Latest news with #mayoralElection
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Zohran Mamdani's surprising surge fueled by pocketbook promises, social media savvy
At a recent canvassing event for mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in Sunnyside, Queens, a campaign staffer kicked things off by asking how many of the three dozen volunteers on hand were about to go knock doors for him for the first time. Nearly half of the canvassers raised their hands in response. To the surprise of many in New York's political establishment, Mamdani, 33, has leap-frogged other more-established candidates to become the leading progressive running in the June 24 primary. Polls have shown him consistently ranking as the second-place candidate behind front-runner Andrew Cuomo, and some recent surveys even indicate the ex-governor's lead over Mamdani is shrinking. A key factor behind Mamdani's surge is the groundswell of support he has generated from young, left-leaning voters. As of mid-May, his operation had mushroomed to include over 20,000 mostly young volunteers, a bigger field team than any of the other 2025 mayoral campaigns bolster. Waves of newcomers showing up to canvass events has become a trend, especially in recent weeks, according to his team. 'You are our generation's Fiorello La Guardia,' one of the Sunnyside canvassers, a man in his 20s, told Mamdani, a western Queens Assembly member who was up-until-recently a relatively unknown political figure in the city. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, told the Daily News he has indeed borrowed a page from La Guardia's playbook, focusing his candidacy on a set of easily digestible policy proposals: Freeze the rent for stabilized tenants in the city, drastically expand free child care for all residents and make public buses free. To pay for it all, he's proposing to raise taxes on corporations and millionaires. 'It's a fight that Americans across ideologies want to see in this moment,' Mamdani said as he walked away from the Sunnyside canvass to catch a cab to a campaign stop in Brooklyn. 'And what has made me proud to be a progressive for the entirety of my political career has been the sincerity at the heart of these commitments — that you don't just believe in something when it is convenient, but you, in fact, are committed to it and fighting for it if necessary.' Mamdani's momentum is in part born out of a social media strategy that speaks to the sensibilities of younger voters. He typically posts short, oftentimes comedic videos about himself and his policy platform that regularly go viral. In one, he interviewed exuberant Knicks fans outside Madison Square Garden after they beat the Celtics on May 16 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Mamdani, a onetime amateur rapper who went by the stage name 'Mr. Cardamom,' said that was a spur-of-the-moment decision he made while watching the game with a staffer over dinner. 'They won, and we thought, 'Let's go,'' he said in one of several interviews with The News from the campaign trail over the past few weeks. The popularity of Mamdani's populist proposals isn't just rooted in a savvy social media presence. It comes as studies show affordability remains a top issue on New Yorkers' minds, with rents at all-time highs, prices for basic goods like groceries elevated due to President Trump's tariff-heavy trade war and social safety net programs benefitting the city's most vulnerable at risk due to Trump's federal funding cuts. 'I never used to be as far left as a Bernie [Sanders], but those are the only people who are looking out for us,' said Anita Hennessey, a 61-year-old child care worker who told The News she will rank Mamdani at the top of her mayoral primary ballot after speaking to him during a recent campaign stop. Diana Moreno, a 37-year-old Mamdani volunteer, told The News in between knocking doors on a recent weekend while carrying her newborn baby, that too many New Yorkers are thinking of leaving the city because they can't afford to stay. 'Things are too expensive here, and this is exactly why I'm supporting this campaign because so many working people like myself, especially couples who have kids, like the couple that I was knocking the doors of, they're not staying, they're leaving,' Moreno said. 'As directly and as effectively as Zohran, I don't see other candidates speaking to the needs of working New Yorkers the way that he is.' Doug Muzzio, a veteran New York politics expert and pollster, said Mamdani has broken through in a much more effective way than other progressive mayoral hopefuls like Brad Lander, Zellnor Myrie and Adrienne Adams because he's not using 'the traditional language and ideas.' 'He's thinking outside the box and he's offering positions that are outside the perceived mainstream,' Muzzio said. 'People have been surrounded by mainstream candidates their whole lives, and here's a fresh voice, a fresh face and a fresh attitude, while the rest of them are stale.' Mamdani said his own personal situation is a factor driving his policy agenda. He lives in a rent-stabilized apartment with his wife in his western Queens district and they're likely looking to have children. 'We want to have a kid, absolutely, sometime in the next few years, and knowing that it will cost $25,000 to take care of that child is one that makes it a much more difficult decision than it should be,' Mamdani said. The son of an award-winning filmmaker-author couple, Mamdani at the same time acknowledged he grew up in relatively privileged circumstances and hasn't personally experienced the sort of financial turmoil he argues many New Yorkers are now facing, 'I was lucky in that I did not feel the same kind of betrayal that working class New Yorkers have felt … and yet I know that it can be make or break,' said Mamdani, who'd become the youngest mayor in modern city history if elected. Other voters expressed openness to Mamdani's pitch, but worried he's not breaking through to enough of the Democratic electorate. 'I like him … I just don't think a lot of people know who he is,' retired Department of Correction worker Sheryl Watts said before listening to Mamdani speak to the congregation she's part of at the Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in Springfield Gardens on a Sunday morning last month. Mt. Pisgah's pastor, Rev. Johnny Ray Youngblood, whose church is in a section of Queens that voted overwhelmingly for Mayor Adams in the 2021 election, urged Watts and other congregants to keep an open mind about Mamdani. 'I heard in this man something I have not heard in the other candidates,' Youngblood told congregants as Mamdani stood besides him. 'Do not count him out as just any other candidate, because he is not.' It's one thing to promise rent freezes and free child care. But skepticism around how Mamdani would make good on his pledges is prevalent in some corners of the electorate, as he'd have to overcome serious fiscal, legislative and regulatory obstacles to enact his platform. Critics are especially skeptical of Mamdani's ability to pull off his promises because he has no experience as a government executive and has only gotten three bills passed into law during his four years in the State Assembly. 'How are you going to pay for things?' Leslie Gevirtz, a 72-year-old retired journalist, asked Mamdani while walking by the Sunnyside canvass, prompting him to text her a link to his seven-page taxation policy plan. Gevirtz wasn't convinced. 'That's what bother me,' she told The News of what she saw as Mamdani's half-baked blueprint for how to bankroll his proposals. To make city buses fare-free and provide fully subsidized child care for all New Yorkers between six weeks and 5, Mamdani has proposed to increase taxes on millionaires and corporations in the city to generate $10 billion in new annual revenue. Such increases would need support from Gov. Hochul, who has been hard pressed to back tax hikes and is unlikely to soften that stance as she faces what's expected to be a tough reelection race next year. The Democrat-controlled state Legislature, which would also need to sign off on any tax hikes, could be more amenable. The Assembly and the Senate included proposals for tax hikes on millionaires and corporations in their initial budget bids this year — but Hochul blocked both. 'It's a non-starter for the governor,' a high-ranking state legislative source told The News of the concept of tax increases in 2026. Mamdani has said he's confident in his ability to negotiate with Albany stakeholders and told The News he's willing to compromise on aspects of his agenda if that's what it would take to get them through. For example, he said he's open to dialing back his proposal to jack up income taxes by 2% on city residents earning more than $1 million per year. 'If we were to get to a point where 1% is what it looks like in the first year, that allows us to begin so much of this platform,' said Mamdani. The push to freeze rent on all stabilized tenants for at least four years is perhaps Mamdani's most actionable plan. Increases on stabilized tenants are set by the Rent Guidelines Board, which is made up of mayoral appointees. So Mamdani could make good on his freeze vow simply by stacking the panel with members who commit to enact no rent increases. The stabilized landlord lobby is vehemently opposed to a freeze, arguing it'd make it impossible for small property owners to maintain their buildings. That lobby would invariably fight tooth-and-nail, including by filing lawsuits, to block any rent freeze. Amid rising tensions across the city over the war in Gaza, Mamdani has accused Israel of conducting a genocide as part of its war against Hamas, which has left more than 50,000 Palestinians dead. Israel launched its offensive after the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks. He has also at times described himself as an 'anti-Zionist,' voiced solidarity with Palestinian civilians and said recently he believes in Israel's right to exist as a state 'with equal rights for all,' as opposed to a Jewish state. Mamdani's stance on the issue has become a major focus on the campaign trail, with moderate-leaning figures, including Mayor Adams and Cuomo, accusing him of aligning with antisemitic ideals. Mamdani, who is Muslim, has dismissed those accusations as false and politically motivated. He says he's committed to fighting antisemitism, pointing to a commitment he made in his public safety plan to increase funding for hate crime violence prevention in the city by 800%. Still, tensions boiled over recently when a heckler wearing a 'Make America Great Again' cap tried to bum-rush Mamdani while shouting 'antisemite' at him as he was speaking at a Working Families Party rally in Brooklyn's Fort Greene Park with Lander, Myrie and Adrienne Adams. 'I know typically the advice is just to keep going,' Mamdani said as the heckler was in the middle of interrupting him before being removed by organizers. 'But to be the first Muslim elected official to run for mayor, it means dealing with the most ridiculous [comments], and these are some of the ones that we're hearing in this moment.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Mayoral candidate scrutinized for using Syracuse-owned equipment for campaign event
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — It's not a typical campaign issue, but there's scrutiny over the podium and sound system used at a Syracuse mayoral candidate's campaign event on Friday afternoon. It appears City of Syracuse government resources, specifically equipment and staff, were used by Councilor Pat Hogan in his capacity as a candidate for mayor. Greg Loh, the city's chief policy officer and spokesperson for Mayor Ben Walsh, confirmed the use of a podium and sound system to NewsChannel 9. Loh claims a representative of the Hogan campaign told a city hall security officer that a podium and sound system was needed for use outside the building's front entrance. 'Based on that request, the CSO (officer) called maintenance staff and had them set up the equipment and podium up,' Loh said. At the federal level, a similar infraction would seem to violate the Hatch Act. 'The Hatch Act is a federal law that limits the political activity of federal employees while at work, wearing a government uniform, using government equipment, or in a government vehicle,' said the American Federation of Government Employees. It's not clear if the use of government equipment, in this case, is a violation of local election law. 'It's a commonsense expectation that city resources should be only used for city business,' said Susan Lerner, the executive director of Common Cause New York. The group describes itself as a good-government watchdog designed to protect democracy and the ethical and efficient functioning of government. 'It's a reasonable exaptation on the part of the voter and Syracuse taxpayer that equipment provided to elected officials will not be used for campaign purposes,' Lerner added. City Auditor Alexander Marion said that elected officials have high ethical standards and he would like to remind them to follow these rules. 'City officials must hold themselves to a high ethical standard, and I would remind all elected officials of their obligations to follow ethics rules,' said Marion. 'I would also use this moment to call for updating the city's 30+ year old ethics code and improve training for city officials.' Jordan Lally, speaking on behalf of Pat Hogan's campaign, said, 'During preparations for the event, City employees generously offered the temporary use of certain equipment, which our campaign staff accepted. We extend our sincere thanks to these dedicated public servants for their professionalism and support during the setup process.' 'An elected official should know not to make such a request for a campaign purpose or to accept such an offer if made,' said Loh. Loh, speaking to NewsChannel 9 in his official role with the current mayoral administration, is also an active supporter of Hogan's mayoral primary opponent, Sharon Owens, the city's deputy mayor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Could Andrew Cuomo Lose NYC Democratic Mayoral Primary To Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani?
On "Forbes Newsroom," Emerson College pollster Matt Taglia discussed a recent poll about the NYC mayoral election, showing former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) in the lead of the Democratic primary, with a sudden surge of Democratic Socialists of America member candidate Zohran Mamdani. Watch the full interview above.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo banking on far-left policy shifts to win NYC mayoral race
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is ripping entire chapters out of the playbook of the Democratic party's far left faction in his bid to become New York City's next mayor, according to critics and a review of his positions by The Post Cuomo — who resigned in 2021 amid a barrage of sexual harassment allegations he vehemently denies — began soliciting key powerbrokers to support his political comeback last year — but began his leftward tilt as polling for the Democratic primary showed his strongest challenger is extreme left Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani . 'He knows his past positions are incredibly unpopular with Democratic primary voters, who he is trying to trick and fool,' said Bill Neidhardt, a former top aide to ex-Mayor Bill de Blasio who is now part of a political action committee trying to get Mamdani elected mayor. In 2014, Cuomo vehemently rejected avowed Marxist de Blasio's push to launch a universal 'pre-K' program in the NYC public schools, telling The Post at the time 'I don't think there is a rationale for it' and that it wouldn't be fair to other cities in the state to tax the rich so only de Blasio's constituents benefit. Cuomo, still the frontrunner in the race to unseat incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, did team up with other top state lawmakers that same year to provide $300 million to expand the city's prekindergarten program. He is now pledging as a mayoral candidate to make the pre-K and 3-K programs created under de Blasio 'truly universal.' 'He was one of the earliest opponents for universal pre-K, so for him to say he'd do anything to expand it is pure chicanery,' said Neidhardt. Other lefty policy shifts include: Pushing to add 100 to 200 psychiatric beds to the city's hospital system after reducing the number of psychiatric beds in state hospitals by 28% from 2011 to 2021 as governor. Promising all NYC residents access to 'affordable health care,' despite enacting measures in 2020 aimed at cutting $2.5 billion from the state's Medicaid program. Suddenly becoming noncommittal on expanding a cap limiting the number of charter schools statewide to 460 after avidly supporting the idea as governor, all while trying to score an endorsement from the powerful United Federation of Teachers, which opposes expanding the cap. Declaring just last week during a candidate forum that he supports the powerful UFT's campaign to roll the retirement age of 'Tier 6' public employees hired after 2012 back to 55 years old, when, as governor, he pushed through major pension reform raising the retirement age for these workers to 63. As governor, Cuomo had a long history of raiding the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's budget to offset other state spending, including famously cutting a $4.9 million check in 2016 to help bail out three upstate ski resorts suffering financially from warm weather. But two months ago, he released a campaign transportation platform that includes exploring the creation of permanent free bus routes pending a pilot program and expanding half-priced MetroCard access for low-income residents. The transit proposal sounded all too familiar to Mamdani, who successfully lobbied for a free bus pilot program serving all five boroughs that ended last year after state funding ran out. 'They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,' said Mamdani in a March Instagram post poking fun at Cuomo. '….Just call me next time—we've got so many more ideas I could share!' Cuomo as governor worked with his party's far-left faction to pass a series of controversial criminal justice reforms that he still supports – including eliminating cash bail for most misdemeanors and non-violent felonies. He also has a history of catering to the 'Defund the Police' movement. During the 2020 Black Lives Matters protests, he issued an executive order to strip future state funding from the NYPD and other police departments statewide that 'refuse[d] to commit to a wide-ranging plan for reform.' However, no funding from these agencies ever withheld. Cuomo also signed legislation in June 2020 sought by anti-police activists to repeal a section of state criminal law that shielded police disciplinary records from public view. And hehas come under heavy fire for calling the 'Defund the Police' movement 'a legitimate school of thought,' though his campaign has repeatedly claimed those remarks were taken out of context and that never supported the movement Cuomo also has a history of 'defunding' the New York State Police. During the fiscal year beginning April 2011, he cut the agency's operating budget by $45.8 million — or 6% — as part of across-the-board cuts in the state spending plan to deal with a $10 billion deficit. But with Adams, a retired NYPD captain, dropping out of the June 24 Democratic primary and opting to seek re-election in November as an independent, Cuomo is also trying to position himself as a law-and-order candidate. In March, he announced that if elected, he plans to increase the size of the NYPD's police force to 39,000 by reducing overtime costs and hiring 5,000 additional officers. 'A larger police presence is a deterrent to crime, improves response rates to 911 calls and gives the police the resources they need to solve crimes,' Cuomo said at the time. 'Andrew Cuomo fled to the Hamptons after destroying this city—catering to the 'Defund the Police' crowd by forcing communities to 'reimagine' policing, slashing psychiatric beds, giving us congestion pricing, gutting pensions for public workers, and unleashing chaos with his reckless bail reform,' said presumptive Republican mayoral nominee and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa. Cuomo also now opposes the controversial $9 congestion toll to enter parts of Manhattan – after being a staunch supporter of the scheme when he called the shots in Albany — and is distancing himself from rent reform legislation he signed into law in 2019. 'Andrew Cuomo changes positions like a snake sheds his skin — every month or two, and purely for self-preservation,' said Monica Klein, a longtime political strategist for Democratic and Working Families Party candidates now assisting the mayoral campaign of state Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-Brooklyn). Cuomo spokesman Jason Elan defended the ex-governor's record on pre-K, saying he expanded a statewide program prior to de Blasio taking office in 2014 and that as mayor he'll make sure pre-K 'is available in every corner of this great city.' Cuomo's cuts to the state's psychiatric system were for predominantly unused beds reserved for non-violent, mentally ill people, and any money saved was redirected to fund supportive services for mentally ill New Yorkers, said Elan. Elan also said Mamdani's criticism is 'rich coming from a silver spoon socialist who voted against his own measure to fund a free bus pilot in the state budget and then failed to get it extended.' 'There's been a ton of revisionist history and gas-lighting during this race, but these silly attacks aren't going to work,' he added. Additional reporting by Craig McCarthy, Carl Campanile and Vaughn Golden.
Associated Press
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Cuomo's comeback faces a new challenger in Donald Trump's Justice Department
With just weeks to go until New York City's mayoral primary, one of the leading candidates, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, finds himself under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. He seems to think it might actually help. In a new advertisement released Wednesday, the Cuomo campaign seized on the investigation as a potential selling point to voters, calling it an attempt by the Trump administration to 'interfere with New York City's election.' 'Why? Because Andrew Cuomo is the last person they want as mayor,' the ad says. 'If Donald Trump doesn't want Andrew Cuomo as mayor, you do.' It added that Cuomo would be a mayor who stood up to 'bullies.' The investigation, confirmed to The Associated Press Tuesday by a person familiar with the matter, is centered on the truthfulness of statements Cuomo made to Congress last year about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic as it spread through nursing homes. The person was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. In other times, revelations so close to an election that a major candidate was the subject of a criminal probe might mean political doom. But while some of Cuomo's opponents in the Democratic primary pounced, accusing the former governor of perjury during his Congressional testimony, others said they were disturbed by what they characterized as the political weaponization of federal law enforcement. The Justice Department recently launched an investigation of New York Attorney General Letitia James, who has battled Trump in civil court, over paperwork related to a home she helped a relative buy in Virginia. It filed criminal charges against a Democratic member of Congress for jostling with federal agents as they arrested the Democratic mayor of Newark, New Jersey outside an immigration detention center. The Secret Service interviewed former F.B.I. director James B. Comey about a message critical of Trump that he posted on social media. Trump's Justice Department also scuttled a criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams — a Trump ally on immigration policy. Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic state lawmaker who is running for mayor, said that while he believed Cuomo had lied to Congress, 'Donald Trump cannot be trusted to pursue justice.' 'While I believe New Yorkers should reject the disgraced ex-Governor at the ballot box, the Trump administration's actions are dangerous,' Mamdani said in a statement. Cuomo questioned over handling of report about nursing home deaths Cuomo, who touts his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic on the campaign trail, has been dogged by a short-lived state directive that temporarily prevented nursing homes from refusing to accept patients recovering from the virus. The policy, intended to help alleviate hospital overcrowding, was reversed after criticism that it might accelerate virus outbreaks in nursing homes. Amid the scrutiny, Cuomo's administration substantially understated deaths in nursing homes in its public reports for several months, fueling more criticism that it was engaged in a cover-up. Cuomo was grilled on the subject by a congressional panel last year, with the group saying it had evidence that Cuomo had reviewed, edited and drafted parts of a state health department report on nursing home deaths. Cuomo told the panel he was not involved in the report, but then later said he did not recall being involved. The panel referred Cuomo to the Biden administration's Justice Department for criminal prosecution over accusations that he lied to Congress, but no charges were brought. Months later, Republican Rep. James Comer, who chairs the House Oversight Committee, then re-sent the referral to the Justice Department after Trump took office, releasing a statement saying Cuomo 'must be prosecuted.' Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said in an email that 'Governor Cuomo testified truthfully to the best of his recollection about events from four years earlier, and he offered to address any follow-up questions from the Subcommittee — but from the beginning this was all transparently political.' The Justice Department has declined to comment. Jeanine Pirro, who has been a harsh critic of Cuomo's pandemic nursing home response from her perch as a Fox News host, was recently appointed as the new leader of the U.S. attorney's office in Washington. Pirro had unsuccessfully challenged Cuomo in a 2006 state attorney general race. Probe may not change many people's votes, former party leader says Basil Smikle, former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party, predicted that the investigation might not lead to many people changing their votes. 'If you're a Cuomo voter, you've already made up your mind that you're OK with all of the stuff that's in his past,' he said. 'I don't know if this changes things much.' That could change though, he said, if Cuomo were to be charged and it became clear that a criminal case would interfere with his ability to serve as mayor. Still, the probe has allowed some of Cuomo's opponents to hammer the former governor for, in their view, being insufficiently critical of Trump on the campaign trail. 'Andrew Cuomo believing he may need a pardon for committing perjury explains his incessant kissing up to Donald Trump,' said city Comptroller Brad Lander, who is running against Cuomo. The current mayor, Adams, who dropped out of the Democratic primary but is still running for a second term on an independent ballot line, told reporters Wednesday that he wouldn't comment on the investigation. 'I'm not going to do to him what others did to me,' he said. 'I'm going to allow the investigation to take its course.'
