21-05-2025
An endorsement conundrum for 2 NYC mayoral race holdouts
NEW YORK — At this point in the New York City mayoral primary four years ago, Reps. Grace Meng and Yvette Clarke were enthusiastically campaigning for their endorsed candidates.
Now, with one month until early voting starts, the two Democrats have yet to make a move in a lopsided primary in which Andrew Cuomo's victory appears likely.
That's because both would rather endorse someone else.
The sense of inevitability surrounding the former governor has been a deciding factor for many who've endorsed him during his primary run. His runaway polling and the cash-stacked super PAC boosting him mean that endorsers must weigh their leverage with voters against the possibility of incurring Cuomo's infamous wrath.
'There is value to getting a vindictive guy with rough edges like him on your side if he's going to be in power,' said a New York Democratic aide granted anonymity because he, ironically, feared political reprisal. He is not affiliated with any of the mayoral campaigns.
A decision by Clarke — whose powerbroker mother Una Clarke helped boost Bill de Blasio among Caribbean New Yorkers throughout his pre-mayoral career — is expected as soon as this week. It's set to be delivered gift-wrapped in political cover. She said an endorsement won't come directly through her, but rather after a vote by her Brooklyn political club, the Progressive Democrats Political Association.
Among the non-Cuomo contenders are three who could be viewed as politically logical picks for her: City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, a fellow Black woman who was endorsed by Clarke family ally and Attorney General Letitia James; city Comptroller Brad Lander, also a Brooklyn progressive; and State Sen. Zellnor Myrie, a member of Clarke's political club who's polling the lowest of the three.
Clarke told POLITICO that James, a Cuomo foe and one of the state's most popular Democrats, has been lobbying her on behalf of Adams. The House member also rejected that the primary is skewed toward Cuomo, noting New York City's relatively new ranked-choice voting system.
'It's the ranked choice that ultimately determines it, and that's what we're focused on,' Clarke said in a brief interview. 'We're not going to necessarily promote one candidate, but the fact that people should use ranked choice.'
Meng, whose timeline is less clear, wields influence over Asian American voters across the ideological spectrum.
Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, who's been in second place in recent polls, is courting South Asian voters. Scott Stringer, stalled in single digits, has pulled a lot of donations from Flushing, Queens — home to a large Asian American population. But no candidate has thus far claimed a lock on those voters, who could prove decisive come the June 24 primary.
All of that adds up to conundrum for Meng.
Will she break with Queens Democratic Party Chair Rep. Greg Meeks as she did in 2021, when she co-chaired Andrew Yang's campaign and he backed business leader Ray McGuire? Or will she endorse Cuomo as Meeks did in March, when he declared that 'it's Queens coming together' for the former governor?
'Of course, I want her to endorse Mr. Cuomo,' Meeks told POLITICO. 'She's still deciding what she's going to do, so we're still talking to her.'
Meng did not show her hand, saying only that she's in conversations with the Gracie Mansion hopefuls.
'I want to make sure that the candidates have a thoughtful plan on how to be helpful to Queens and to our AAPI community,' she told POLITICO.
Meng, Clarke and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will be among the last members of New York City's Democratic congressional delegation to make endorsements.
No support from the delegation stands to impact the course of the race more than that of Ocasio-Cortez, a national progressive hero who is reportedly weighing an endorsement of Mamdani and Lander. But while Cuomo isn't counting on the backing of the hard-left standard-bearer, his candidacy would be validated by endorsements from either Clarke or Meng.
For Cuomo rivals trailing him in every poll, the stakes are much higher.
Being passed over for an endorsement or ranked low on Clarke's slate would spell even more trouble for Myrie, who has struggled throughout this race. Clarke's political club launched Myrie's wife, Assemblymember Diana Richardson, into politics and his state Senate district overlaps with Clarke's House district.
Adams, a latecomer to the race, stands to gain the most from a Clarke nod. A local political institution, the Clarke family has long been allied with James, who recruited and advises Adams. Yvette Clarke emphasized the importance of New York City electing its first Black woman mayor, upon endorsing Maya Wiley in 2021.
Asked about her delay in making a decision, a Clarke campaign adviser — granted anonymity to speak about internal discussions — said, 'She believes that the candidates should have time to make their case before voters, knowing that she's going to be primarily focusing her time on her job in Washington.'
Indeed, House Democrats from the city have been more visible in their caucus' battle against President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' than on the campaign trail with mayoral candidates. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who also endorsed Wiley in 2021, has said he's sitting out this primary.
In March of that year, Meng and Clarke joined the avalanche of Democrats who called for Cuomo's resignation amid multiple sexual harassment allegations, accusations detailed in a report out of James' office that he denies. Reps. Adriano Espaillat and Ritchie Torres, as well as Meeks, were in the anti-Cuomo chorus too, but have endorsed his political comeback bid anyway. Similarly, labor unions and business groups that feuded with him as governor are on board with his mayoral run.
'It's the same calculus all the Republicans who disowned Trump after Jan. 6 made when they sold out their principles and enthusiastically supported his reelection bid,' said a New York Democratic strategist unaffiliated with any mayoral campaign and granted anonymity to speak freely. 'When the writing's on the wall, politicians don't forget how to read: Andrew Cuomo will be our next mayor.'
Meng chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and is immensely popular among Asian Americans of differing political affiliations, polls have shown. She campaigned hard in 2021 for Yang, including in Flushing and was integral last year in turning out the Asian vote for Queens and Long Island Rep. Tom Suozzi.
'She's unquestionably our toughest fighter for Asian Americans, and even people who don't always agree with her like her,' said Democratic consultant Amit Singh Bagga, who isn't working on any of the mayoral campaigns. 'There's something to be said for that in this business.'
Clarke chairs the Congressional Black Caucus and has picked progressives in past cycles. In addition to endorsingWiley in 2021, she backed de Blasio in 2013. Cuomo has a large base of Black voters in the city. An endorsement or ranking by Clarke's political club would nevertheless be a coup for the former governor — especially since he once mistakenly believed Una Clarke was dead.
'The Clarke name is synonymous with Brooklyn politics and with Caribbean communities across the city,' said Democratic strategist Trip Yang, who is not affiliated with a mayoral candidate. 'African American turnout is high, but some campaigns intentionally target Caribbeans and some don't.'
