Latest news with #WomenforCuomo
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cuomo financial support in NYC mayoral race features a number of players from Trump world
Since launching his mayoral campaign this month, Andrew Cuomo has largely refrained from the sharp criticism of President Trump that has marked the rhetoric of many of his opponents, and some Trump supporters are opening up their wallets for the former governor. Cuomo's nascent mayoral campaign has already received nearly $20,000 in contributions from Trump donors and associates, including a prominent conservative social media influencer who recently helped host a fundraiser for the former governor, according to a Daily News review of city and federal filings. The 'Women for Cuomo' fundraiser on March 7 was co-hosted by Tanya Zuckerbrot, a nutritionist with a large social media following who has been a vocal Trump surrogate and attended the president's inaugural ball in January. Donation records show Zuckerbrot gave $2,100, the legal max, to Cuomo's mayoral campaign in conjunction with the event in Manhattan. 'I appreciate his strong support of the Jewish community and commitment to making NYC great again. Who's ready for a comeback?' Zuckerbrot captioned a photo she posted on Instagram on March 10 of herself and Cuomo. She capped off the post with the hashtag #makenycgreatagain, a spin on Trump's signature slogan. In his first two weeks of fundraising, Cuomo also raked in maxed-out $2,100 donations from Randy Levine, president of the New York Yankees who's known to have been on Trump's 'close contacts' list, Jonathan Kushner, cousin of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, and several others with records of financially backing the Republican president's campaigns, records show. That includes max donations to Cuomo from Geoffrey Berman, Trump's ex-Manhattan U.S. attorney who pumped $5,400 into the president's 2016 campaign, and four other New Yorkers, including an attorney and an investor, who have between them given more than $40,000 to Trump's campaigns. Another maxed-out Cuomo mayoral campaign donor is Anthony Scaramucci, a onetime Trump adviser who has since become an outspoken critic of the president. Before turning on Trump, Scaramucci funneled more than $150,000 into Trump's campaign and super PACs, according to disclosures. In total, Cuomo, who's polling as the favorite to win June's Democratic mayoral primary, raised more than $1.5 million during the first two weeks of his campaign and is, according to most polls, the frontrunner for the Democratic nod. Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi noted that, like Scaramucci, Berman has since being fired by Trump in 2020 become critical of the president. Azzopardi also noted several of the donors highlighted by The News' review have records of donating to Cuomo and other Democrats before Trump's 2016 election, including Zuckerbrot, who gave $250 to the then-governor's reelection campaign in 2014. 'Past is prologue, only one candidate in this race has a record of standing up for New York when Trump and Washington sought to hurt it and it's Andrew Cuomo,' Azzopardi said, referencing Cuomo's record as an anti-Trump champion during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ex-gov has since his March 1 campaign launch by and large stayed clear of criticizing the controversial president as pointedly as most elected New York Democrats. In a March 3 interview on Stephen A. Smith's YouTube show, Cuomo suggested Trump — who has threatened to strip New York of billions of dollars in federal funding for various critical programs — wants to help the city. 'Donald Trump is from New York City and he knows our problems here,' Cuomo said in the appearance. 'He knows we need federal help … He knows our situation, he knows the situation in New York City. It is his hometown. I think that he wants New York City to appreciate him. I think he thinks there's an opportunity for him to do good things.' Speaking at a Harlem church a few days later, Cuomo again didn't directly criticize Trump, but did say his presidency could result in 'challenges' for the city. The incumbent, Mayor Adams, has vowed to not publicly criticize the president. Adams, who's trailing Cuomo by double digits in most polls of the mayoral race, has come under fire since the Trump Justice Department moved to drop his federal corruption indictment in a manner that critics and allies say has left the mayor behold to Trump's political agenda. Adams maintains there is no quid pro quo. Some of Cuomo's opponents in the mayoral race have lambasted his lack of forceful Trump pushback. One mayoral candidate, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, held a press conference outside City Hall on Thursday where he questioned whether Cuomo's keeping his powder dry on blasting Trump because House Republicans recently urged the president's Department of Justice to prosecute the ex-governor over matters related to his handling of COVID. 'Either Cuomo should vocally condemn the president, or explain his refusal to do so — New Yorkers deserve to know where he stands,' Myrie said.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Turned off: These Cuomosexuals are not coming back for Andrew Cuomo's NYC mayoral race
The thrill is gone. Some Cuomosexuals are turned off by the former governor's NYC mayoral bid. 'We have most definitely moved on from Andrew Cuomo,' said Sandra F. Behan, a retired ad agency executive who leads the political organization 'We Decide New York' — once a safe haven for Cuomosexuals, as the swooning gaggle of fans of the former governor was known. 'He has proven through firsthand experience that he is not honorable, he doesn't know the word empathy or how to relate to people beyond his own ego, self-aggrandizing and political ambition,' she said. 'It's disheartening to realize that a person you have supported is nothing more than an artful manipulator and promise breaker.' It's a complete 180 for Behan, who once dismissed the allegations of sexual harassment against Cuomo as 'nothing that an HR professional couldn't have handled.' The one-time Cuomo superfan did not attend a 'Women for Cuomo' breakfast on Friday where top tickets ran for 10,000 a plate. Cuomo has been the leading candidate in a slew of recent polls. 'I am not a Cuomosexual anymore,' said Brooke Hammerling, who once proudly described herself as such on X. 'I think his handling of the nursing home situation and COVID was a travesty.' Talia Reese, a comedian living in Long Island, said she was off the train too. 'Ok Yikes. I think we all got over being Cuomosexuals when he killed all the grandmas during Covid. That's when I went Trans Cuomo,' she quipped. Others are taking a wait and see approach. We Decide New York member Robin Gittelman said Cuomo was a 'very competent governor' during the pandemic and dismissed most of the sexual misconduct allegations — but was noncommittal about him as mayor. 'I have to see who he's running against,' she said. 'He's got to earn it.' Cuomo, who announced his entry into the crowded Democratic primary last Saturday, rode high during his initial handling of the pandemic and was seriously mentioned as a 2020 presidential candidate. But he came crashing back to Earth amid allegations of mishandling the state's pandemic response. On March 25, 2020, his administration issued its now infamous directive forcing nursing homes to take in COVID-19 patients who were discharged from hospitals, which some experts said contributed to thousands of deaths of elderly and vulnerable nursing-home residents. He then faced a cascade of allegations of sexual misconduct from 12 women — which ultimately forced him to resign from office in disgrace in August 2021. Many of the most ardent Cuomosexuals stuck with him until the bitter end. 'The Department of Justice Inspector General, the state attorney general and even the Hochul administration's outside review all found that New York was following federal guidance, retrospective federal data actually found that New York [per capita] had fewer COVID Nursing home deaths than two thirds of all other states in 2020,' said Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi of the covid charges. On sexual harassment allegations, he added, 'From Day One he said he never harassed anyone and three years, five district attorney reviews that resulted in zero cases and civil cases that were either dropped or are dying on the vine due to a mountain of exculpatory evidence uncovered during discovery process bares that all out. The city is in crisis and everybody knows that Andrew Cuomo has the experience, the record and the skill to help save it.'
Politico
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Women for — and against — Cuomo
'SHAME!': Perhaps it was inevitable that the Women for Cuomo fundraising breakfast would be protested by Women Against Cuomo. After all, the former governor is running for mayor four years after he resigned following the state attorney general's report finding he sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo denies wrongdoing and district attorneys subsequently did not bring criminal charges. This morning the issue was on full display, with a dozen women standing behind a 'Women Say Hell No to Cuomo' banner outside a Park Avenue office building in Midtown Manhattan, chanting 'Shame! Shame! Shame!' at female Cuomo supporters walking in. 'For centuries, assault and harassment of women has been acceptable and joked about. And we say no. Not then, not now, not in November,' said Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, co-executive director of an education advocacy group. 'We are here to remind those in New York who may have forgotten, to inform those who may not know, and to let Andrew Cuomo know we won't relent.' The accusations that pushed Cuomo to resign in 2021 did not dissuade Brooklyn Assemblymember Latrice Walker from endorsing Cuomo at the fundraiser, leading her own chant quoting Beyoncé: 'Who runs the world? Girls!' Walker said her Brownsville constituents — including her 13-year-old daughter — 'do not resist a moment to tell me about their support for Andrew Cuomo.' Among the demonstrators was former Deputy Secretary for Economic Development Lindsey Boylan, the first woman to accuse Cuomo of harassment. The group also protested outside his campaign launch rally on Sunday, and they're not planning to stop. 'There's a lot of people in New York City who want to remind voters of Andrew Cuomo's record, and we should plan to see them around reminding New Yorkers of his record,' Erica Vladimer, co-founder of the Sexual Harassment Working Group told Playbook. 'Polling demonstrates pretty solidly that women are behind him,' Team Cuomo's Melissa DeRosa countered after the event, noting that about 250 women attended the fundraiser, while outside 'it was Lindsey Boylan and some astroturfers from the Working Families Party. So I'm not sure how representative that particular group is of actual women.' Walker is a close ally of Attorney General Letitia James, a Cuomo foe who spearheaded the report and pushed for City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams' late entrance into the mayor's race. Walker has been a Cuomo ally too, defending him against calls for his resignation in 2021. Her backing another candidate is a blow to Adrienne Adams' nascent campaign. Walker's endorsement brings up another potential vulnerability for Cuomo: his signing of the state's 2019 bail reform package. She was an architect of the policy and has opposed all the rollbacks. While Cuomo has criticized the laws, which some blame for driving recidivism, Mayor Eric Adams told POLITICO in January he'd hold Cuomo accountable for signing them. But the mayor has pretty much avoided any further criticism of Cuomo since. For now, Team Cuomo isn't bothered with Walker's efforts to keep more people out of jail pre-trial. 'You know, she believes what she believes, and that's OK, and that's admirable,' DeRosa said. — Jeff Coltin From the Capitol AN END TO THE STRIKE?: Gov. Kathy Hochul's latest move to end the massive correction officers' strike was put to the test today, as she navigates one of the biggest crises of her tenure. Since Feb. 17, more than 11,000 correction officers have walked off the job in a wildcat strike. And while some have returned to duty, about 8,000 remained AWOL as of Tuesday. The members are striking without the approval of their union, the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association. And Hochul's initial offer to the striking COs — which was mediated with the union — didn't do much to resolve the conflict. So now it's on to offer No. 2, which Hochul's prisons commissioner, Daniel F. Martuscello III, proposed Thursday night after bypassing the union to speak with the striking COs themselves. Their pitch: Anyone who comes back to work will automatically be reinstated without punishment or demotion. Their health insurance, which was stripped during the strike, will be restored. And the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision will open a dialogue with various bargaining units to discuss changes to the law that limits solitary confinement and mandates programming for inmates. Officers will also receive 2.5 times the overtime pay rate initially offered by Hochul for 30 days. The top demands from the striking officers are a reduction in mandatory overtime hours and the repeal of the HALT Act, which Hochul can't take off the books without the Legislature's help. 'Recognizing that I needed to hear from my workforce directly, I traveled the state and took phone calls from correction officers and correction sergeants across this state, hearing directly from them what would be necessary in order for them to return to the workforce,' Martuscello said in a video briefing Thursday night. The officers' union, which had no role in negotiating the new offer, is refusing to sign on. 'This agreement was not negotiated with NYSCOPBA—the legally recognized entity through which all negotiations must be conducted,' the union said in a statement. 'There are substantial legal issues that must be addressed, and as presented, this agreement does not represent the best interests of our membership.' The Hochul administration spent today waiting to see how many COs would come back to work and honor the agreement. The officers will be docked two days pay for every day they didn't show up, as required by The Taylor Law. As of 3 p.m., there was no update on how many officers returned. — Jason Beeferman From The White House FEDS TAKE $400 MILLION FROM COLUMBIA: The Trump administration is seeking to cancel roughly $400 million in grants and contracts with Columbia University, a federal antisemitism task force announced Friday, POLITICO reports. The Justice Department task force to combat antisemitism has been probing 10 institutions because of their responses to antisemitic incidents on campuses since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel. But Columbia, which faced intense scrutiny for its students' high-profile anti-war protests last spring, is the first institution to have its grants and contracts frozen. 'Freezing the funds is one of the tools we are using to respond to this spike in antisemitism. This is only the beginning,' said Leo Terrell, head of the Justice Department task force. 'Canceling these taxpayer funds is our strongest signal yet that the Federal Government is not going to be party to an educational institution like Columbia that does not protect Jewish students and staff.' The affected contracts come from the Departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, and Education, as well as the General Services Administration. The Trump administration said Columbia's grants were scrutinized because of the 'school's continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.' The task force said to expect more cancellations as it continues to seek more areas to cut contracts or grants to the institution from other agencies. Columbia University holds more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments. — Bianca Quilantan FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL MSG SUPER PAC STARTS SPENDING: A super PAC founded by Knicks and Rangers owner James Dolan is beginning to spend in advance of the June primaries after being mostly dormant for a couple of years. Madison Square Garden made two $250,000 donations to The Coalition to Restore New York last week. That committee spent $30,000 polling on the primary on Monday. Dolan launched the committee in 2021. It was 'candidate agnostic' but spent $3.8 million encouraging New Yorkers to vote for the officeseekers who would do the most on issues like 'making our city safer.' It spent $1.5 million in 2022, primarily to boost Gov. Kathy Hochul. Attempts to contact the committee for details about its plans for this year were unsuccessful. But it's notable that Dolan has long-standing ties to one candidate running in June: He and his family have given more than $1 million to Cuomo's gubernatorial efforts over the years, MSG hired 'third Cuomo brother' Joe Percoco when he left the administration, the governor appointed Dolan to the state's Covid reopening advisory board and Cuomo helped protect the Garden from redevelopment plans in the Penn Station area. Dolan also contributed $5,000 to Adams' legal defense fund last year. — Bill Mahoney IN OTHER NEWS — NEVER AGAIN, LATER!: Cuomo's pro-Israel group 'Never Again, NOW!' has little to show for its efforts. (The New York Times) — THE COMMUTING DEPUTY MAYOR: Jeffrey Roth, the mayor's new pick for deputy mayor for operations, lives, votes and even runs for office in Westchester. (THE CITY) — NO, THE OTHER LAKE PLACID: Immigration and Customs Enforcement erroneously listed Lake Placid, N.Y. as a town cooperating with federal immigration authorities, when they meant to say Lake Placid, Florida. (City & State) Missed this morning's New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
