Latest news with #NYCmayor
CBS News
a day ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Jessica Ramos endorses Andrew Cuomo in NYC mayor's race. Here's why analysts say she did it.
New York State Sen. Jessica Ramos has endorsed Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayor's race as the Democratic primary enters the home stretch. Ramos announced her support for the ex-New York governor the day after Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani got endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and two days after a debate between the nine Democratic candidates. Why did Ramos endorse Cuomo for NYC mayor? When then-Gov. Cuomo was embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal, Ramos called for his resignation. Earlier in the mayoral campaign, she claimed his "mental acuity is in decline." So why is Ramos now endorsing Cuomo for mayor? "Because it's the right thing to do. She has a future ahead of her," J.C. Polanco, a political analyst and associate professor at University of Mount Saint Vincent, said Sunday on CBS News New York's "The Point with Marcia Kramer." "She's seen that she has single digits, has $5,000 in the bank, and she has a lot of time to recover." Polanco does not believe Ramos was promised a job in exchange for her endorsement. "I think it's an opportunity for her to continue staying relevant, understanding that she has no shot of winning this race, and endorsing the frontrunner helps her out," he said. Democratic mayoral candidate Jessica Ramos speaks during a Democratic mayoral primary debate, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in New York. Yuki Iwamura / AP Ramos did not drop out of the race. In her announcement, she urged voters to rank Cuomo first because she believes he is the best person to take on President Trump. "Donald Trump isn't just a national threat. He's promised punishment. He's promised revenge and I take that seriously. And we're not going to beat that with hash tags and headline stunts. We need serious governing. We need delivery over dogma. Knowing how to govern matters, and that's why I'm endorsing Andrew Cuomo for mayor today," Ramos said Friday. "This wasn't an easy decision." Ocasio-Cortez ranked Mamdani first, followed in order by Adrienne Adams, Brad Lander, Scott Stringer and Zellnor Myrie. Potential impact to Citi Field casino bid O'Brien Murray, a political consultant, said on "The Point" that Ramos' endorsement "unequivocally helps" Cuomo and could be strategic as New York gets closer to awarding downstate casino licenses. "It's amazing that one of the most progressive candidates is the one endorsing him. Helps him there. It's a woman. Given his history, what he had in Albany, all of that is a positive for him. And it changed the narrative from the AOC endorsement," Murray said. Another reason for the endorsement could be the Queens politician's opposition to New York Mets owner Steve Cohen's Metropolitan Park proposal, which would put a casino in the Citi Field parking lot. "She did this also because of the [Sen. John Liu] endorsement for Mamdani. Liu took away the parks issue right now for the casino in Queens at Citi Field," Murray said. "That is a major issue and Cohen is somebody that supports Cuomo. She is going to try to put herself in there and stop the Cohen casino at Citi Field." A general view of USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and Citi Field as photographed from an airplane arriving into LaGuardia Airport on February 4, 2024 in the Queens borough of New York City, United States. BRUCE BENNETT / Getty Images Ramos previously said she believes the casino business model is built on extracting wealth from communities. There are currently eight casino proposals for three downstate licenses.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Andrew Cuomo's bid for New York City mayor endorsed by rival in surprise turn
Andrew Cuomo's bid to become New York City's mayor received a surprising boost on Friday when one of his rivals, Queens state senator Jessica Ramos, endorsed the former governor after having previously questioned his mental acuity and describing him as a bully with a record of sexual misconduct allegations. Ramos punctuated her stunning U-turn with a surprise appearance at a campaign rally in Manhattan, where she hugged Cuomo and said she believed he was 'the one best positioned right now to protect this city'. 'We need someone in City Hall who knows how to hold the line and deliver under pressure,' Ramos said in a statement shared on Cuomo's campaign website, just weeks after she claimed his 'mental acuity is in decline'. Ramos also said she had worked with Cuomo 'to raise wages, protect immigrant workers, and pass major labor reforms', and she added that she believed he could 'go toe-to-toe' with the Donald Trump administration 'when it counts'. The endorsement from Ramos comes days after the first the New York City Democratic mayoral primary debate, during which Cuomo faced attacks over his gubernatorial administration's handling of nursing home deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic and sexual harassment allegations against him that prompted his resignation. In 2021, Ramos was one of the first Democratic lawmakers to call for Cuomo to resign over those sexual harassment allegations, which he has denied. An investigation by the state attorney general found he sexually harassed nearly a dozen women – most of whom worked for him – and also retaliated after some made complaints. Ramos in March accused Cuomo's mayoral run of being a 'vanity comeback tour'. She said Cuomo 'brings nothing to this race but baggage'. 'Hard pass on Andrew,' she wrote. Also in March, she called Cuomo 'a corrupt bully with a record of alleged sexual misconduct'. As recently as Wednesday, Ramos said she wished she 'lived in a city where voters cared about women getting harassed. 'We talk about it all the time, but I'm not running about Andrew Cuomo's record,' she told Politico. 'I'm running on my own record.' Ramos's allies on the progressive left greeted her endorsement of Cuomo with dismay – including several organizations that had backed her mayoral candidacy. The Working Families party said it was 'sad and disappointed' by Ramos's 'desperate' decision. The New York City council member Chi Ossé said he was 'hurt' by Ramos's announcement. 'I've always respected her for the work she's done for our city and state,' Ossé wrote on X. 'To see her throw of all her values away and betray the [New Yorkers] she's been fighting for is heartbreaking and disgusting.' The actor Cynthia Nixon, who ran and lost to Cuomo in the 2018 Democratic primary, said on X that she was 'choosing to remember the Jessica Ramos' who 'supported the women who were sexually harassed, remembered the people Cuomo sent to die in nursing homes [and] always called out Cuomo's corruption, mismanagement [and] lies'. 'I'll miss that Ramos,' Nixon added. 'Where did she go?' Ramos said her decision to back Cuomo is what is known as a cross-endorsement, for she does not intend to drop out of the race. Cuomo, meanwhile, told reporters on Friday he would not be returning the favor and endorsing Ramos. However, in a statement, Cuomo said: 'Senator Ramos is a fighter for working New Yorkers, and we are all better off for her leadership. 'Senator Ramos and I are both … tough and protective of our families and neighbors, and by extension we are protective of all New Yorkers.' The closely watched mayoral race in heavily Democratic New York City has largely settled into a two-way fight between Cuomo, the current frontrunner, and the democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani. The incumbent Eric Adams is running as an independent. On Thursday, Mamdani received the prominent endorsement of US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who told New York Times that Mamdani 'demonstrated a real ability on the ground to put together a coalition of working-class New Yorkers that is strongest to lead the pack'. Ocasio-Cortez ranked five candidates – but left Ramos off her slate.
CBS News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
In NYC mayor's race, Andrew Cuomo, State Sen. Jessica Ramos expected to unveil ranked choice voting alliance
As the race for New York City mayor heats up, Andrew Cuomo and fellow Democratic candidate New York State Sen. Jessica Ramos are expected to announce Friday a ranked choice voting alliance for the June primary election. Cuomo and Ramos are holding a news conference Friday morning where they are expected to make the announcement. Neither candidate is expected to leave the race. The purpose of asking primary voters to choose someone else as their second choice is to boost that person's chances as the rounds of voting progress, until someone reaches 50%. Cuomo is the overwhelming frontrunner in the Democratic race, followed in most polls by socialist Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. Cuomo was the favorite punching bag during the first debate earlier this week. His fellow democratic candidates attacked him over the sexual harassment and nursing home scandals that forced him from the governor's office four years ago. Andrew Cuomo greets Jessica Ramos before participating in the New York City Democratic Mayoral Primary Debate on June 4, 2025 in New York City. Yuki Iwamura / Getty Images The morning after the debate, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez threw her support behind Mamdani with a formal endorsement. "This is our most effective tool to protect NYC institutions from being molded to maximize impunity for Cuomo's bully politics," Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement accompanying her top five rankings: Zohran Mamdani, Adrienne Adams, Brad Lander, Scott Stringer and Zellnor Myrie. Cuomo brushed off the news, and his campaign pointed to his recent endorsement from the Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance saying this is "why he leads in every poll and why, when he's mayor, he's going to get this city back on the right track and make it more affordable and safer for all." Absent from Wednesday's debate stage was New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is running for reelection on the independent ticket. Early voting in the primary election starts June 14 ahead of Election Day on June 24. Like the last mayoral primary, voters will use ranked choice voting to select up to five candidates. contributed to this report.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Jessica Ramos Will Endorse Andrew Cuomo for New York City Mayor
Andrew M. Cuomo's bid to become mayor of New York City will receive an unexpected boost from a rival Democratic candidate on Friday, when Jessica Ramos will announce that she is endorsing him. Ms. Ramos, a state senator from Queens, is a progressive Democrat who has been one of the harshest campaign critics of Mr. Cuomo, the former New York governor who resigned in 2021 after a sexual harassment scandal. She said in April that Mr. Cuomo's 'mental acuity is in decline' and that New Yorkers could not afford a 'Joe Biden moment' at City Hall, in reference to the former president's age and health concerns. But on Friday, Ms. Ramos will appear at a campaign event with Mr. Cuomo to announce her endorsement, just two days after the two were among nine Democrats sparring on a debate stage. Ms. Ramos said she was 'staying in the race' and would remain on the ballot, but her endorsement of Mr. Cuomo is effectively an acknowledgment that she cannot win. She said she was supporting Mr. Cuomo because 'he's the one best positioned right now to protect this city.' 'With Trump threatening to bulldoze New York and take us backward, we need someone in City Hall who knows how to hold the line and deliver under pressure,' she said. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Andrew Cuomo locks in another House endorsement in NYC mayoral race
US Rep. Adriano Espaillat is backing Andrew Cuomo for New York City mayor — strengthening the embattled former governor's support among Latino communities in Washington Heights and the Bronx. The Democratic congressman made his spirited endorsement during a Mother's Day event in the Bronx Saturday night, encouraging female attendees to vote for the pol – who resigned in disgrace from the governor's office in 2021 over sexual misconduct claims leveled against him by a slew of women. 'He has the best intentions in his heart,' Espaillat, who reps Upper Manhattan and parts of the West Bronx, insisted during his lively bilingual declaration, according to a video shared on X. 'He needs you, he needs the mothers and the daughters and the granddaughters of the city so he can make it better.' In a subsequent statement – which also included an endorsement from Espaillat's Coalition for Community Concerns – the congressman described Cuomo as a strong and proven leader capable of tackling the Big Apple's most urgent issues, including affordability, public safety and federal overreach. Cuomo has now won the support of three House members — including Ritchie Torres and Greg Meeks. The Democratic candidate also earned an endorsement from Assemblyman George Alvarez, who hosted Saturday's function. Alvarez is a member of the coalition, which was formed ahead of the city's mayoral race and includes civic and business leaders, local activists and elected officials. 'His record proves that he is the best suited to tackle challenges facing our city,' said Alvarez, who serves New York's 78th District in the Bronx. 'From building more affordable housing to making like safer in the streets, the Bronx needs someone who can step up to the plate on Day One and start doing the job. We did it before, we can do it again, and we will when he is at City Hall.' Cuomo, during the vivacious gathering, said he looks forward to working with both pols when he's elected. 'No one will do more for the Bronx than we will together,' Cuomo told the crowd, the video showed. 'The Bronx has been left behind for too long and we're going to make it a priority. We're going to make it safer, more affordable, and more job opportunities than you have seen in years.'
