Latest news with #anti-Cuomo
Politico
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Mamdani's social media savvy comes at a cost
A Democratic consultant who was granted anonymity to frankly discuss campaign strategy said running against a candidate affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America typically entails two strategies: Paint them as too extreme in an effort to limit their support to only the most loyal leftists, or attack their credibility by exposing personal wealth or some other form of privilege. The pro-Cuomo super PAC chose the former. It did not succeed. 'Fix the City's negative paid ads against Mamdani could have been more successful if there had been a viable third or fourth candidate in the race to steer anti-Cuomo votes to. But particularly in the final weeks, it was very clearly Mamdani vs. Cuomo,' the consultant said. 'This made the PAC's attacks on Mamdani less impactful, because whatever concerns voters had about him — and a lot of Mamdani voters had concerns — he still wasn't Andrew Cuomo.' Epstein, Mamdani's creative director, said the campaign was able to reach vast numbers of voters at a fraction of the cost of broadcast spots, with video shoots typically costing in the low four-figures. In the month before the primary, Mamdani's Instagram content was viewed 236 million times, with 62 percent of those viewers not previously following him. More recently, right-leaning news outfits and influencers have been picking up where Fix the City left off. A 2020 interview with The Far Left Show has spawned multiple reports in the New York Post and other outlets. In the spot, Mamdani told the hosts 'the abolition of private property' would be preferable to the current housing crisis and, when asked whether prisons are obsolete, he responded 'what purpose do they serve?' The Washington Free Beacon cited a separate 2020 interview where Mamdani says police officers shouldn't be the ones to respond to incidents where someone 'is going through domestic violence.' And Fox News reported on an old tweet that showed Mamdani directing his middle finger toward a statue of Christopher Columbus. The efficacy of the latest barrage of negative stories, however, appears limited: They are coming out during the doldrums of summer, just as Mamdani is riding high after his decisive primary win and gaining powerful institutional allies. The articles are appearing in outlets, with the exception of the New York Post, that have little sway in New York City elections. And while Mamdani's past positions have in some cases been expressed more crassly than he would want to convey them as mayor, they are not too far afield of his core ideology to alienate voters.
NBC News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
What to watch in New York City's mayoral primary
New York City heads to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots in the city's mayoral primaries, dominated by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's comeback tour and progressive state legislator Zohran Mamdani's late rise in the Democratic contest. But Election Day is likely to be short on answers for voters who want to know who could lead their city next year or what the high-profile race means for the battle over the future of the Democratic Party. That's because of a pair of complicating factors in this primary: the city's use of ranked choice voting (a more complicated style of voting that often takes longer to determine a winner) and the possibility that the Democratic runner-up will run in the general election on a different party's ballot line. The only sure things for city voters are that their scandal-ridden mayor, Eric Adams, is running in the fall as an independent, that long-shot candidate Curtis Sliwa will be the Republican nominee (as he's running unopposed) and that it's unlikely that any Democratic candidate will win a clear majority Tuesday, triggering the ranked-choice process, which could take more than a week to decide a winner. Polls close at 9 p.m. ET. Here are three things to watch in the Democratic primary. Who leads Tuesday? The city Board of Elections is expected to post unofficial results of voters' first-choice preferences Tuesday evening, and a candidate could technically clinch the race outright then by winning a majority. (Voters can rank their top five candidates, in order, on their ballots, and their votes are reallocated according to those preferences if their candidates finish with too few votes.) But with 11 candidates on the ballot and a handful of relatively prominent Democrats seeking the mantle of the anti-Cuomo hopeful, the likeliest scenario is that no one will hit the majority threshold. The main question, particularly for Cuomo, who has been arguing he's uniquely qualified to run the city given his blend of experience and history pushing back against President Donald Trump, is how many first-choice votes he can bank Tuesday. Cuomo's opponents have been organizing around the slogan 'don't rank Cuomo,' imploring voters to leave him off their ballots and deprive him of support regardless of which alternative candidates they prefer. The strategy is aimed at capping how much Cuomo could grow his support on subsequent ballots. Even though he resigned as governor four years ago amid scrutiny of state investigations and multiple allegations of sexual harassment, Cuomo has been the favorite since the start of the race, and he and his allies have tried to fashion a culture of inevitability around him. He has joined forces with key Democrats like former Mayor Michael Bloomberg (who donated more than $8 million to a pro-Cuomo super PAC) and former President Bill Clinton, as well as key Democratic leaders in the city — including some who helped push him out when he was governor. All that support has also led to an overwhelming spending advantage: Ad-spending figures from AdImpact that take into account candidate spending show the majority of the $35 million in ad spending had come from pro-Cuomo forces as of Monday. Even if no candidate wins a majority of first-place votes Tuesday, how close the early leader gets to the majority threshold will be informative, marking how big a climb the leader will have as the ranked choice tabulation starts. And as Cuomo asks voters to forget the scandal that forced him from office and buy into what he can do for them now, Tuesday night's results will be an important indicator of how the battle to define his legacy is playing out. If no one wins outright, what happens next? Assuming no candidate wins a majority, the city Board of Elections will tabulate the ranked choice ballots, removing the last-place candidate and reallocating that candidate's supporters' votes to the next candidate listed on each ballot. Once two candidates are left, the one with the majority of votes wins. Those results won't be clear for at least another week, when the city releases an unofficial ranked choice result based on the ballots counted by that point, according to the board. The winner could be decided by then or in the coming weeks, once enough mail-in ballots are processed to determine a winner. Cuomo's opponents have largely banded together, urging New Yorkers not to rank him on their ballots at all. Mamdani publicized deals with City Comptroller Brad Lander and former Democratic National Committee vice chair Michael Blake to 'cross-endorse' each other, directing their supporters to list the other candidate's name on their ballots, for example. It remains to be seen whether their supporters will follow through or whether Cuomo and his allies have persuaded them to rank him anyways. One other intriguing dynamic to watch on the anti-Cuomo side is whether Mamdani emerges as the clear choice of the "Don't rank Cuomo" voters or whether the late surge of momentum Lander got after his arrest advocating for defendants in immigration court can propel him into the upper echelon of candidates. Eyes on November The eventual winner of the Democratic primary will go on to the general election to face Adams, who announced in April that he would run for re-election as an independent. Adams said in a video announcement on X the day after a federal judge dismissed a corruption case against him that the city 'is better served by truly independent leadership.' Trump's Justice Department had moved to dismiss the charges, arguing in part that the case could affect federal immigration actions and limit Adams' ability to govern. Some prominent New York Democrats have sharply criticized Adams, with some calling on him to resign last year after news broke that he was expected to be indicted. Adams' fellow Democrats have also criticized the Trump administration's move to dismiss the charges, suggesting Adams could be indebted to Trump. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether any of the Democratic candidates who fall short in the primary will still be on the November ballot. Cuomo has said he might run in November on the ballot line for a new party he created, while Mamdani wouldn't rule out running on the Working Families Party ballot line. Also competing in November will be Sliwa, who was unopposed in the GOP primary. Sliwa, a talk radio host, made an ill-fated run for mayor in 2021, when he lost to Adams by 43 percentage points.
Newsweek
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Zohran Mamdani's Chances of Beating Cuomo—New Polls One Week Before Primary
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo held a lead over state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani in two new polls of the New York City mayoral race released on Tuesday. One of the surveys gave him a double-digit lead, but the other, sponsored by an anti-Cuomo group, showed him up by a razor-thin margin. Why It Matters New York City's mayoral primary is one week away, giving candidates just days to make their final case to voters. Whoever wins will be the favorite in the November general election, as New York City remains a Democratic stronghold. However, many parts of the city shifted right in last year's presidential election, so the mayoral race will be a test of whether Democrats are winning back Hispanic, Asian and young voters ahead of the 2026 midterms. New York City mayoral candidate Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani (left) speaks during a press conference in New York City on March 24, 2025. Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks to reporters in Washington on June... New York City mayoral candidate Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani (left) speaks during a press conference in New York City on March 24, 2025. Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks to reporters in Washington on June 11, 2024. More Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images;What To Know Cuomo led Mamdani by 12 points in a survey released by the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank. On the first round of voting, Cuomo received 43 percent support from respondents to 30 percent for Mamdani. New York uses ranked choice voting in local elections, so voters will be able to rank their top candidates. In each "round" of ranked choice, the candidate with the lowest percent of support is eliminated until one candidate receives a majority of the vote. By the final round, Cuomo received 56 percent support to Mamdani's 44 percent in that poll. The poll showed that both candidates would be favored in November. Cuomo led Republican Curtis Sliwa and independent Mayor Eric Adams by 32 points, while Mamdani led by 14 points. The poll surveyed 1,000 likely voters—including 644 Democratic primary voters—from June 10-16 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. A poll released by the Center for Strategic Politics, sponsored by the "Don't Rank Evil Andrew for Mayor" campaign, showed Mamdani within striking distance of Cuomo. On the first round, Cuomo received support from 38 percent of voters to 30 percent for Mamdani. By the final round, however, Cuomo's 8-point lead narrowed, with 52 percent supporting him to 48 percent for Mamdani. Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi responded to the poll when reached by Newsweek on Tuesday, saying: "I'll be releasing a poll I personally conducted showing the governor up 30 points and will be riding a winged unicorn while I do it. I can't wait for everyone to cover it." Newsweek also reached out to the Mamdani campaign via email for comment. Most polls show Cuomo with a lead over Mamdani, who has emerged as a favorite among the city's most progressive voters. He has emphasized issues like a rent freeze to deal with rising rent and housing in the city and the establishment of a network of city-owned grocery stores intended to combat rising grocery costs for New Yorkers. However, some voters have viewed those ideas as less realistic and are eyeing other candidates they view as having more experience. Cuomo has cast himself as a more centrist option, focusing on issues including affordability and public safety. He has sought to win over voters by emphasizing his opposition to President Donald Trump and establishing himself as the most experienced candidate in the race. However, his record as governor has drawn scrutiny from some voters. Cuomo resigned in 2021 after a report from Attorney General Letitia James' office alleged that he sexually harassed multiple female employees and created a toxic working environment, allegations Cuomo has denied. An Expedition Strategies poll, sponsored by Fix the City, an organization that has supported Cuomo, earlier in June found that Cuomo had a 12-point lead over Mamdani (56 percent to 44 percent). That poll surveyed 600 likely voters from June 3-7. What People Are Saying Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, endorsed Mamdani on Tuesday, writing on X, formerly Twitter: "At this dangerous moment in history, status quo politics isn't good enough. We need new leadership that is prepared to stand up to powerful corporate interests & fight for the working class. @ZohranKMamdani is providing that vision. He is the best choice for NYC mayor." The DREAM campaign wrote in a statement: "This poll cements what DREAM has said from the beginning: the more New Yorkers see how corrupt and chaotic Cuomo is, the less they'll rank him. At this stage, not even Cuomo's barrage of Republican funded ads can change that this race will come down to the margin of effort, and remaining cross endorsements." Lakshya Jain of Split Ticket, on X: "I get the enthusiasm, but I haven't really seen any good evidence that Zohran is favored to beat Cuomo beyond spurious early voting numbers with no appropriate baseline for comparison. If he pulls it off, it'll be an upset—he has a definite chance, but it's 30/70 type of odds." What Happens Next Early voting has begun ahead of next Tuesday's primary election. Candidates will spend the next week making their final case to undecided voters who could be the difference in the race.
New York Post
13-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Who won fiery final NYC mayoral debate? Post panelists rate the Dem candidates: ‘Finally landed some punches'
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo took the harshest personal hits from rivals Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander in the second and final mayoral primary debate — but likely not enough to topple his perch as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, a Post panel of political experts said. But Mamdani, who has emerged as a top threat to Cuomo, took some jabs as well. And the panel of seven analysts questioned whether criticisms about the charismatic 33-year-old Democratic socialist assemblyman's thin resume and experience will blunt his momentum. 'Cuomo, Mamdani and Lander were more vitriolic, throwing haymakers,' said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. Advertisement 5 Former NYC Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during the final NYC Democratic mayoral debate at John Jay College of Criminal Justice on June 12, 2025. AP 'But I don't think the debate changed the dynamics of the race.' Campaign strategist O'Brien 'OB' Murray said Cuomo, Lander and Council Speaker Adrienne Adams were the debate winners. Advertisement 'Democratic opponents finally landed some punches on Andrew Cuomo, but none of these punches will leave any bruises,' said Murray. Still, Murray said: 'Lander went right at Cuomo and was a different debater from the start.' Republican campaign strategist Bill O'Reilly agreed, saying, 'Cuomo likely did well enough to keep his polling lead, but Lander improved on his last performance and may siphon away some Cuomo votes.' One of the signature moments in the debate was when Lander, the city comptroller, recognized Peter Arbeeny, whom he invited as a guest to the debate hosted by NY1 and The City at John Jay College Thursday night. Advertisement 5 Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani stands on the debate stage at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater. via REUTERS Arbeeny's father, Norman, died from COVID-19 after a rehab stint in a nursing home. The stunt allowed Lander to personalize Cuomo's controversial COVID-19 policy that required nursing homes to admit recovering infected patients, which critics claimed accelerated the spread of contagion and deaths of vulnerable, elderly residents. Cuomo has long denied that was the case. Advertisement The panelists said Lander's super aggressive performance was perhaps his last attempt to try to shake up the race and supplant Mamdani as the anti-Cuomo alternative. 'Lander attempted to revive his campaign. It was a hail Mary night,' Murray said. Former Brooklyn Councilman Sal Albanese said, 'Lander was in Cuomo's face. Lander showed fire tonight. He had a pretty good performance.' The Post panelists said Mamdani showed he could go toe-to-toe with Cuomo, when he said of the sexual misconduct accusations that forced the veteran pol from the governorship, 'I have never had to resign in disgrace.' He also scolded Cuomo for mispronouncing his name. 'Mamdani's hammering Cuomo on the sexual harassment accusations and demanding that he pronounce his name correctly was as clean a blow as you'll ever see in a debate. It was a memorable moment,' said Andrew Kirtzman, managing director of the consulting firm Actum. 'Cuomo found it hard to get off the defensive at first, but got stronger and more commanding as the night went on – he projected more gravitas than any of his opponents.' 5 NYC Comptroller Brad Lander speaks during Thursday night's debate. via REUTERS Advertisement Political analyst Ken Frydman said the hit on Cuomo's sex harassment scandal landed — but it wasn't a knockout punch. 'If it was, no woman would've voted for Donald Trump,' he said. Frydman added: 'Cuomo, Mamdani and Adams came into the second debate one, two and three — and came out of it one, two and three.' One of the surprises of the debate, the panelists said, was when the council speaker deftly asked if Mamdani had the experience to be mayor, comparing her background and record to his. 'Adrianne Adams showed maturity and experience while others questioned the same for Mamdani. Her use of the assemblyman is something the others didn't catch onto,' said Murray. Advertisement Another candidate, former city Comptroller Stringer, also took a veiled shot at Mamdani, a foe of Israel who supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against the Jewish state. 'The BDS movement is antisemitic,' Stringer said. 5 Democratic mayoral candidates Adrienne Adams, Andrew Cuomo, Brad Lander, Zohran Mamdani, Zellnor Myrie, Scott Stringer and Whitney Tilson participate in the debate on June 12, 2025. POOL/AFP via Getty Images Cuomo, Stringer and longshot candidate Whitney Tilson did a 'stellar job hammering home Mamdani's radical and anti-Israel stances,' said O'Reilly. Advertisement Democratic operative Yvette Buckner said there fewer voices than in the first debate but 'the attacks were bolder and more negative,' especially for Cuomo by Mamdani and Lander. She noted that questions were raised about Mamdani's experience as well. 'Mamdani effectively delivered soundbites on his opponents but did not dig deep into his policy positions, like other candidates such as Adrienne Adams did, which leaves unresolved questions with less than 36 hours until early voting,' Bucker said. 5 Democratic operative Yvette Buckner said there were fewer voices than in the first debate, but 'the attacks were bolder and more negative,' especially for Cuomo by Mamdani and Lander. AP Advertisement 'But it remains to be seen if that will slow down his momentum.' Albanese was the one panelists who really thought the debate hurt Cuomo. 'I think Cuomo's numbers are going to drop. He took a pounding. I thought he had a weak debate,' he said. Cuomo couldn't even remember if he'd ever visited a mosque while campaigning, Albanese noted. 'No Muslims are going to vote for him,' said Albanese. The primary election is June 24 with nine days of early voting beginning on Saturday.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jessica Ramos endorsing Andrew Cuomo for NYC mayor weeks after questioning his ‘mental acuity'
NEW YORK — In an extraordinary about-face, back-of-the-pack mayoral candidate Jessica Ramos is endorsing her front-running rival Andrew Cuomo — just weeks after questioning his 'mental acuity' and comparing his mental state to former President Joe Biden's. Ramos, a Queens state senator who was also among scores of lawmakers to call for Cuomo's 2021 resignation as governor over sexual misconduct accusations, is expected to formally throw her political weight behind his mayoral bid at a press conference in Manhattan on Friday morning, sources confirmed to the Daily News. Ramos and her campaign didn't immediately return multiple calls. But she told the New York Times, which first reported her surprising decision, that she's going with Cuomo because 'he's the one best positioned right now to protect this city.' Cuomo, who's polling as the favorite to win the June 24 Democratic mayoral primary, 'knows how to hold the line and deliver under pressure,' she added, citing uncertainty caused by President Donald Trump. Ramos, who identifies as a progressive Democrat, said she's not dropping out and her name will still appear on the primary ballot. But her endorsement of the centrist Cuomo is an effective acknowledgement she has no path to victory. Most polls of the mayoral race have shown Ramos pulling 1% or less in support. On the fundraising side, she hasn't taken in enough cash to qualify for matching funds and her latest filing from last month showed she had just about $9,000 in her war chest. The Cuomo nod marks a drastic flip-flop for Ramos, who said in April she believes Cuomo's 'mental acuity is in decline.' 'I don't think the City of New York can afford a Joe Biden moment,' she said at the time, referring to the former president who ended his reelection bid last year after serious concerns emerged about his mental fitness. 'I think that there are real reasons why [Cuomo is] not answering questions.' In response to her mental fitness broadsides against Cuomo, his spokesman Rich Azzopardi shot back in April: 'Was she sober when she said it?' Azzopardi didn't immediately return a request for comment Friday. Ramos has been a harsh critic of the centrist Cuomo on a number of other fronts, too. 'People may want to be courteous to Cuomo's face but they don't forget the people he sent to die, the women he touched or the people he left in our streets needing mental health care and housing,' Ramos wrote on X in March, referring to accusations that Cuomo mismanaged the COVID pandemic, sexually harassed more than 10 women and shuttered psychiatric institutions statewide as governor. Cuomo has denied the sexual harassment and pandemic mismanagement claims. Ramos' change of heart comes just days after the progressive Working Families Party ranked her its No. 5 candidate as part of an anti-Cuomo mayoral endorsement slate. On Friday, the party, which has had a rocky relationship with Ramos over the years, said it's 'sad and disappointed' by Ramos' announcement, but vowed to not 'be distracted by this desperate move.' Party leaders declined to immediately say whether they will formally remove Ramos from the slate. Ramos, the chair of the State Senate's Labor Committee, was the first woman to enter the 2025 mayoral race and had hoped to build a coalition rooted in union and Latino communities. But she never gained momentum on the campaign trail, as other progressives in the race, like runner-up candidate Zohran Mamdani, capitalized on a surge in enthusiasm for left-wing politics among young voters. During the first mayoral debate this week, Ramos lobbed a barb at Mamdani, Cuomo's top rival in the race, saying she wished she had run for mayor in 2021. 'I thought I needed more experience, but turns out you just need to make good videos,' she said, a reference to Mamdani's social media strategy. -----------
