity for many New Yorkers. He's leading in polls, but his negatives are high.
The rest of the field is yet to take advantage of — or crack — that paradox. — Nick Reisman
IT'S THURSDAY. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
WHERE'S KATHY? In New York City and Massachusetts with no public schedule.
WHERE'S ERIC? No public schedule available as of 10 p.m. Wednesday.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'I'm going to look at some of the local races that we're having and pick from some of the local candidates. But the mayoral candidates, I'm going to skip over that. There's only one person I'll be voting for for mayor, and that's Eric Adams.' — New York City Mayor Eric Adams, talking about how he will not vote in the mayoral Democratic primary. (Adams dropped out of the primary to mount a longshot general election bid.)
ABOVE THE FOLD
CLARKE'S NO. 1 PICK: Rep. Yvette Clarke is endorsing Adrienne Adams as her top choice for mayor, lending the City Council speaker a much-needed boost as she seeks traction in the final weeks of the campaign, POLITICO reports exclusively today.
Clarke and her powerbroker mother Una Clarke are influential among Caribbean New Yorkers. They're also closely allied with New York Attorney General Letitia James, who recruited and endorsed Adams in a contentious primary that Andrew Cuomo is dominating.
Adams is a later entry into the race. She qualified only last week for public matching funds. And she's been polling behind Cuomo and Mamdani, the surging Democratic socialist who's closing the gap with the former governor.
'Working families in Brooklyn and across this city deserve a mayor who puts people first — someone who leads with both strength and compassion, and who has the experience to make government work for everyone,' Clarke said in a statement. 'Speaker Adrienne Adams is ready on day one to partner with me and my colleagues in protecting New Yorkers from the harmful policies coming out of the White House.'
Clarke's nod comes as her political club, the Progressive Democrats Political Association, plans to endorse an unranked slate of candidates that includes Cuomo, though many members wanted to make Adams their top choice, three people familiar with the decision told POLITICO.
Clarke, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, is one of the last New York congressional delegation members to make their endorsement. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus' chair, Rep. Grace Meng of Queens, has yet to make her pick in the crowded primary. The prized congressional endorsement among the primary's progressives is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has yet to announce her choices. — Emily Ngo
CITY HALL: THE LATEST
IMPACT REPORT: The hits on Cuomo just weren't hitting, Democratic insiders told POLITICO halfway through the debate.
'This was the Andrew Cuomo show. He took plenty of jabs but not many big hits,' said David Greenfield, a former New York City Council member and nonprofit leader. 'Hard to imagine many minds were changed so far.'
And Dianne Morales, a left-leaning 2021 mayoral candidate and nonprofit leader, said she didn't think it would impact Cuomo's lead. 'The average NYer standing in line at Staples only remembers seeing Cuomo on their TV every morning during the scariest time of their lives. They believe he's a leader they want in office.'
Even some of his opponents didn't seem to think the needle moved. 'I wish I lived in a city where voters cared about women getting harassed,' Ramos said after the debate.
Myrie felt that Cuomo didn't adequately answer the questions posed at the debate. 'We are in the late third quarter. Fourth is coming up, and voters are just starting to tune in. … We'll see whether or not the voters think these questions that are unanswered are disqualifying.'
Ever the optimist, Mamdani said after the debate that voters will shift away from Cuomo.
'I think he's changing their minds himself as he's shown himself unwilling to admit even a single regret,' Mamdani said. 'He's just as allergic to apology and accountability, seemingly, as Donald Trump.' — Jeff Coltin
More from the city:
— Eric Adams announced his intention to implement a speed limit on e-bikes in New York City. (NBC 4 New York)
— Tears and panic mark the scene outside an immigration office in New York as ICE accelerates migrant round-ups. (THE CITY)
— Cuomo criticizes Gov. Kathy Hochul for prioritizing tax rebates over New York City childcare vouchers. (Daily News)
NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: A bill that would make it easier for prison inmates to be paroled has passed a key milestone — it has the backing of a majority of state Senate lawmakers.
There are now 32 members who have signed onto the bill in the 63-member state Senate.
The bill would enable the release of inmates when they're eligible for parole unless there's a risk to the public.
'I'm grateful to the majority of my Senate colleagues for co-sponsoring the Fair & Timely Parole bill,' said bill sponsor state Sen. Julia Salazar. 'Now, it's time to act.' — Nick Reisman
WINE TIME: The business-backed coalition pressing for a law that would allow grocery stores to sell wine is making an end-of-session push today for the long-sought measure.
The group, New York State of Wine, will launch digital ads targeting state lawmakers by pointing to polling that shows the measure is popular with voters. A rally at the state Capitol will also be held today in support of the proposal.
The bill faces an uphill climb amid opposition from liquor store owners. Democratic state lawmakers have amended the bill to include provisions to alleviate their concerns — such as allowing liquor stores to sell a greater variety of products and placing restrictions on where new supermarkets can sell wine.
But liquor stores believe allowing wine sales in grocery stores represents an existential threat, and their owners have successfully beat back legislation for decades. — Nick Reisman
More from Albany:
— Hedge funds that sue impoverished countries could be reined in by Albany. (NYS Focus)
— The tech lobby is trying to push back against AI regulation bills. (City & State)
— Advocates want changes to land-lease co-op terms. (Times Union)
KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION
MORE AND MORE CROWDED IN NY-17: The number of Democrats officially running for GOP Rep. Mike Lawler's Hudson Valley seat now stands at seven.
The newest candidate, Peter Chatzky, is arguing he's the most electable because he's grounded and pragmatic.
Chatzky, the former mayor of Briarcliff Manor in Westchester County, will launch his campaign today, Playbook has learned.
He's touting a blend of public and private sector experience as founder and CEO of a fintech company. And he said lowering the cost of living, restoring funding to essential services like Medicaid, defending abortion rights and combating extremism are his top priorities.
'We need to make Democrats proud to vote blue again,' the candidate said in a statement. 'What we don't need is a politician who pretends to resist the destructive Trump agenda, only to back the administration's dangerous, miscalculated initiatives every step of the way.'
He and others in the increasingly heated 2026 race will have a fight on their hands — first among each other and then against Lawler, a high-profile moderate who won reelection last year by 6 points in a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans.
Lawler's campaign spokesperson has derided the ever-expanding field of Democratic challengers as a 'clown car.'
The House member is weighing a bid for governor and says he will make his decision this month. His calling card cause is New York Republicans' push to raise the cap on the state and local tax deduction.
SALT promises to be a big topic in the midterms. Lawler and other SALT Republicans secured a quadrupling of the current cap to $40,000, though the megabill is now with the Senate. Democratic NY-17 candidate Beth Davidson has criticized Lawler for not fighting to scrap the cap by letting it expire, then recently told NY1 she supports a lifting of the cap to at least $25,000. — Emily Ngo
More from the delegation:
— The House Republicans get their megabill's official price tag: $2.4 trillion. (POLITICO)
— Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer halted the quick confirmation of a top Justice Department nominee as part of a blockade tied to Trump's acceptance of a Qatari plane. (POLITICO)
— Republican senators face Wall Street's worries over the megabill's retaliatory tax. (Semafor)
NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
— The U.S. Department of Education initiated the process to remove Columbia University's accreditation over antisemitism allegations. (Axios)
— A Manhattan jury will soon begin deliberating whether to convict the disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein of rape and other offenses. (New York Times)
— What to know about health risks as wildfire smoke reaches New York City. (THE CITY)
SOCIAL DATA
MAKING MOVES: Amanda Golden is now a senior associate at Sands Capital on their global ventures team. She most recently earned her MBA from UVA Darden School of Business and is a Google News, NBC News and CNN alum.
WEEKEND WEDDING: Alexandra Dakich, an associate at Cravath, Swaine and Moore LLP and a Pete Buttigieg 2020 campaign alum, on Saturday married Nick Izzard, the strategic finance senior manager at ZocDoc. The couple, who met in college at Vanderbilt University, married at Newfields in Indianapolis. Pic
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NYC Council Member Shekar Krishnan … former NYC Council Member Mark Weprin … Maya Bronstein … (WAS WEDNESDAY): Mort Zuckerman ... ProPublica's Justin Elliott … NBC's Emily Gold … Daniel H. Weiss ... Adam E. Soclof ... Daniel Rosenthal
Missed Wednesday's New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it here.