the DON JONES
INDEX…
|
||
|
GAINS
POSTED in GREEN LOSSES
POSTED in RED 6/26/25...
14,983.34 6/19/25...
14,973.18 6/27/13... 15,000.00 |
|
(THE DOW
JONES INDEX: 6/26/25... 42,992.56; 6/19/25... 42,171.66; 6/27/13… 15,000.00) |
||
LESSON
for JUNE 26th, 2025 – “CROCKPOT
of COBBLEPOTS!”
New York City’s
Democratic voters, yesterday, dealt the Party’s locktite movers and shakers a
surprise that the media called “shocking” and “seismic”; nominating a 33 year old
Islamist progressive, Zohran Mamdani and rejecting their heavily favored, but
heavily compromised, heir to glory, Andrew Cuomo.
Comix
connoisseurs may consider DC’s
"Forever Evil" storyline, Oswald Cobblepot, (aka the “Penguin” – a
sneering criminal oaf, and frequent foe of Batman) is among the villains
recruited by the Crime Syndicate of America to join the Secret Society of Super
Villains which, with Batman out of town on other business, mobilizes its criminal resources
to make the Penguin Mayor
of Gotham City, whereupon he is free to loot the populace and elevate
various rogues, rascals and inmates of Arkham Asylum to his cabinet.
The whys and
wherefores of Cobblepot’s campaign and election in Gotham are as opaque
as the present reality’s reasons for Mamdani’s upset (and would make a terrific
“Batman Sixteen or Thirty Three” sequel one of these days).
Every good movie, or
reality show, needs a hook – and, in this instance, the hook is New York City’s
adoption of the ultra-woke “Ranked Choice Voting” where, when there are
numerous contenders, the trophy (Mayor, Governor, Congressman, Commissioner of
Sewers) does not go to the winner of a runoff between the top two finishers,
but to a convoluted step by step process of elimination where voters may choose
up to five favorites (a boon to the largely undecided or compassionate cranks)
and then gumment bureaucrats sort out the results in “rounds”, eliminating the
lesser contenders... from as many as a dozen or twenty... down to a final
three, two, one and winner. (See Wikipedia, ranked choice summary,
ATTACHMENT “A” and its links)
“The 2025 New York City mayoral election” WIKI
reports, as opposed to the earlier primary (below) “is scheduled to occur
on November 4, 2025. The incumbent, Mayor Eric Adams, was elected mayor on
the Democratic Party line in 2021, but is seeking re-election to a
second term as an independent. He was indicted on federal corruption charges in
September 2024 and has faced calls to resign from office. The Department
of Justice ordered prosecutors to drop the charges against Adams in
February 2025, and the case was dismissed with prejudice in April
2025.
“Primary elections for the Democratic Party are
scheduled to be held on June 24, 2025, with the early voting period beginning
on June 14. The Republican Party will not hold a primary
election; Curtis Sliwa is the Republican nominee for mayor. In New
York City, primaries are held using ranked-choice voting, also known
as instant runoff voting.”
In its explanatory
article eleven days (Friday the Thirteenth - ATTACHMENT ONE) before yesterday’s
surprise, New York’s ABC further described the system (admittedly bizarre but,
so far, retained) as favoring “the candidate(s) who appeal to the widest group
of voters.”
Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause/New
York advised
voters that: "Your first choice should be the candidate
you are passionate about, your second choice is the candidate you think would
do a really good job and if number one weren't running, that would be your
first choice," Lerner said. "Your third or fourth choices should be
candidates you think are going to be OK, you have no problem with them. And
your fifth choice is the candidate, well, I can live with this one, but never
rank somebody that you don't want to see in office."
Consequently,
although Cuomo held leads of thirty to fifty percentage points earlier in the
year, Katrina vanden Heuvel (a “Nation” staff writer moonlighting for the
Guardian U.K.) hinted that the system might... just might... allow Mamdani to
at least gain “credibility” even as the tainted goliath Cuomo would
be “measuring the drapes at Gracie Mansion” due to “...real estate developers, corporations like Doordash,
a smattering of billionaires (including a splattering of shekels from Michael
Bloomberg) and even Billy Joel” who’d shoveled cash into his campaign, “with his Super
Pac spending more money than any other outside force in the city’s political
history.” This atop his entering the race with major name recognition
advantage, amounting to a 20- or 30-point lead as recently as May. (ATTACHMENT TWO)
Citing the 2020 Democratic
national primary where progressive
senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren fought to consolidate the minority faction within
the party, “and got mired in a grisly and public feud” which mudslinging left “one person
standing – Joe Biden.”
This time, vanden Heuvel speculated, the mayoral candidates seem to
have learned. “On Friday, Mamdani and
Lander cross-endorsed each other, encouraging their supporters
to rank the other second. Mamdani explained the decision
with a refreshing mix of idealism and realism: “This is the necessary step to
ensure that we’re not just serving our own campaigns – we’re serving the city
at large.” This was
followed by another cross-endorsement, between Mamdani and former
assemblyman Michael Blake, on Monday. And the national progressive
movement is much more united than it was in 2021, with both Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders endorsing Mamdani in the
home stretch this time.
By treating each other like allies rather than adversaries, the
anti-Cuomo coalition, she ventured that the longshot candidate “might just
prevail.”
Joneses will never know whether
the sudden United States intrusion into the MidEast war by attempting to bomb
Iranian nuclear facilities but then the Index, the country and the world were
interrupted by…
BREAKING NEWS – The Saturday Night lights over Iran (specifically its underground
nuclear facities in Fodorow) and two other places were visited by the United
States, which deployed the previously untested “massive ordnance penetrator”
bombs (MOPS)
to clean up the Iranian plutonium and its enrichment facilities and obliterate
(said President Trump) or at least seriously damage (contended Veep Vance and
some others) the Shiite Islamist goal of attaining nuclear status, and an
opportunity to (in their own minds, at least) conquer Israel, perhaps a few of
the rival Sunni gulf states and America.
Subsequently, however,
Iran and some observers contended... and Trump denied... that up to 900 pounds
of enriched uranium had been moved. (See below, and much more next Lesson)
ENDORSEMENTS, EARLY VOTING and
CAMPAIGNINGS
Back
to our topic as already commenced: the Jewish, Palestinian, Islamist question
resonateing perhaps more strongly in New York City than anywhere else in the
United States except, perhaps, in and around Detroit (which has a sizeable
Arabic population).
Religion
abruptly inserted itself into Gotham... already in the throes of a corruption
problem that would have made Oswald Cobblepot lift his umbrella and try to
protect himself from the shitstorm raining down... sex crimes and a Trumpian
contempt for campaign finance laws, flagrant corruption and a criminality so
pervasive that the incumbent Mayor Eric Adams chose to cut a deal with Djonald
UnChained to keep his darkside backside out of prison in exchang in assisting
him in hurling the city’s immigrant population under the bus (or subway train)
and then having the audacity to run for re-election.
Perhaps
he did so, knowing that the front runner... there was no Batman to the rescue
but, instead, a Ratman: former Governor Andrew Cuomo who used his power and
influence to beat down numerous sex charges ranging from harassment to out and
out rape, which did cost him a prior post as Governor of New York. The sordid saga of “Handy Andy” (whose
father, the iconic and influential Mario) was, is, and will likely be a
catastrophy of epic... even nuclear proportions. The only near-congruent corruption leading to
disgrace might be that of former President Joe, a father of two sons. One, by all accounts a military and civilian
hero, Beau, died young of brain cancer; the other, a scheming wastrel Hunter
(who became a poster boy for MAGA Republicans and most Democrats, too) may have
influenced Trump’s restoration to a second term – leading angels to weep and
devils to celebrate.
“Hunter”
Cuomo (the repulsive nicknames keep coming!) was given the honor of an enormous
lead in polls to become a peer of the Penguin - owing to the fact that his
chief competitor, the young (33), verbally progressive Z-man (call him Zorro!)
Mamdani is also a jihad-supporting Islamist... vocally coy about his commitment
to terrorism, less believable in denying his expressed hatred of Israel and of
the Jews.
In
New York City!
Nowhere
else would such a creature be considered more unfit for public office, but
Mamdani, an ethnic Islamic South Asian by way of Uganda, could well also be
considered a candidate for deportation by the national administration, the
President and his sock puppets in ICE, the DoJ, Congress, the courts and the
military. His popularity in the polls
had been rising until this week (for reasons below) until he actually
surmounted Cuomo in several notable polls; and then Israel’s attacks on
Palestine and Gaza, Iran’s military response and the American intervention on
Saturday has now sent his popularity shuddering downwards, as Zorro tried
vainly to parse pro-Palestinian versus anti-Semitic statements.
There
was a slender chance that fear of Mamdani and disgust with Cuomo might elevate
what is (to Democrats and moderate Republicans, in otherwords, perhaps 87% of
the voters) a genuine hero, “wonky” Comptroller Brad Lander into the final
rounds of the complicated and confusing ranked voting system imposed upon New
Yorkers a decade back but time and money worked their magic and we will see if
Lander, finishing third, fulfills his pledge to Mamdani.
EARLY VOTING BEGINS
Realizing the problems and potentialities of the ranked choice,
candidates viable or not, dropouts and the many, many observes amidst local and
national media, political junkies and partisans and... of course... the donor
class went to work early, forming strategies and (sometimes) alliances (often
on the premise that it was more important to prevent an enmy from gaining
office than to support a friend) and soliciting endorsements.
As the June 24 primary approached,
formalized alliances began to take shape between the candidates themselves. One
day before the start of early voting, Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani and city
Comptroller Brad Lander became the first pair to cross-endorse each other,
urging their respective supporters to rank the other second on their ballots in
a bid to ice out front-runner Andrew Cuomo while the
usual suspects in politics, labor and civic organizations voiced their choices;
see
these
via Cityandstateny.com, (ATTACHMENT THREE)
As was expected, Cuomo... based on his famous name, a so-so
record as Governor (until the sex charges swelled, so to speak) and access to
money from billionaires like Bloomburg, from ordinary millionaires, and from
Democratic Party stalwarts of the middle and even working class... locked up
support from those who deigned or dared to step up.
The donkey of highest repute, former President Barack Obama (and
his wife) offered perfunctory words of kindness and support to “Hunter” Cuomo,
but no formal endorsement... so the marquee name on the Cuomo banner became
former President and fellow ejaculator-in-chief Bill Clinton —
another powerful old man who didn’t behave honorably toward women.
“The election will decide the next
mayor of New York, and I urge you to vote for Andrew Cuomo,” Clinton said in a
statement. “As President, I chose Andrew to be my Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development [HUD], and he never let me down—but more importantly, he
didn’t let the nation down.”
(AM.NY – ATTACHMENT FOUR)
Cuomo
thanked Clinton for his support in a statement to the press, returning the
accolades to the country’s 42nd President.
“His
administration was one of the most accomplished in modern political history —
and that’s what government is supposed to be all about,” Cuomo said. “He never ran from a challenge (let along a pretty face – DJI) and, in fact, ran
towards them. Together we built housing, battled homelessness and fought for
justice for communities too often left out and left behind.”
CBS listed more endorsements… with analysis by J.C.
Polanco, assistant professor at the University of Mount Saint Vincent, and
political consultant O'Brien Murray to discuss why these endorsements
matter.
"Huge
endorsement for former Gov. Cuomo. Why? Because [former] Mayor Bloomberg talks
to a specific type of voter -- down the Upper East Side corridor, down the
Upper West Side corridor, up to Park Slope and Brooklyn. He talks to voters
that come out in large propensities that are Democrats, that will cross over to
vote Republican," Polanco said. "By endorsing former Gov. Cuomo, he
gives them the green light -- you can support this guy, forget about the
baggage you've heard about, he's the guy that I trust -- and they trust
Bloomberg, this is going to be great for Cuomo."
The
CBS consultants disagreed on AOC’s choice… saying her choice of Mamdani didn’t
bring any new voters – Murray countered that her endorsement didn't go to [Brad] Lander, and Lander needed it even
though the New York times… while having a no endorsement policy… ran articles
favoring Lander as the best overall choice to run the
city. (ATTACHMENT FIVE)
"In
the end, a veteran civic leader and elected official, Brad Lander, the city
comptroller, emerged as the top overall choice among the panelists, including
four who recently shifted away from Mr. Cuomo, Mr. Mamdani and other
candidates," the piece read.
As the “Ratman” candidates raced round their wheels of
adventure, the networks and other media... many also confused or disgusted with
the proceedings... tried their base to cover developments without implications
that might further damage the reputation of New York City among the critical
financial elites.
On Friday, Juneteenth, Politico reported that the “final sprint”
to the finish line was under way
On Saturday, ABC reported that Lander went back to immigration
court, while Cuomo and Mamdani kept “sparring” (ATTACHMENT SIX)
Brad
Lander and Mamdani teamed up in Brooklyn Friday afternoon to shore up support.
They
arrived at Grand Army Plaza to canvas voters, riding Citi Bikes side by side in
the Prospect Park West bike lane.
Lander
said the bike ride is representative of ranked-choice voting, adding it's
"a joyful form of politics, instead of a bitter, sour, backwards-looking
form of poltics. And of course gathering all of our voters together, that's a
majority of New Yorkers on Tuesday."
They're
asking voters to rank one first and the other second for mayor.
The
goal is to freeze out Cuomo, whom both candidates are trying to stop.
"I
hope he will call on his superpac to take those hideous ads down," Lander
said.
The super PAC acknowledged it had
lengthened and darkened Mamdani's beard on a flyer, which was never
distributed.
On Friday, Mamdani said there's a
direct link between that ads by the super PAC and the death threats he and
family members have received.
"If you design mailers that
lengthen and darken my beard, if you paint me as a radical, it is not a
surprise to see the kind of threats that come," Mamdani said.
NBC (ATTACHMENT SEVEN) ran a short Q&A on the ranked choice
warning that... while the 2024 Presidential results had been compiled by 12:25
AM Wednesday owing to the vast difference between local winner but national
loser Harris and President Trump... the results from yesterday might not be
published until July 1st.
Rival ABC (June 21, ATTACHMENT EIGHT) reported that Lander had
revisited the same Federal courthouse as within he had been arrested – without
incident this time – as Day Six of early voting ended with more than 250,00 votes cast and
one day to go.
And
the New York Times (ATTACHMENT NINE) reported that Housing
for All, a super PAC representing landlords’ interests, announced plans to
spend $2.5 million on campaign ads to promote Cuomo; dropped out Jessica Ramos,
the state senator from Queens, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who donated $5 million to a pro-Cuomo super PAC, and former Gov. David Paterson also endorsed him.
The
donations prompted Mamdani to accuse Cuomo of trying to buy the election.
"Politics
is not something that can be bought by billionaires and corporations, it's
something that can be won by working people and that's something on the ballot
this June," Mamdani said. (ABC,
ATTACHMENT TEN) "There have been
difficult moments absolutely, especially as I've faced death threats and
threats to the ones that I love, I've had to even hire security to that end,
and that is troubling and that's also sadly an aspect of life in the Trump
administration's world, and yet we know that doesn't define our city and it
doesn't define this race, and what this race will ultimately be defined by is
the most pressing crisis across the five boroughs, which is that of
affordability," Mamdani said.
Cuomo
responded that Mamdani's super PAC should return donations from the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, “saying the organization is anti-Israel.” And he
said Bloomberg is backing him because of experience as governor and his strong
support for the Jewish community.
"He
wants to make sure we have a mayor who is competent and qualified and he
believes that is me," Cuomo said. "I believe Mr. Bloomberg is
concerned as are many Jewish New Yorkers about statements Mr. Mamdani has
made."
Meanwhile, former mayor Bill de Blasio
has not minced words against his former government colleague, but has joined
the DREAM Coalition, which stands for Don't Rank Evil Andrew for Mayor.
De
Blasio told 'Up Close' and other outlets that he does
not plan on publicly endorsing a candidate in the Democratic mayoral primary,
but has made no secret of his disapproval of Cuomo running.
Politico also reported that the “final,
frenzied sprint” further sunk into the mud as New York City’s Democratic
primary for mayor featured Andrew Cuomo homing in on Zohran Mamdani’s refusal
to condemn the phrase “globalize
the intifada” and
Mamdani blasting the millions of dollars Michael Bloomberg has poured into a pro-Cuomo super
PAC. (Juneteenth, ATTACHMENT ELEVEN)
“Michael Bloomberg has sought to buy
elections before. He spent an unbelievable amount of money when he ran for president,”
Mamdani told reporters at an Astoria, Queens, bar. “It’s to fulfill the vision
that he shared with New Yorkers many years ago: that this city should be a
luxury product. And what we want this city to be is a city for working- and
middle-class people.”
Cuomo
acknowledged Bloomberg’s endorsement but devoted more pointed attention to Mamdani’s recent remarks
about the “globalize the intifada” phrase, which many Jews view as a call to
violence against them. Mamdani is not being criticized for using the
phrase, but for his response when asked to opine on it.
“He happens to be a billionaire. Good
for him. He also happens to have been a highly successful mayor of New York
City,” Cuomo said of Bloomberg during a campaign stop in the Co-op City section
of the Bronx. “Mr. Bloomberg is also concerned, as are many Jewish New Yorkers,
about statements that Mr. Mamdani has made. You know, when you say ‘globalize
the intifada,’ that is basically repugnant to the Jewish community and is
basically inciting violence.”
The spectacle inspired NBC to report that
“... few political operatives have it
easier than opposition researchers in New York City this year” as the
Clintonian endorsement sparked a new FBI review of Clinton’s use of a private
email server just days before the 2016 presidential election and... in the race
for New York City Council Two, former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner’s pleading
guilty in 2017 to transferring obscene material to a minor, being sentenced to almost two years in
prison and
registering as a sex offender.
(ATTACHMENT TWELVE) Weiner, on the comeback trail, faced four other
candidates – including state Assemblyman Harvey (fortunately for voter’s
digestive tracts, not Jeffrey) Epstein.
NBC (ATTACHMENT
THIRTEEN) reportated that, in addition to the mayoralty, Manhattan District
Attorney, Alvin Bragg,
who won a criminal conviction against Donald Trump in
2024, faced a challenge from attorney Patrick Timmins while thirty City Council districts would hold primaries.
Emphasizing what the Guardian U.K.
called an “outsized role” in the contests, a New York state senator...
campaigning from a Jerusalem bomb shelter as Iran
and Israel exchanged fire posted
a video message to New York City voters. “There is a mayoral primary coming up this
week where one of the candidates does not believe the Jewish state has a right
to exist,” said Sam Sutton, the senator from Brooklyn. “We don’t want to be in
a situation like this in America.”
Sutton called on New Yorkers to
elect a “great friend of the Jewish people”: Andrew Cuomo, New York’s former governor.
Across the pond, the Guardian U.K. took note that the question
of Israel had now become paramount... overshadowing the usual local bugaboos
from bugs to budgets – rats in the street to crime in the subways and,
increasingly, the heat.
“This election has turned
into a two-person contest between Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mandani, two
candidates with very stark views on this matter,” said Jacob Kornbluh, a senior
politics reporter with the Forward Jewish newspaper. (GUK, June 22nd,
ATTACHMENT FOURTEEN)
With New York City’s nearly one
million Jews making up the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, mayors
of the past have always claimed support for the country with little pushback.
But the war in Gaza has fundamentally changed the dynamic. Mamdani’s outspoken support for
Palestinians might have previously tanked his candidacy, but his insurgent
campaign has galvanised voters. Cuomo has responded by portraying
Mamdani as “dangerous”
and himself as uniquely positioned to fight antisemitism, a growing source of
anxiety among Jewish voters.
Cuomo’s campaign – flush with
millions from pro-Israel
billionaires like Bill Ackman – has ramped up attacks against Mamdani as
he surged in the polls, including by distributing mailers condemned as racist. The
former governor has stated unequivocally that “anti-Zionism is antisemitism”.
Lander, who is Jewish and has cross-endorsed Mamdani, has
sought to find a middle ground and accused Cuomo and Adams of “using Jews as
pawns” in a Guardian
interview – “not with the intention of making Jews any safer, but with the
intention of gaining political advantage for themselves.
“Thankfully it’s not the job of
the mayor to find mutual recognition and peace and safety for Israelis and
Palestinians,” he said. “It is incumbent on the next mayor, whatever their
position is, to find ways to reach across the divide.”
New York’s Jews are a diverse
constituency – ranging from some anti-Zionists and others variously critical of
Israel to orthodox communities traditionally voting as a unified bloc for more
conservative candidates. A recent poll of
the city’s Jewish Democrats showed 31% supporting Cuomo, 20% backing Mamdani,
and 18% behind Lander.
In the middle are New York Jews who consistently vote Democratic and
espouse a host of liberal and even progressive causes. Many are still reeling
from the 7 October 2023 attacks in Israel, are uneasy about the tone of US
protests against the war in Gaza, and are increasingly worried about Jewish
safety, pointing to recent violent attacks in Washington DC, and Colorado, and
defacing of Jewish businesses and synagogues in the city.
Alex Kaufman, of LGBTQ Zionists,
said he wished there were “better options” but that many of his acquaintances
were coalescing around Cuomo
even as they have reservations about his past conduct, including the sexual
assault allegations that ended his governorship. Others gravitated toward Lander, but were troubled
by his endorsement of Mamdani. Some said they were “terrified” of the
latter, pointing to his refusal to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a
Jewish state and his presence at protests where Houthi flags were on display.
Politico simply reported that perhaps a majority of the voters
were “disgusted” with all of the players – even those inclined to one or the
other often exclaimed that they did so as the better of bad options
Shortly enough, the role of Israel, Islam and volleys of
anti-Semitic and/or anti-Muslim accusations would be flying as fast and furious
as the American MOPS sweeping up Fodrow
Observers in Gotham, in the rest of America and worldwide were
quickly lining up to support or denounce the raids two days after President
Trump had said that he would give Iran two weeks to surrender unconditionally
(Little Marco would contend that the attacks were not a declaration of war on
Iran but, rather, on Iran’s nuclear ambitions).
Cuomo made a ploy to take a slice of Sliwa’s Republican base by
announcing that he supported the now-wartime President; most of the others (Mamdani
haters revisiting his longstand support of Palestinians and distrust of the
Israelis and Prime Minister Netanyahu – the New York Police Department advised
that Iranian retaliation could take the form of terroristic threats and
deeds... whether in the form of attacks by sleeper cells of proxies like Hamas,
Hezbollah or ISIS or angry lashings-out by long wolves of any or no partisan
intent.
Fox (Monday, ATTACHMENT FIFTEEN) noted that the escalating
Iran/Israel (and, now, America) conflict had placed New York among the American
cities at elevated risk for terrorists.
"We’re tracking the situation unfolding in Iran," the
NYPD posted Saturday night. "Out of an abundance of caution, we're
deploying additional resources to religious, cultural, and diplomatic sites
across NYC and coordinating with our federal partners. We’ll continue to
monitor for any potential impact to NYC."
As New Yorkers braced for
a major heat wave on Election Day,
Gov. Hochul also promisd that New York State Police are also "working to
protect at-risk sites and fight cyberattacks."
Following the United States'
successful strikes on Iran Saturday night, Cuomo acknowledged, "Iran
cannot have nuclear capability," and admitted that eliminating Iran's
nuclear capacity "is in everyone's best interest."
However, Cuomo joined the barrage of Democrats criticizing Trump for
striking Iran without congressional approval.
Reps. Thomas Massie, a Republican, and Ro Khanna, a Democrat, who proposed the
bipartisan War Powers
Resolution with
49 co-sponsors as of Sunday, called Trump green-lighting strikes against Iran
"unconstitutional."
Congress has the
sole power to declare war under Article I of the Constitution.
"I don't support the way he did it. I do believe he should have
consulted Congress," Cuomo said in a statement.
However, Cuomo's closest competitors
in the race were not so diplomatic... perhaps looking beyond the Mayoral race
to... more global things?
"Donald Trump ran for president promising to end wars, not start
new ones," Mamdani said. "Today’s unconstitutional military action
represents a new, dark chapter in his endless series of betrayals that now
threaten to plunge the world deeper into chaos."
Lander told a Working Families Party unity rally Sunday, "Jewish
New Yorkers and Muslim New Yorkers are not going to be divided against each
other," condemning "Trump’s reckless &
unconstitutional strikes against Iran" as a "dangerous escalation of
war" that "threaten countless Iranian, Israeli & American
lives."
Still, amidst the fear and loathing, there was room for comedy –
albeit of an often mean vein. More of
the jokes and japes and cartoons had a partisan bent – The Jewish Forward,
assessing the asses on how they enjoyed their bagels two weeks before Election
Day politicized the shmears and ranked eleven of the more likely contenders on
the power of their palates. (ATTACHMENT
SIXTEEN)
Winning the bagel election Lander, replied “Everything
bagel, sorry, Ezra Klein. Scallion cream cheese, slice of tomato, lightly
toasted, lox.”
Judge
Hannah Feuer declared: This is a bagel done right, with superb choice of
schmear and toppings. Though toasted, it is only “lightly.”
Lander’s
reference is to Times columnist Ezra Klein’s opinion piece
titled “The Problem With
Everything-Bagel Liberalism,”
which critiques progressive policy that tries to do too much and ends up
accomplishing nothing at all. But even Klein admits in his piece that
“everything bagels are, of course, the best bagels.” I agree.
So did Adrienne Adams, finishing second with “An
everything bagel with veggie cream cheese. Do not toast it.”
“Adams
deserves kudos as the lone candidate to take a strong stance against toasting,
which everyone knows ruins a freshly baked bagel,” Feuer judged. “Her choice of bagel and schmear choice is
nothing special, but not offensive, either.”
Mamdani
finished third, citing Absolute Bagels’ poppy seeder with scallion, cream
cheese and some pulp Tropicana on the side. “And this is going to lose me some
votes, but to be honest with you: toasted.”
Cuomo
finished last. “Bacon, cheese and egg on
an English muffin, and then I try to take off the bacon, but I don’t really
take off the bacon. The bagel I try to stay away from, to keep my girlish
figure.”
Judge’s
comments: This “bagel” order bungles the chronology of ingredients in the
classic bacon, egg and cheese. An English muffin is decidedly not a
bagel.
THE CANDIDATES
MARIO CUOMO
Back in the day (Wednesday, June 18th to be specific),
Politico had declared that Cuomo’s victory was inevitable... given the
simmering stew of ethnic politics, Gotham history and... of course... the
money. (ATTACHMENT SEVENTEEN)
Author and historian Will Bredderman. citing “The Power Broker”, by Robert Caro,
which revealed “how an anonymous court secretary named Vincent Impellitteri
became mayor of America’s largest city recalled that when then-Mayor William O’Dwyer faced an investigation into his
ties to organized crime in 1950, President Harry Truman — in the closest thing
to a precedent for the Donald Trump administration’s abandonment of the bribery
case against Mayor Eric Adams — appointed the embattled Democrat ambassador to
Mexico, letting him flee the reach of justice. “The city’s succession rules
left the still-unknown Impellitteri interim mayor of New York. But the rules
also compelled a near-immediate special election to complete O’Dwyer’s term,
and the Democratic leaders judged Impellitteri unfit for the job and denied him
their nomination.”
Improbably, Impellitteri launched
his own “Experience Party” ballot line and won, “riding a mass backlash from a
public infuriated over local corruption in general and the O’Dwyer scandal in
particular.”
“This episode encapsulates
political life in New York City for most of the last century: machines strong
enough to raise a nobody to the highest echelons of political power, but that
kept the public engaged enough in municipal affairs that it could at times buck
their influence. Through World Wars, a Great Depression, race riots, white
flight, civil rights fights, crime waves, strikes and a brush with municipal
bankruptcy, this tension — between Democratic Party organizations that fostered
corruption but also uplifted average citizens, and average citizens motivated
to punish the party’s worst failures and excesses — remained remarkably
consistent, from Robert Anderson Van Wyck through Rudolph Giuliani.”
“The city’s Democratic powerbrokers have all but stampeded over each
other to endorse Cuomo.” Bredderman noted — despite their having demanded his
resignation three years ago after an attorney general’s report found he had
sexually harassed subordinates — and despite their own long-running personal
feuds with the ex-governor and close relationships with rival candidates.
“Nearly all polls have shown Cuomo
in the lead,” he allowed, “though the most recent surveys suggest a tightening
race with Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, the candidate of the Democratic
Socialists of America.”
The machines remained dominant, until mismanagement or corruption
provoked enough outrage to elect a Republican or a Democrat who had broken with
the party leadership. “This era shaped Trump, known to admire the late,
baseball bat-wielding Brooklyn boss Meade Esposito,” Bredderman looked back,
although “the real club Esposito swung was his organization, which could corral
power across the three branches of government.”
Time tripping forward through Rudy
G., Bloomberg and Ed Koch, who was entangled in a vast corruption scheme
involving outer borough Democratic bosses in the 1980s.
Professor John Mollenkopf, of the
City University of New York’s Center for Urban Research, contends that the
machine had “withered”, of late but Tyrone Stevens, a former Cuomo aide still
believes (or, until yesterday, believed) that Cuomo’s Trumpian vengefulness and
ability to award — or deny — jobs at City Hall to the favored aides of his
supporters... “the meager spoils today’s depleted machines contend for” make
opposition to “Hunter” a risk for all these political leaders if he ultimately
wins.”
Following the model fellow
democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez created when she ousted
Queens Democratic Party boss Joe Crowley in 2018, Mamdani “has used his good
looks, natural charisma and striking slogans to become a sensation in the
fleeting visual world of social media. The two are, in short, influencers: the
superstars of the ever-more fragmented future” which, polls had revealed, was
growing younger, more angry and... as temperatures rose... more physically
capable of going out into the streets, wait in line at the polls, and vote.
So on Tuesday, New York will
witness two superstars colliding,” opined Bredderman (a Daily Beast staffer) —
a cataclysm “that may finally annihilate the old civic system and create a
model that elections, in New York and nationwide, could follow for decades to
come.”
And, in fact, did.
The
liberal, Trump (and, so, Cuomo) haters at the Guardian U.K. dispatched
commentator Moira Donegan to take her hammer to the front runner on Election
Day morning... slamming the “disastrous imitation of Trump” who marked the Democratic drift
into “boorishness and cruelty.”
(ATTACHMENT EIGHTEEN)
“Cuomo, in many ways, is a
Democratic Trump: he is loud, vulgar, ill-informed, resentful, vengeful,
contemptuous of his constituents, and accused of being abusive toward women,”
mean Moira piled on.
“He is apparently indifferent to corruption and willing to tell lies;
he is reportedly obsessed, as Trump is, with getting revenge on his perceived enemies.
He is ageing, rich, out of touch and hated by the left, having left the
governor’s mansion with a long record of stymieing progressive agenda items in
one of the nation’s largest blue states. This is evidently just the kind of
candidate the Democratic leadership is looking for.
Salting the cynicism with a few
facts, Donegan turned to the “slew of sexual misconduct allegations that were
declared credible in a thorough report from the New York attorney general,
Letitia James. (Cuomo has denied wrongdoing, though he extended apologies to
some of the women at the time but also punished the women who accused him
through) “vexatious and punitive legal proceedings for which New York taxpayers
have been footing the bill, to the tune of tens of
millions.”
When state anti-corruption commissioners started sniffing around deals made
by Cuomo and his allies, Cuomo had the commission shut down. After Cuomo
bungled his handling of the pandemic, making a mistake that may have cost thousands of seniors their lives,
Cuomo could have accepted responsibility and apologized to the New Yorkers
whose loved ones died. “Instead, he and his aides tried to cover up the deaths,
and when a state assemblymember, Ron Kim, spoke out against them, Cuomo called him repeatedly
and threatened to “destroy” him, according to Kim.”
Against Handy Andy’s “masculine bullying”,
Donegan added that his two nearest contenders – Mamdani and Brad Lander, the
city comptroller – have run remarkable campaigns. “Lander has touted a considerable record of
accomplishments for the city, underscoring his ability to deliver on promises
to New Yorkers and his willingness to persist against formidable interests in
long fights for things like bike lanes and affordable housing. Mamdani,
meanwhile, has an infectious charisma, and has launched a campaign that has
excited young voters, energized a small army of volunteers, and deployed
innovative messaging tactics, achieving impressive numbers with relatively
little money. You would think that the Democratic party would be more eager to
make use of these men’s talents – the policy achievements of one, the
preternatural campaign skills of the other.”
Well,
they did.
Posting on behalf of Cuomo, the Trumptastic
New York Post, on Juneteenth, reiterated charges that Mamdani’s agenda was to support
the Iranian regime and wipe out Israel... trumpeting that even his fellow
progressive Lander had openly disagreed on the nature and efficacy of the
Fordow bombing
Lander told the “Pod Save America” podcast Tuesday that the phrase
“globalize the intifada” carries violent associations for Jews such as himself,
especially after the recent assassination of two Israeli Embassy
staffers and a Molotov cocktail-hurling wacko’s attack in Colorado. (ATTACHMENT
NINETEEN)
“Maybe you don’t mean to say it’s open season on Jews everywhere in the
world, but that’s what I hear,” Lander said of those who use the term.
“And I’d like to hear that from
other people as well,” he said of his comments, implicitly knocking
Mamdani.
But Lander still insisted during
the podcast that he
doesn’t believe Mamdani is antisemitic — and noted his own problems with
Israel’s war in Gaza and treatment of Palestinians.
“I believe that Zohran Mamdani is a
person of decency and integrity, and I am therefore encouraging people to rank
him... number two,” Lander said.
ZOHRAN MAMDADI
If New
York’s Democratic primary for mayor was to be decided by whoever had the most
money and energy, Zohran Mamdani would be at a cash disadvantage but with a
surplus on vigor.
The New
York Times chronicled Zorro’s ride to the city’s Campaign Finance Board to give
him a waiver to exceed the almost $8 million spending cap for the primary —
hoping to come closer to leveling the huge spending advantage of his chief
rival, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.
(ATTACHMENT TWENTY)
Fix
the City, a super PAC supporting Mr. Cuomo, has raised more than $24 million,
with much of it fueling an expensive attack ad campaign against Mr. Mamdani.
“Fix the
City’s spending prowess is unprecedented in city elections. The most money
spent by a single super PAC in the 2021 mayoral race was about $6.5 million by
New Start NYC, which supported the unsuccessful campaign of the former Housing
and Urban Development secretary Shaun Donovan.
“The total
amount that super PACs spent on the mayoral campaign was about $32 million,
according to Campaign Finance Board records.
“Fix the
City, which was founded by close allies of Mr. Cuomo, has already spent $16
million.
Mario...
oops, Andrew... has snarfed up
individual donations from Bloomberg ($8M) who, exclaimed Zorro, was
“terrified”.
GUK recruited Katrina vanden Heuvel
(moonlighting from her day jobs as editorial director and publisher of
the Nation, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and contributor to
the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times) who named a
few more Cuomo donors... “corporations
like Doordash, a smattering of billionaires and even Billy Joel (who’d) shoveled cash into his campaign, with his Super Pac
spending more money than any other outside force in the city’s political
history.” (Attachment two, Above)
But she also cited a new poll (see them
below), Mamdani – the insurgent state assemblyman and democratic socialist
“whom the Nation recently co-endorsed along with fellow mayoral candidate and
New York City comptroller Brad Lander – has pulled ahead of
Cuomo for the first time.
“And while Mamdani’s
campaign deserves credit for offering a clear, inspiring, progressive message, the
fact that he is competitive can also be partly credited to New York City’s
ranked-choice voting (RCV) system. It’s a winning system for candidates who would otherwise be
sidelined or would cannibalize each other’s support – and for voters who can
finally cast their ballots based on policy rather than pragmatism,”
vandenHeuvel wrote.
She asked us to recall a historic boondoggle – the
Sanders/Warren “scorched-earth campaign”
@get replacement for a21
Three days before
showdown, polls were beginning to show Zorro within striking distance of the frontrunner Andrew Cuomo
in what is now essentially a two-horse race, with Lander trailing a distant third. (Guardian U.K.
June 21st, ATTACHMENT TWENTY TWO)
Ed Pilkington’s
capsule biography of the eventual winner stated that Mamdani “came to the US
aged seven from Uganda where he was born to parents of Indian descent. His
father is a political scientist Mahmood Mamdani, and his mother, Mira Nair, is
the Oscar-nominated director of Salaam Bombay! and Monsoon Wedding.”
An avowed enemy of Trump, he is
also “equally scathing about the establishment of the Democratic party,” which
has “betrayed” the people of New York.
If I tell you that I’m going to
freeze your rent, you know exactly what I mean
Zohran Mamdani
To publicise his plan to freeze the rents of all rent-stabilised apartments,
Mamdani posted a TikTok video in which he dives fully clothed into the frigid waters off Coney
Island. It was titled: “I’m freezing … your rent.”
Mamdani puts his spectacular
popularity with young New Yorkers down to a hunger for a “new kind of politics, one that puts working
people at the heart of it and showcases a new generation of leadership”.
There’s maybe something else also at play: “he has a magnetism that just seems to draw people
towards him.”
After Trump’s victory, Mamdani had
to turn the political impulse of lecturing into listening and went on a
listening tour to the outer boroughs. “I went to Fordham Road in the Bronx and
Hillside Avenue in Queens, and asked these New Yorkers, most of whom are
Democrats, who they voted for and why,” he said. “I learned that many did not vote, and many
voted for Trump, and they did so because they remembered having more money in their pocket four
years ago.”
Of course, the plague had
something to do with that also... and Zorro, like Lander and their friends on
the left, compared Cuomo’s background to a plague of corruption.
In
addition to freezing rents, the winner said that “...childcare will be provided at no cost,
the minimum wage will be raised, city-run groceries will be opened offering
cheaper healthy food, buses will be made fast and free.
“To pay for all that, taxes will be raised for corporations and for the top 1% of earners with
incomes above $1m. When I ask him to imagine how he imagines New York
would look after he had been in Gracie Mansion for two terms, he replies: “It
is a city that is more affordable, that works better, and where we have
restored public excellence into public service.”
And then he called Cuomo “the epitome of where the established party
has gone off the rails.”
Given rising tensions in the Mideast, Mamdani was also asked whether he
felt uncomfortable about the use by some pro-Palestinians of the phrase
“globalize the intifada”, which has been condemned by some Jews as a call to
violence.
He would not denounce the expression, saying it spoke to “a desperate
desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human
rights”. The comment led to rapid backlash from some Jewish groups.
And a few devout Muslims also
turned their backs after he violated the fasting laws of Ramadan by eating a
big burrito on the subway (which caused more griping from advocates of the
rules and regulations prohibiting subway dining).
Peanuts from some of the MAGA and even moderate Democratic
galleries have gone berserk with terror.
X’ter Amy Mek channels the Undisputed Truth that Mamdani’s
smiling face hides a snake (or... as Mayor Adams asserted) a snake-oil salesman.
“A Marxist who
openly vilifies Hindus, Jews, defends pro-Hamas rallies, and wants to force halal Sharia-based food
practices, holidays, etc into NYC’s public schools,” she warns. (ATTACHMENT TWENTY THREE)
A Muslim who eats burritos on Ramadan, say
conservative clerics... while other
lugnuts call for patriots to rise up and assassinate the infidel.
“I imagine
some nutjob (private citizen or federal agent) is already on his way to “get
rid“ of Mamdani…” a Redditor predicted.
(ATTACHMENT TWENTY FOUR)
Many Mamdani supporters decried the loyalty of African-Americans
in New York to the machine and its heir, Cuomo.
Instead, some laudered generational change; GUK, while blessing the endorsements
of far-left Senator Bernie and Representative AOC asked voters to recall how
the Sanders/Warren feuding in 2021 had paved the way for the nomination of Old
White Joe and Veep Kamala which... with a little help from friends like the
plague... facilitated Trump’s restoration.
(Attachment Two, above)
Rolling Stone offered up a simple explanation... their
reasonable assumption, last week, was that rich people in the five boroughs
hated Zorro and were opening up their pocketbooks and purses to assure his
defeat. (June 20, ATTACHMENT TWENTY
FIVE)
While New
York limits mayoral candidates to less than $8 million in direct spending on
their campaign, the Stone reported that Cuomo had turned to PACs and Super PACs
to skirt the financial limits. “The
former governor’s candidacy has seen over $24 million in total spending, most
of it from outside groups and his primary Super PAC, called Fix the City.
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been the single largest backer
of Cuomo’s candidacy, dumping over $8 million into Fix the City.
“The PAC has run TV ads nonstop painting Mamdani as
a “radical” who is too “risky” and “dangerous” for New Yorkers. The ad which Fix the City spent over
$5.4 million on, repeatedly featured clips of Mamdani in a kurta — a
common South Asian garment — which his campaign said was an intentional choice
by the PAC given that Mamdani typically dons a suit and tie while campaigning.
A Fix the City mailer — which the PAC claimed was a rejected proposal that
never made it to circulation — went viral on social media earlier this month,
after the Mamdani campaign accused the PAC of Islamophobia for darkening and
thickening his beard.”
Cuomo also gobbled down $2.3 million in support from a group called Housing
for All, which has been exclusively funded so far by the New York Apartment
Association, a lobbying group for landlords.
Stoner Nikki Mccann Ramirez lashed out against her
media competitors… particulary her liberal
media competitors. Some feared a wave of
anti-Semitism... “New Yorkers might vote for a socialist mayor, but a Muslim?”
mused Kathleen Parker in The Washington Post’s opinion section, Others red-baited... the Atlantic’s Michael
Powell designating Mamdani’s proposals to tax wealthy corporations in the city
in order to fund cheaper groceries, universal childcare, and free municipal
buses, a form of socialist
“magical realism” that was “disconnected from actual government budgets and
organizational charts.” And, of
course, the New York Post: “tabloid
poltergeist of the Murdoch news empire”, advised readers to “Keep menace Zohran
Mamdani completely off your NYC ballot in the Democratic mayoral primary.”
The sober, stalwart New York Times (which excoriated Mamdani but
could not bring itself to endorsing Cuomo) directed more of its ire on a
familiar target since the Citizens United legislation and judicial
greenlight... the outsized, overstuffed influx of partisan money, largely
directed at negative mis – and dis – informational marketing aimed at
candidates of dis-choice but, in the process, casting a toxic cloud of
suspicion, hate and incipient violence over the entire city.
Media support? Well, there was Al Jazeera, for better or for
worse.
At the
heart of Mamdani’s campaign, the Qataris editorialized, is a vision of a city that works
for working-class New Yorkers. “He proposes freezing rents for all
rent-stabilised apartments, building 200,000 affordable homes, creating
publicly-owned grocery stores “focused on keeping prices low, not making
profit”, and making buses free. He supports free childcare for children under
five, better wages for childcare workers, and “baby baskets” containing
essentials for new parents.
To fund
these initiatives, Mamdani
proposes increasing the corporate tax rate from 7.25 percent to 11.5 percent,
and imposing a 2 percent income tax on New York City residents earning more
than $1m annually.
“He also
wants to raise the minimum wage, regulate gig economy giants like DoorDash, and
protect delivery workers. His plan to establish a Department of Community
Safety would shift resources away from traditional policing towards mental
health and violence prevention.
“He
further promises to “Trump-proof” New York by enhancing the city’s sanctuary status,
removing ICE’s influence, expanding legal support for migrants, defending
LGBTQ+ rights and protecting reproductive healthcare access.”
As a “brown, Muslim candidate” –
Mamdani has become a “lightning rod for hate”. Recently, in a rare show of emotion, he
teared up while recounting threats he has received: “I get messages that say
the only good Muslim is a dead Muslim. I get threats on my life … on the people
that I love.”
The NYPD
is investigating two voicemails from an unidentified caller, who labelled
Mamdani a “terrorist”, threatened to bomb his car, and ominously warned: “Watch
your f..king back every f..king second until you get the f..k out of America.”
And the (New York) Post (ATTACHMENT TWENTY SEVEN) wrote that
“Anti-Israel mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani” blasted the US bombing of Iran’s
nuclear sites as an “unconstitutional military action” — as other top primary
contenders called President Trump reckless for greenlighting the military
action.
“Donald Trump ran for president promising to end wars, not
start new ones,” the Democratic Socialist said in a statement released on X
late Saturday, two days before the Big Apple’s Democratic Party primary.
The Post did also note that Lander, even Cuomo had spoken
out against the strike on Iran (Adams’ response consisted of an appeal to
police to seek out potential terrorist reprisals); still, they reported that
Mamdani has come under fire for his “vicious bashing of Israel, which has also
struck Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities in an effort to prevent Tehran from
building nuke bombs,” supporting a boycott, divestment
and sanctions movement against the Jewish state, and refusing to condemn the
“globalize the intifada” rallying cry — a slogan that has been denounced for
allegedly stoking antisemitic violence.
Democratic Socialist ally, New York City Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, said Trump’s bombing of Iran is “grounds for impeachment.”
ADAMS
While reading the cards that told him the Democratic primary
would be a losing effort as might kick him down to third, fourth or worse,
incumbent Trump-pardoned Eric Adams... perhaps afraid that Djonald UnPardoner
might unpardon him once somebody else was in the Cobblepot Cottage... who has
dropped out of the primary to run as an independent in the general
election. Adams has seen sagging
approval numbers since his 2024 criminal indictment on federal corruption
charges and, of necessity, subsequently aligned himself with Trump.
Outside of
his Brooklyn polling
place, he told reporters he planned to write his name in for mayor. “One, two,
three, four and five, Eric Adams,” he said.
Under the
city’s ranked choice voting, voters can choose up to five different candidates. Writing in the same candidate five
times would invalidate the person's second through fifth-place votes, though
not the entire ballot. “You cannot rank the same candidate more than once,” the
city Board of Elections said in voter instructions.
Fabien
Levy, a spokesperson for the mayor, said the mayor was joking about voting for
himself more than once.
"Everyone
in the room knew he was joking, other than the reporters who sent the tweet,"
Levy told USA TODAY.
Levy
didn’t know how the mayor voted, but he said he knew how to vote properly.
"I
wasn't in the booth, so can’t tell you how he voted, but he knows how to vote
properly," Levy added.
LANDER
Among the vagaries raised
up from the mud and muck of the East River by the ranked choice, deals and
steals flourished... the most notable of which was the elevation of “wonky”
Comptroller Brad Lander, like Zorro a political obscurity through the mild days
of spring after he became the latest elected official to be detained amid protests over
the Administration’s crackdown when arrested by Immigrations Customs
Enforcement (ICE) at a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday.
“Lander, who said he has been attending immigration court
hearings in Manhattan for the past three weeks, was seen in a crowded hallway holding on to a man who was
being detained by ICE. “I
will let go when you show me the judicial warrant,” he can be heard saying in
video of the incident. “You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens
asking for a judicial warrant.”
(Time, ATTACHMENT TWENTY NINE)
The New York City Comptroller since 2022 was arrested while
accompanying a man he identified as Edgardo out of immigration court.
When authorities sought to detain Edgardo, Lander repeatedly
asked to see a judicial warrant. “You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S.
citizens,” Lander told ICE agents, before he was handcuffed and taken into custody himself.
Lander was released later that afternoon after New York Gov.
Kathy Hochul condemned the arrest and advocated for his release.
“This is a sorry day for New York and our country,” Hochul said in a
press conference following Lander’s release.
Asked about the “trend” of elected officials being detained
over immigration issues while speaking with Democracy Now! after
his release, the comptroller said the Trump Administration “wreak (sic) havoc.”
“They’re trying … to ‘liberate’ Democratic cities from their
duly elected officials. This is part of what authoritarians do: strike fear
into immigrant families and communities and try to undermine the rule of law
and basic democracy by stoking conflict,” Lander said. “Our challenge is to
find a way to stand up for the rule of law, for due process, for people’s
rights, and to do it in a way that is nonviolent and insistent, demands it, but
also doesn’t help them escalate conflict.”
On Wednesday, Lander further called out the Trump
Administration for what he called immigration escalation “Gestapo tactics”
while speaking with MSNBC.
Several other Democrats also came to Lander’s defense on
social media and called for his release.
New York Rep. and Mamdani sponsor Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez called the arrest “political intimidation,” while Sen. Alex Padilla said he was “not shocked” by the action.
Padilla had previously been arrested by ICE, which has locked up
other political luminaries – including Ras
Baraka, the Mayor of Newark, Rep. LaMonica McIver and Milwaukee
County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan.
Last
Sunday afternoon, walking up a closed-to-traffic Columbus Avenue on the Upper
West Side, Jonathan Martin of Politico (June 26, ATTACHMENT THIRTY) wrote that
he had “come across city comptroller Brad Lander, who’s polling in third place
in the mayor’s race. Lander — an affable, middle-aged official fittingly called
“Dad Lander” by his 20-something daughter — was passing out his brochures to
shoppers strolling through the streetside market.
It was one
of those great moments of municipal politics serendipity — running into a
candidate in the wild — and I used the opportunity to ask Lander why New
Yorkers were left with two options so many found wanting.
“What I’m
doing is presenting an option which is neither of those,” Lander began before a
voice beside us interjected.
“I wish
you or Scott Stringer had actually run as a moderate Democrat instead of trying
to be all things to all people,” said the voice, carrying an unmistakable New
York accent and citing another lagging candidate. “Because the last thing this
country needs is the left wing of the party dragging us down again and electing
people like Trump.”
The
voter’s name was Robert, Martin said, an Upper West Sider, committed Democrat
and retired lawyer who also worked in IT and finance but “wouldn’t offer his
last name, and he wasn’t finished.
“If you’d
actually run as a moderate, you’d be the top of my ticket,” he told Lander,
explaining: “I’d rather have an asshole than a progressive.”
In what
may have been one of the most dutiful and unnecessary follow-ups in my career,
Martin confirmed that, yes, Robert did
have Cuomo in mind when he cited “an asshole.”
Lander was
patient, arguing that he doesn’t think it’s wishy-washy “to want government to
run better and to be ambitious about what it can deliver.”
Robert
became friendlier and presented a peace offering by way of vowing to still rank
Lander.
Then I
asked Lander directly, well, are you a progressive or a moderate?
“See, he won’t
answer the question!” Robert butted in before Lander could even respond. The
candidate called himself “a pragmatic progressive,” which prompted Robert to
walk away – Martin imparting that he was “really pissed off” at MAGA and
progressives, the latter, he said, for paving Trump’s return.
Which gets
to the heart of the frustration so many New Yorkers have, not just over this
race but from the long shadow of 2024. Moderates believe the party’s drift to
the left on culture and identity doomed them last year, and progressives can’t
believe Democrats haven’t learned from ceding populism to the right. Martin walked on to cover the funeral for
longtime Rep. Charlie Rangel, a homegoing that amounted to a state funeral in
New York at St. Patrick’s, the city’s grandest cathedral. Cardinal Timothy
Dolan, New York’s Archbishop, presided. Dignitaries filled the pews and took to
the pulpit to remember the long-serving House member and “Lion of Lenox
Avenue,” who “thought the ‘H’ in Heaven stood for Harlem,” as one of his
eulogists said.
“It
was a grand mix of the Black church and the Catholic church, and it was
exquisitely timed in the political calendar in a way I think Rangel would have
loved,” Martin wrote. He also asked
Cuomo if his father would have supported his campaign, and the ex-Governor
replied: “Oh, he would
think it’s exactly right.”
Previously notable
only for challenging Incumbent Adems on his rat platform and declaring that “New York City’s trash
collection policy has turned our city into an all-night rat buffet,” in a campaign video set to ominous music. (Times of Israel, ATTACHMENT THIRTY
ONE) Lander, then polling at about the same plus or minus one percent as Mamdani
had quipped: “I’m in this rat race for mayor because it doesn’t have to be that
way.”
“Cleaner streets,
fewer rats, happier New Yorkers,” he’d vowed.
Not all of New York’s Jews are on board with the city’s anti-rat
measures, though.
Like the zealous Muslims writing burrito-eating Mamdedi off, some
ultra-Orthodoz Brooklyn Jewish lawmakers opposed Lander’s Department of Sanitation rat-mitigation rule that
required constituents to put garbage on the curb on Friday nights or risk
fines. Legislators said the measure
conflicted with prohibitions against carrying or lifting on Shabbat.
When the two cross dressers... no,
wait, endorsers... appeared on the
Colbert show the night before election day, rats were not a topic. Nor were snakes nor, sorry Eric, their oil.
Instead, the candidates trained
their MOPS on Hunter (Cuomo).
“Corrupt, abusive Andrew Cuomo
should not be (allowed) anywhere near City Hall,” said Lander, adding that he
had cross-endorsed Mandani... despite their differences on Israel... because of
his stance on the taxi medallion wars.
Mandani responded that the ICE
arrest proved that Lander was a “principled and progressive” (second) choice,
soapboxing that “... it’s time for a politics of the future... a referendum on
where the Democratic Party goes”: to organized money or organized people.
When Colbert asked about
anti-Semitism and... specifically... whether Israel has the right to exist,
both said “Yes”.
Mandani added that America was
experience a crisis of cruelty and hate... Lander said that he hated what
Netanyahu was doing to Gazans. Then
Mandani made a plea for lowering temperatures by “foregrounding” the shared
humanity of Palestinians and Jews as “cousins”.
The ICE arrests, as above, probably inspired, or at least
facilitated the decision of the two candidates to cross endore each other so
that, in the latter rounds of ranked choice; support for the third place
finisher (probably Lander, although he denied his lack of mojo) would flow to
the runner up, Zorro and... as the Emerson poll astonished the world... might
just enable Mandadi to become not only the youngest, but the first Muslim Mayor
of Gotham.
Whereas Zorro was not necessarily a Cobblepot, maybe a Max
Frost (whether the fictitious hero of “Wild in the Streets” – maybe
not the real Florida Congressman), Lander had “shown New Yorkers that someone
is willing to stand up for their values of protecting immigrants.” (USA Today, ATTACHMENT THIRTY TWO).
Cityandstate.com,
calling the arrest “Brad Lander’s moment “(upstaged)
other candidates in the waning days of the Democratic primary, including a
large rally held by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in Manhattan. It also sent several
of his competitors – and many other elected officials – flocking to 26 Federal
Plaza throughout the afternoon to denounce his detainment – with the exception
of Cuomo.” (ATTACHMENT THIRTY THREE)
“It’s
likely Lander’s arrest will benefit him in the race – Trump and his immigration
agenda are highly unpopular in the city – but it’s perhaps too late to have a
consequential effect on who wins.”
THE OTHERS
“Who's
on the ballot in the NYC mayoral election?” asked CBS (ATTACHMENT THIRTY FOUR)
on “The Point”.
“Meet the candidates in the Democratic primary...”
And they were...
New York
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams who
hoped to break the glass ceiling and become the first woman to live in Gracie
Mansion -- and the first woman of color.
Former state Assemblyman Michael
Blake who once worked for former
President Barack Obama,
represented the Bronx in the New York State Assembly and cited his fiscal
experience.
State Sen.
Zellnor Myrie, who took over Eric Adams' state Senate seat in 2019, and now he
wants to take over his mayoralty. "I'm a New Yorker through and
through," he said in our January interview “including a lofty plan to build a million (loft?)
apartments and a law enforcement strategy that includes more police officers.”
State Sen. Jessica Ramos who made a
stunning announcement to endorse Cuomo, telling
her supporters to rank him No. 1 on the ballot “due to her low polling numbers
and inability to raise money” and tried to explain why she doesn't have a
drivers license.
Former New
York City Comptroller Scott
Stringer,
who ran for mayor once
before, and now
thinks the second time is the charm.
Conservative former hedge
fund manager Whitney Tilson,
who “spent his childhood
in Tanzania and Nicaragua, climbs mountains for sport and participated in the
Stanford marshmallow challenge” and said he supports deporting serious
criminals under the current sanctuary laws.
Candidates Dr. Selma Bartholomew and Paperboy Love Prince did not appear on "The Point."
But the
Paperboy... who attended a Brooklyn mayoral forum in clown (Joker, as opposed
to Penguin) makeup and clown shoes... has also qualified for the Democratic
primary. (Staten Island Live, June 9,
ATTACHMENT THIRTY FIVE)
THE POLLS
It was not until the weekend that reality came crashing in on
Cuomo and his ol’ time posse.
Between June 11th and June 16th, 2025, the Manhattan
Institute conducted a survey of 1,000 likely voters in New York City’s upcoming
mayoral election, “including an oversample of 644 Democratic primary voters to
provide granular insights into primary dynamics.” (ATTACHMENT THIRTY SIX) The granular oversample was drawn from a
national voter file “and weighted to reflect the likely 2025 electorate on age,
gender, race, county, education, party registration, and 2024 presidential
vote” as opposed to, perhaps, a Bronx sample including a woman with a baby and
two guys breaking into a car to steal onions – but this was Manhattan so
deserving of serious mixed-mode
attention.
“Despite the Big Apple’s progressive image, the
mayoral electorate takes a markedly more skeptical view on crime, homelessness,
and immigration than national narratives suggest,” the Manhattanites
contended. “Assemblymember Zohran
Mamdani has energized a vocal progressive flank, but their views on policing
and public order are far afield from those of most New Yorkers.”
Andrew Cuomo, by contrast, “leads the Democratic
primary and commands the broadest general election coalition—not because voters
are nostalgic, but because they’re uneasy. The picture that emerges is not of a
city in revolt, but of one seeking a course correction.”
Gotta play poker with these guys.
“Our ranked-choice simulation (Figure 1) shows Cuomo
defeating Mamdani 56% to 44% in the final round,” they trumpeted. “The former governor opens with a 13-point
lead in the first round (43% to 30%), with the remaining vote scattered; Cuomo
maintaining his lead through every round and coming within striking distance of
a majority in round 9 before sealing the win in round 10.
“Five dynamics
shape the race,” the Manhattanthings ticked off – allegedly proving that, while
voters might be ticked off, they, like national Republicans, were intimidated
and looking for a place to hide. These
were
1. Black voters (for Handy Andy, 39 to 16%)
2. More than half of Cuomo’s first-preference votes are from Hispanic and black voters
3. Voters prioritized crime over housing costs
4. Youth turnout might help Mamdani, but not likely... and
5. Cuoma was second choice of Adrienne Adams voters, far more numerous than Lander’s.
Cuomo would win 45% of the November vote... Republican Sliwa
trailing with 13% and 11% for Adams. “But if Mamdani were to replace Cuomo as the
Democratic nominee, the numbers would shift dramatically. Mamdani’s vote drops
to 33%, while Adams jumps to 19% and Sliwa to 16%—a significantly reduced margin
of support for Democratic nominee (Figure 6).”
(Figures, charts, graphs and paraphernalia can
either be found in the Attachments to this and all the polls... below... or
else in URLs noted in same)
Given that
Cuomo is considering running as yet another Independent or something,
the Institute “... also tested a five-way race featuring Cuomo, Mamdani, Sliwa,
Adams, and Walden (Figure 7). Here, Cuomo leads with 39%, followed by 25% for
Mamdani, 12% for Sliwa, and 10% for Adams. Walden receives only 3%. Notably,
Cuomo performs better with Mamdani in the race than Mamdani does without Cuomo,
suggesting broader crossover appeal.”
There was much, much more... including polls on
Trump and Musk, crime and housing (older voters emphasized the former, youth
the latter) arresting the homeless and deporting migrants – all issues in which
Cuomo was far closer to Trump.
Marist (June 18th ATTACHMENT THIRTY SEVEN)
concurred, saying Cuomo was favored (although “the contest had tightened” with
Andy’s first round lead down from 19 points in May to eleven. Still, he was predicted a seventh-round
winner. Eleven percent were undecided, a
decrease from 17% in May.
One thing they got right: “77% of likely
Democratic primary voters think the city is moving in the wrong direction. 21%
say it is moving in the right one.”
Not a good prognosis for the
ancién regime.
The august New York Times (in June, that is, Friday to be
specific: ATTACHMENT THIRTY EIGHT) took a poll of polls (powerful or not),
dating back to the Manhattan Institute (Cuomo +13), Center for Strategic
Politics (Cuomo +8), Marist (Cuomo +12), Honan (Conan... er, Cuomo... +21 in
May, down to +17 in June), Expedition
Strategies (a creatire of the Fix the City PAC... Cuomo +12), Data for Progress
(influenced by New Yorkers for Lower Costs but showing Cuomo +7)
Emerson/Nexstar (Cuomo +12), Workbench Strategies (Mamdani sponsored but Cuomo
+13 albeit back in May) – and then the May blowouts with Cuomo up 32
(SurveyUSA) 22 in Marist/May, Data for Progress (Cuomo +30 and on and on.)
The only renegade was the Public Policy Polling group, which had
Mamdani up five points on June 6/7.
The Times also
interviewed almost all of the candidates with capsule URL explanations...
right-wing Whitney Tilson explaining his love of cycling and Michael Blake
expostulating on “whether it’s OK to put ketchup on
a cinnamon raisin bagel,” and threw in takeaways like Adams’ appearances with
anti-Semitic podcaster Sneako, the cross-endorsements and more.
Speaking of cross-endorsements, the probably pivotal
Mamdani/Lander deal believed it could prevent Cuomo
from winning and would have blocked Mayor Adams from winning the primary four
years ago. Cuomo has consistently led in polling since entering the mayor's
race.
"Andrew
Cuomo's campaign is a house of cards. The two strongest progressive campaigns
can topple him, and that's exactly what we're going to do," Mamdani
said. (CBS, ATTACHMENT THIRTY NINE)
Lander contributed robocalls by Attorney General
Letitia James and Jewish activist Ruth Messinger to urge voters to leave Cuomo
off their ballots.
"So
when you vote today, please rank five candidates for mayor. But do not make
Andrew Cuomo one of them," one call said.
By Monday Truthout was able to announce that an Emerson/Hill
poll released that day reversed the earlier Emerson/NexStar Cuomogoop and
stated that Mamdani now would win 51.8% of the vote in the eighth round.
Attributing the Socialist/terrorist’s victory to ranked choice
and his cross-endorsement, their “simulation” showed Cuomo leading 36% to 34%
in the first round but failing, as “more of
Lander’s (support) breaks off for Mamdani in the last round, granting the
progressive a win.”
Some
of their short takeaways (ATTACHMENT FORTY) noted that the election was “a referendum on the moneyed, old
school style of the Democratic Party versus the progressive wing that rejects
many of the party’s entrenched standards pushing it further to the right,” that
racist, perhaps Islamophobic mailings making Mamdani’s beard look “darker and
larger” (like, perhaps Don Junior or Veep Vance), the blowback...
especially among women... from Clinton’s endorsement and Zorro’s attacks on
Cuomo’s real address in suburban Westchester County.
And
in what The Hill called the “final” Emerson poll (above) the findings showed
“continued momentum for Mamdani, a democratic socialist who has emerged as the
leading progressive choice in the Democratic race to succeed embattled
Mayor Eric Adams (D), who is running as an
independent.”
In
the previous Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey, taken in May, Cuomo
led Mamdani 35 percent to 23 percent.
“Over
five months, Mamdani’s support has surged from 1% to 32%, while Cuomo finishes
near where he began,” said Spencer Kimball, Emerson College Polling’s executive
director. “In the ranked-choice simulation, Mamdani gains 18 points compared to
Cuomo’s 12, putting him ahead in the final round for the first time in an
Emerson poll.”
The (New York) Post on Monday morning called
Emerson’s revised poll “shocking” and “stunning” and warned voters that Zorro’s
agenda of atrocities might include “spending $65M on trans medical treatment –
including for minors”,
The Post contacted the Cuomo camp, which dismissed the Emerson College
survey as off the mark.
“This is an outlier: Every other credible poll in this election —
including two released last week — has shown Governor Cuomo with a double digit
lead, which is exactly where this election will end tomorrow,” said Cuomo
campaign spokesman Rich Azzopardi.”
And
a roundup from the Zorro-hating New York
Times by Metro city hall bureau chief Emma Fitzsimmons admitted that the race
had gotten close, and nasty all around: “...a super PAC that is supporting
Cuomo is running millions of dollars’ worth of advertisements calling Mamdani
radical, and some people believe those advertisements are Islamophobic because
Mamdani is Muslim. Mamdani is hitting Cuomo pretty hard, saying he’s the
candidate of the billionaire class and that he’s a disgraced former politician
who doesn’t deserve a second chance.”
In
her non-endorsement endorsement, Fitzsimmons wrote that “...A lot of voters say
they have positive
memories of Cuomo’s daily news briefing during the coronavirus pandemic.
New York City was the epicenter, and those briefings comforted them. And the #MeToo movement does not appear to be as central of
an issue for voters as it was in 2021, when Cuomo resigned.”
“I
did all of these things as governor,” Cuomo said, “... I opened the Second
Avenue subway line; I rebuilt LaGuardia Airport; I raised the minimum wage; and
I’m going to get things done as mayor.”
“A
lot of voters are buying that argument,” Emma declared, they “... view him as
someone who might stand up to
President Trump.”
There’s
no might in Mamdani’s MAGA loathing.
Fitzsimmons,
allowing the possibility of a Democratic upset said that, if Cuomo won the
primary and was on the ballot as a Democrat, there was a chance that the
Working Families Party would list Mamdani or another candidate on their ballot
line but, if Mamdani won the Democratic primary, “Cuomo could run as an
independent on his own ballot line.”
Or, perhaps, one of the pop-up parties as USA noted (Attachment
28, above) like Cuomo’s “newly
invented Fight
and Deliver Party ballot line” which, they believe, for which he will
continue that campaign even if he loses the Democratic nomination.
There has been no confirmation that Adams is responding by
running on the Stand and Deliver line.
By Monday morning,
The Hill could claim that Cuomo and Mamdani were “neck and neck” (6:00 AM,
ATTACHMENT FORTY ONE)
41 hill
In a final survey of the race from
Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill, Cuomo led Mamdani 35 percent to 32
percent overall, within the poll’s margin of error. New York City Comptroller
Brad Lander came in at 13 percent, followed by City Council Speaker Adrienne
Adams at 8 percent and former Comptroller Scott Stringer at 3
percent. Four percent of voters were undecided.
But the survey also allowed
respondents to rank their top choices, as the primary uses ranked choice
voting. In the first round, Cuomo led Mamdani 36 percent to 34 percent. In the
eighth round of voting, once all the other candidates were eliminated, Mamdani
came out on top, beating Cuomo 52 percent to 48 percent.
The latest findings point to
continued momentum for Mamdani, a democratic socialist who has emerged as the
leading progressive choice in the Democratic race to succeed embattled
Mayor Eric Adams (D),
who is running as an independent. In the previous Emerson College
Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey, taken in May, Cuomo led Mamdani 35 percent to 23
percent.
“Over five months, Mamdani’s
support has surged from 1% to 32%, while Cuomo finishes near where he began,”
said Spencer Kimball, Emerson College Polling’s executive director. “In the
ranked-choice simulation, Mamdani gains 18 points compared to Cuomo’s 12,
putting him ahead in the final round for the first time in an Emerson poll.”
42 ny post
Intimations of
insurrection from Emerson also beclouded the Trumpian trolls of the New York
Post. (Monday, ATTACHMENT FORTY TWO)
“Mamdani (had)
Lander’s voters to thank for his surge in the new poll.”
Fix The City,
a pro-Cuomo Super PAC, released its own poll claiming the ex-governor would
easily win the ranked choice primary, capturing 52% of the vote in the 7th
round to 28% for Mamdani and 20% for Adrienne
(no relation to Hizzdizzhonor) Adams.
But
yesterday, Cuomo had a 1 percentage-point lead — 40.5% to
39.4% in the seventh round — when Lander (who overtook Adams for third) was
eliminated with 20% of the vote and then most of Lander’s voters then switched
to Mamdani instead of Cuomo in round eight — putting the Democratic socialist
Queens assemblyman up by 3.6 percentage points.
The Post noted “big differences between the men by age and race.”
Mamdani won among voters under 50, whites, Asians and college-educated
Gothamites. Cuomo won blacks and “Hispanics”
(code for right wing as “Latino” is for left) and voters without college
degrees.
Surprisingly, men supported Mamdani 56% to
44%, while women leaned
toward Cuomo 52% to 48%.
Monday afternoon,
the New York Times’ city hall bureau chief Emma G. Fitzsimmons said that Cuomo had made the case that he has
experience, “that he’s the sensible alternative to Mayor Eric Adams, whose
first term has been turbulent, and that he’s the alternative to the
left-leaning candidates in the race.”
Time-server Terence McGinley,
however, wrote that there were different voting blocs, and the candidates are vying for
them in different ways. (ATTACHMENT FORTY THREE)
“Mamdani has risen recently with
Latino voters, which is important. He’s trying to expand his coalition beyond
just progressive voters. He is a Muslim; he’s an immigrant; his parents are
from India, so he’s been reaching out to South Asian voters. Cuomo has been
securing support among Orthodox Jewish leaders, an important voting bloc in New
York City. Black voters are up for grabs. Cuomo is quite popular among women
voters and older voters, so there’s also an age divide.”
The Mayoral hopefuls weighed in on Iran strikes (among
other MidEastern questions) as early voting wrapped, according to Courtney
Gross of Spectrum News (ATTACHMENT FORTY FOUR)
Cuomo said he
supported the strikes on Iranian nuke bunkers, but criticized the
decision-making process behind the attack.
“I do believe [President Donald
Trump] should’ve consulted Congress. I believe this is more of the same. This
is Trump saying, ‘I don’t have to follow the rules,’” he said.
Other candidates took a firmer
stance.
“Unconstitutional. It’s going to escalate the risks of war and violence
and death for Iranians, for Israelis and for Americans,” said Lander.
Mamdani called the “unconstitutional”
military action “a new, dark chapter in his endless series of betrayals that
now threaten to plunge the world deeper into chaos.”
As for the voters
making their local selection, USA Today advised that primary results might not
be decided before July, and “results won't be officially certified until July
14.” (ATTACHMENT FORTY FIVE)
Pundits such
as Ross Barkan (author of the Cuomo bio “Dark
Prince Returns” and City & State's Tom Allon, predicted that
Mamdani was very likely to win if he's ahead in first-place votes and he has a
good shot of winning the election if he's losing by fewer than 5 percentage
points for first place. On the other hand, Cuomo is safe if he's winning
first-place votes by about 10 percentage points or more.
AFTER
In fact, Barkan even underestimated popular
support for Zorro who won outright last night – the New York Times reporting,
with 93% of the vote counted, that Mamdani had taken a 43.5 to 35.4% initial
lead and – with support for Lander and others trending his way – would have an
insurmountable advantage.
Their demographics (ATTACHMENT FORTY SIX)
found that the upstart’s overwhelming Brooklyn vote, together with support in
Queens and Manhattan, topped Cuomo’s Bronx and Staten Island totals. (See HERE for charts and graphs) Mamdani, despite Cuomo’s endorsements from
black leaders like Rep. Clyburn, even won Harlem with his margins in some Kings
and Queens county neighborhoods approaching, even topping, fifty points.
On Tuesday night, Cuomo called Mamdani to
congratulate him, then told
his supporters that Mamdani won and that his campaign was "going to take a
look and make some decisions."
(CBS, ATTACHMENT FORTY SEVEN)
An angry (Eric)
Adams scoffed that the leader would “say and do anything to get elected.” Sliwa, the Republican cited his appeal to
millenials, while transit riders eager for Mamdani's promise of free bus
service hailed
the results while some Jewish groups, denouncing his background and support for
intifada like Rabbi Moshe Hauer of the Orthodox Union warned that: "It is
time for Mr. Mamdani to move from disturbance to responsibility and to
unambiguously reject and reign (sic) in these actors with whom he has been
strongly associated."
The Peacock’s
timelines and takeways also reported that, in another controversial race, Manhattan
District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who prosecuted President Trump's
hush-money case,
won the Democratic primary in his bid for reelection, The Associated Press
reported
In 2024, a jury
found Mr. Trump guilty of 34 felonies accusing him of falsifying business
records to cover up a $130,000 payment to adult
film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
The software company AdImpact says this primary saw $37 million in ad spending,
with Cuomo spending $20 million, or more than all the other candidates
combined.
In the wake of
Zorro’s nomination, the Fox... interviewing (Eric) Adams asked the incumbent how anybody could vote for Assm.
Mamdani in the November election. The assemblymember promises to freeze rents,
create a $30 minimum wage, eliminate bus fares and operate city-owned grocery
stores, Jones noted. (1.01 PM Wednesday, ATTACHMENT FORTY EIGHT)
“He’s a snake oil salesman. He will say and do anything to get
elected,” Adams reiterated.
“I delivered for this city, and
we’re not going backwards. We’re not going into a place where we wanna defund
the police, don’t invest in jobs, where we believe we can make broken promises
that we can’t deliver,” Adams said. “I delivered on every promise I gave to this
city.”
“Zohran
Mamdani's stunning mayoral primary win in New York City on Tuesday night is a
major step for the state assemblyman,” reported Jason Lalljee in Axios
(ATTACHMENT FORTY NINE) but “the race isn't over yet.”
Citing
rumours that Cuomo would, in fact, run as an independent or for a “pop-up party”,
Axios stated that the calendar begins with an official tally next Tuesday. Mamdani, the Democratic choice, will face
Republican Sliwa, former federal prosecutor turned defense attorney Jim Walden,
“running a centrist platform on another independent line” yet to be named, incumbent
Adams (who said that he'd run on one of two ballot lines: "EndAntiSemitism" or
"Safe&Affordable" as opposed to the inevitable waggary of
tales like the “Sycophant Elephant” or “MAGA-mini-me” freakoff parties) and,
proably, Cuomo... who has socked away the "Fight and Deliver" ballot line.
For the moment, however, the ECONOMIST
(today, ATTACHMENT FIFTY) claimed that Cuomo remained “shell shocked”.
“Until
recently, even the most enthusiastic Mamdani supporter could not have imagined
that the 33-year-old Democratic Socialist, who until a few months ago was
little known outside the neighbourhood in Queens that he represents as a
legislator in Albany, would topple one of the biggest names in New York
politics. Confirmation of the result will come once all ranked-choices votes
have been counted, which will take until mid-July. The debate over what the
result means, for the city and the Democratic Party, won’t wait.
“One way of interpreting this result is as a
battle between left and centre, in which the centre could not hold. Mr Cuomo is
a business-friendly centrist. The people and the money behind him reflect this.
He won endorsements from ageing Democratic heavyweights such as Jim Clyburn, a
congressman, and Bill Clinton. His donors included Bill Ackman, a hedge-funder
who also supported Donald Trump, and Mike Bloomberg, a former mayor (who
donated $8.3m to Mr Cuomo’s Super PAC).
“On the other side is Mr Mamdani, a fan of
“solidarity” and free buses. He wishes to put city-run supermarkets in areas
without them. He wants to tax the rich. He is a vocal critic of Israel’s war in
Gaza, which endears him to some New Yorkers and alienates others, but which
says little of his ability to oversee the city’s 10,000 sanitation workers,
36,000 cops or battle its innumerable rats. He has been ambivalent about
whether the intifada should be globalised. Support from the Working Families
Party, a small progressive party, was useful too.
While Mamdani
worked the city and mobilized 46,000 volunteers, the Economist contrasted his
33 year old vigor with Handy Andy, who rarely showed his face outside orchestrated rallies in
union halls or black churches. He coasted
on his name recognition (his initial 1982 campaign was for his father’s
gubernatorial race), which may possibly have reflected some complacency. “He
led polls even before entering the race, despite having resigned as governor
because of allegations of sexual harassment (which he denies) and of
undercounting the number of elderly New Yorkers who died in care-homes during
the covid-19 pandemic.”
Even
though a “sprightly 67” compared to the gerontocracy of national Democrats (or,
for that matter, Republicans), primary voters appeared to be “fed up with the generation of leaders that has lost to Donald Trump twice and
yet clings on. This election was about that too.”
At least one prominent elderly, (sometimes) New
York Republican will be delighted, though, the Economist concluded. “President Donald Trump might not mind having
a pro-intifada, socialist, 33-year-old radical governing New
York City as his foil for the next three years,” said Jesse Arm of the
Manhattan Institute, think-tank (see above).
(See NYC Board of Elections; NYC Open Data or
The Economist for charts, maps and graphs)
The election’s last words, for now, belong to
the victor’s venerable (if somewhat vexatious) Vermonter and Democratic Socialist,
the Bern.
Opinionating for the Guardian U.K., Sanders
contended that (small-d) democracy and (big-d) Democrats were, as ever, at
another crossroads. (7:30 PM EDT
yesterday, ATTACHMENT FIFTY ONE)
“Some may claim that Mamdani’s victory was just
about style and the fact that he is a charismatic candidate. Yes. He is. But,”
the Bern burned his critics on the wishy-washy left, “...you don’t get a
Mamdani victory without the extraordinary grassroots movement that rallied around him. And you don’t
get that movement and thousands of enthusiastic people knocking on doors
without an economic agenda that speaks to the needs of working people.
“The people of New York and all Americans understand
that, in the richest country on earth, they should not have to struggle every
day just to put food on the table, pay their rent or pay their medical bills.
These are the people the Democratic consultants don’t know exist.
The Mamdani
platform... freezes on rent hikes, free transit, publicly owned retail outlets,
all paid for by taxes on the rich and “large corporations” may be socialist
but, Sanders added, “not radical. They may not be what
billionaires, wealthy campaign contributors and real estate speculators want,
but they are what working people want. And maybe, just maybe, it’s time to
listen to them.”
“Importantly,” Bernie went global, the now-nominee
“did not run away from the moral issue that is troubling millions in New York
and around the country: the need to end US military support for a rightwing
extremist Benjamin Netanyahu government in Israel that is obliterating the
people of Gaza and starving their children. Mamdani understands that
antisemitism is a disgusting and dangerous ideology, but that it is not
antisemitic to be critical of the inhumane policies of the Netanyahu
government.”
The shaky,
shivery Iran/Israel cease-fire may hold, or collapse but, domestically, Gotham
City needs “a positive
vision and an analysis of why things are the way they are. It is not good
enough to maintain a status quo that is failing most Americans” as too many of
their leaders, Democrats included “would rather be the captains on a sinking
Titanic, rather than change course.”
Batman may
not be responding to the signal in the sky as he sips his cognac on a couch in
stately Wayne Manor, or perhaps visiting Venice to wish Godspeed to Jeff Bezos,
but Americans are beginning
to stand up and fight back – so says Sanders.
We have seen that in the millions of people who
came out for the No Kings rallies that took place this month in almost every
state. And yesterday, we saw that in the Democratic primary in New York City.
We’re going forward. And no one is going to stop
us.
... or maybe not...
BREAKING
NEWS, Flashback Friday...
Dark Prince Cuomo has now decided that he will return as
an independent (presumably on the Stand and Deliver standard)... but he’ll
still probably be the underdog in November (unless Lander pulls an Eric
Adamsian switch and claims the “Working Families” nomination).
The tabloid media has to be wheezing out sighs of relief
and gratitude – not only at the potential publicity but for all that Bloomberg
and billionaire advertising swag.
Our Lesson:
June 19 through June 25, 2025 |
|
|
Thursday, June 19, 2025 Dow:
Closed for Juneteenth |
It’s
Juneteenth, the nation’s newest Federal holiday; gumment facilities, many
workplaces (including Wall Street) closed, racial antagonisms simmering and
it’s also the fiftieth anniversary of the “Jaws” shark attack movie, even as
the great beasts are mauling swimmers and surfers off both coasts. Mauled, also, is out-of-favor billionaire
and Trump castoff Musk, who went back to his suffering business empire after
the strange stint at DOGE as angry Americans burned Teslas and his budgetary
losses also soared into the billions (although without deposing Elon from his
richest-man-in-the-world status).
Today, his latest setback is the explosion of another Space X rocket –
exploding in a “major anomaly” at his new Texas spaceport. “Just a scratch,” Musk shrugged off the
disaster. As the wars in Ukraine and the MidEast
rolled on, President Trump said he was “weighing” jumping into the latter
after receiving reports (disputed by his own girlfriend, the political
turncoat Tulsi Gabbard) that the mullahs in Teheran were speeding towards
creations of nuclear weapons, to do with as above. He gave Iran two weeks’ notice –
unconditional surrender or military intervention. A media and civilian panic ensued. Terming Juneteenth celebrations just
another ploy by lazy gumment works to lounge and get paid, Trump angered
blacks by complaining that there were already too many holidays out and about
(specifically, MLK Day). As the Iranian
ultimatum displaced immigration, Ukraine and the Big Beautiful Budget from
the public’s attention, Trump pursued his Culture Wars by closing clinics
counseling and hospitals treating LBGQT children and teenage suiciders. Buss Family sells Lakers to Dodgers’ owner
Mark Walter for ten billion as the team blocks ICE from storming their
stadium and rounding up migrants. |
|
Friday, June 20, 2025 Dow:
42,206.82 |
The
summer solstice begins at 8:40 PM; summer already well under way in hot,
dusty America. Perhaps the hat is to blame for the rising
clouds of political violence as a man protesting crime strangely tries to
kidnap Memphis Mayor while a pro-Palestinian tries to run Jewish Rep. Max
Miller (D-Oh) off the road. The last
American Hamas hostage freed, arriving to home and family in Tenafly, NJ. Iran/Israeli war prompts Americans touring
the MidEast to return home.
Administration and Intelligence services dispute Fodrow facility –
Gabbard saying Iran is still far from creating nuclear bombs, but Trump
disagrees and says America will be counting down the days. A busy week gone and coming in the
courts... trials on for R. Kelly, pimp/rapper Fat Joe, Mangione,
Menendez. Karen Read jurors and Parisi
kidnapee talk to the press, arrests in Morphew |
|
Saturday, June 21, 2025 Dow:
Closed |
Appeals
court says Trump can keep the masked National Guard in California to hunt
migrants. AyGee in Florida proposes to
send migrants to an island surrounded and sometimes crawling with snakes and alligators. Evictors in Philadelphia invade house to
throw out tenant but find... an alligator. War whisperers say that Iran is
“considering” talks, just as Trump is “considering” attacking Fodrow and
maybe assassinating Supreme Mullah Khameini. No longer feeling safe, a
tourist in Iran (!) gets on a bicycle and pedals over the border to safety. TV chef and compiler of the worst American
restaurants @ Burell died due to a drug overdose. Former reality star @ Burack killed by hit
and run driver. Overnight (about
7PM EST) a squadron of B-2 bombers attack Iran, launching MOPS bunker busting
bombs on Fodrow, flattening two other nuke facilities. Patriots proclaim that a trick to make Iran believe that the attack
was coming through Guam worked – or maybe their defenses were already so
degraded by Israel that they could not resist. DHS warns of Iranian revenge against US
troops abroad while terrorist cells and lone wolves plot to attack American
cities.
|
|
Sunday, June 22, 2025 Dow: Closed
|
Morning
brings press conerene with DefSec Pete Hegseth and Lt. Gen. Dan Caine. Hegseth calls Father “bold and brilliant”,
praises the pilots and Israelis and gives glory to God. Caine says that Iranian retaliation for “”Operation
Midnight Hammer” would be an “extremely poor choice.” On Sunday talkshows, pundits discuss
Iranian-backed or lone wolf terror abroad or at home, ABC Colonel Ganyard
calls Guam deception “good optics”.
Ann Flaherty tells critics “You don’t know what you don’t know,” and
more words of support emanate from Speaker Mike and Senate Leader Thune. Rachel Scott, and Pierre Thomas discuss
possible effects on oil prices, China, Russia and the Straits of Hormuz, Wall
Street and our on-again/off-again allies in the Gulf. Not wanting to scare the sheep, the other
networks feature ranting preachers, infomercials and celebrity fluff. Veep Vance says America is not at war with
Iran, “we are at war with Iran’s nuclear program.” Sen. Tom Cotton says look to history in
Iran, Russian President Medvedev floats Putin giving or selling nukes to
Khameini – Vance calls this “bizarre”.
Donkeys are divided: Kinzinger supports the attack, others oppos
(citing violations of the Constitution. Busy DefSec Marco Rubio says “Forget about
intelligence. Iran has played games
for forty years but President Trump doesn’t play games. What Iran should do would b to bring the
enriched uranium out of the ground and turn it over to us.” |
|
Monday, June 23, 2025 Dow:
42,581.78 |
Footage
of attacks on Iranian nuke sites show damage to dirt with allegations by
pundits that a “climate of surprise and wonder” and estimates of a 2 to 5
year delay in uuclearization are perhaps compromised by rumors that enriched
uranium had been sneaked out. As Trump
hails a ceasefire, Iran fires missiles at civilians and the American base in
Qatar while IDF bombs a prison in Tehran (strange, given that most dead
prisoners were Khameini dissidents).
Oil prices go up, then down – stocks down, then up. Amidst elephants, evil Sen. Massie opposes
while the intimidated Sen. Murkowski supports. As deadly heat covers America east of the
Missississippi voters wonder whether they should go out and vote tomorrow,
ICE (not what the hot people want) arrests wife of a Marine vet breastfeeding
her baby causing onlooker to complain: “There’s no humanity.” And then they attack and beat up a
landscaper whose three sons are Marines and getting angry. In legal matters, SCOTUS greenlights ICE
deportation raids on farms, immigrations offices and churches; Diddy trial
prosecution wraps, rapper Fat Joe arrested for pimping, rapper R. Kelly
complains of prison assassination plots, Morphew husband arrested for murder,
bad dad for leaving kid in hot car and, of course the perennials... Mangione,
Menendez, Gilgo beachniks and the Minnesota/Moscow maulers. |
|
Tuesday, June 24, 2025 Dow:
43,089.02 |
Intelligent
intelligencers now say that the Iranian nuke program will continue within
months, not years. President Trump denies,
but swears at mullahs and his buddy Bibi for breaking their cease fire, then
putting it back together. Stocks and
oil prices ride a roller coaster. As the President flies off to the
Netherlands for a summit of those cheap NATO bastards, Little Marco toes the
party line saying that, with Iran’s Supreme Leader still in hiding, Tehran is
wracked with chaos and on the verge of glorious revolution. Privately, MAGAnauts say America never has
nor never should trust Iran to do anything but be Iran. Half the USA doesn’t care – they’re too
busy sweating and swearing at record temperatures... Philadelphia and Boston
top 100°, election day tops out at only 99° but the overnight low is
81°. Manchester, NH is five degrees
hotter than Vegas. The good news is
that Tropical Storm Andrea fizzles as a fish storm. It’s not any better in the Old World
because 150 music lovers at a French fest are stabbed with needles that may
or may not contain drugs and/or poisons while the Jeff Bezos/Lauren Sanchez
wedding in Venice draws celebrities like Oprah, Leonardo and Kim K. but
protests from locals. |
|
Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Dow: 42,992.56 |
New
York donkeys nominate Zorro, but the election is far from over... in November
he’ll face the unanimous choice of Republicans, Guardian Angel Curtis Sliwa
and the corrupt Adams, running as an Independent (as well as a likely Cuomo
re-entry as the standard bearer of any of several made-up parties). There will also be somebody named Jim
Walden and perhaps other publicity-seekers with signatures or filing fees, as
well as write-ins up to and probably including Paperboy Prince. The politicians will have disappeared, for
the time being, but the deadly heat will remain in New York, in DC, Boston
and Nashville (110°) with the heat exploding soda cans and bankrupting
lower-income families who have air conditioning. The Weather Overground predicts
temperatures will normalize by the weekend but TV doctors are still telling
people to stay indoors (because of the heat, yes, but also swarms of ticks
and killer honeybees). They recommend
watch movies. The grim soap opera of the Iran/Israeli
war with its new cast member, America, provides innumerable twists and turns
– peace treaty on, off, IDF killing 46 Gazans waiting in food lines that
Netanyahu now says are Hamas conspiracies; President Trump in the Hague
denying his own intelligence services and insisting that the Fordow nuke
plant is destroyed beyond repair.
Steven Witkoff proposes that Pentagon leakers and culpable journalists
be tried for treason – even as Khameini emerges from his hidey-hole to
execute more dissidents and various police sorts round up eleven Iranians as
alien terrorists, |
|
Rumors
of the end to the Israel/Iraq war and a peace treaty lasting two days lifted
the Dow, which lifted the Don ever closer to parity with our start twelve
years ago. NY Dems’ nomination of 33
year old Mamdani drew a mixed response, but few really like Cuomo or Mayor Adams.
Some, more than others, hope or worry about the cease fire and... oh
by the way... the Big Beautiful Budget remains stalled. |
|
THE DON JONES
INDEX CHART of CATEGORIES
w/VALUE ADDED to EQUAL BASELINE of 15,000 (REFLECTING… approximately…
DOW JONES INDEX of June 27, 2013) Gains in indices as improved are noted in GREEN. Negative/harmful indices in RED as are their designation. (Note – some of the indices where the total
went up created a realm where their value went down... and vice versa.) See a
further explanation of categories |
ECONOMIC
INDICES |
(60%) |
|
||||||||
CATEGORY |
VALUE |
BASE |
RESULTS by PERCENTAGE |
SCORE |
OUR SOURCES and
COMMENTS |
|
||||
INCOME |
(24%) |
6/17/13 revised 1/1/22 |
LAST |
CHANGE |
NEXT |
LAST WEEK |
THIS WEEK |
THE WEEK’S CLOSING STATS... |
|
|
Wages (hrly. Per cap) |
9% |
1350 points |
6/19/25 |
+0.39% |
7/25 |
1,575.83 |
1,575.83 |
https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/wages 31.18 |
|
|
Median Inc. (yearly) |
4% |
600 |
6/19/25 |
+0.05% |
7/3/25 |
746.04 |
746.41 |
http://www. |
|
|
Unempl. (BLS – in mi) |
4% |
600 |
6/19/25 |
+2.38% |
7/25 |
543.13 |
543.13 |
|
||
Official (DC – in mi) |
2% |
300 |
6/19/25 |
+0.17% |
7/3/25 |
215.84 |
215.48 |
http://www.usdebtclock.org/
7,244 258 270 |
|
|
Unofficl. (DC – in mi) |
2% |
300 |
6/19/25 |
+0.30% |
7/3/25 |
270.62 |
269.82 |
http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 13,754 2,802 840 |
|
|
Workforce Participation Number Percent |
2% |
300 |
6/19/25 |
+0.026% +0.032% |
7/3/25 |
299.38 |
299.48 |
In 164,231 283 325 Out 102,323 366 400 Total: 266,554 649 725 61.6126 6102 .608 |
|
|
WP %
(ycharts)* |
1% |
150 |
6/19/25 |
-0.32% |
7/25 |
150.95 |
150.95 |
https://ycharts.com/indicators/labor_force_participation_rate 62.40 |
|
|
OUTGO |
(15%) |
|
||||||||
Total Inflation |
7% |
1050 |
6/19/25 |
+0.1% |
7/25 |
938.67 |
938.67 |
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm +0.1 |
|
|
Food |
2% |
300 |
6/19/25 |
+0.3% |
7/25 |
265.50 |
265.50 |
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm +0.3 |
|
|
Gasoline |
2% |
300 |
6/19/25 |
-2.61% |
7/25 |
260.38 |
260.38 |
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm -2.6 |
|
|
Medical Costs |
2% |
300 |
6/19/25 |
+0.2% |
7/25 |
279.49 |
279.49 |
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm
+0.2 |
|
|
Shelter |
2% |
300 |
6/19/25 |
+0.3% |
7/25 |
253.42 |
253.42 |
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm
+0.3 |
|
|
WEALTH |
|
|||||||||
Dow Jones Index |
2% |
300 |
6/19/25 |
+1.95% |
7/3/25 |
326.27 |
332.62 |
https://www.wsj.com/market-data/quotes/index/ 42,171.66
992,56 |
|
|
Home (Sales) (Valuation) |
1% 1% |
150 150 |
6/19/25 |
-5.63% +1.33% |
7/25 |
121.44 286.03 |
121.44 286.03 |
https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics Sales (M): 4.00 4.03 Valuations
(K): 414.0 422.9 |
|
|
Millionaires (New Category) |
1% |
150 |
6/19/25 |
+0.0467% |
7/3/25 |
132.91 |
132.97 |
http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 23,564 578
589 |
|
|
Paupers (New Category) |
1% |
150 |
6/19/25 |
+0.0187% |
7/3/25 |
132.83 |
132.85 |
http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 37,421 413 406 |
|
|
|
||||||||||
GOVERNMENT |
(10%) |
|
||||||||
Revenue (trilns.) |
2% |
300 |
6/19/25 |
+0.14% |
7/3/25 |
440.14 |
440.74 |
http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 5,155 164
171 |
|
|
Expenditures (tr.) |
2% |
300 |
6/19/25 |
+0.10% |
7/3/25 |
288.06 |
287.78 |
http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 7,163 171
178 |
|
|
National Debt tr.) |
3% |
450 |
6/19/25 |
+0.07% |
7/3/25 |
363.37 |
363.12 |
http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 36,966 999
7.024 |
|
|
Aggregate Debt (tr.) |
3% |
450 |
6/19/25 |
+0.12% |
7/3/25 |
379.77 |
379.30 |
http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 104,354 516
645 |
|
|
|
||||||||||
TRADE |
(5%) |
|
||||||||
Foreign Debt (tr.) |
2% |
300 |
6/19/25 |
+0.27% |
7/3/25 |
262.14 |
261.38 |
http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 9,234 243
270 |
|
|
Exports (in billions) |
1% |
150 |
6/19/25 |
+3.91% |
7/25 |
180.31 |
180.31 |
https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 289.4 |
|
|
Imports (in billions)) |
1% |
150 |
6/19/25 |
+19.37% |
“ |
155.36 |
155.36 |
https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 351.0 |
|
|
Trade Surplus/Deficit (blns.) |
1% |
150 |
6/19/25 |
+128.08% |
“ |
342.58 |
342.58 |
https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 61.6 |
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
SOCIAL
INDICES |
(40%) |
|
458 |
|
||||||
ACTS of MAN |
(12%) |
|
|
|
||||||
World Affairs |
3% |
450 |
6/19/25 |
nc |
7/3/25 |
471.96 |
471.96 |
Canada’s
Carney plans tariff revenge on US aluminum and steel. Mix of support (from businesses) and hate
(from residents) in Venice for Bezos wedding and Trump joins the exodus to
Europe to wallow in the lap of luxury at the NATO summit. |
|
|
War and
terrorism |
2% |
300 |
6/19/25 |
+0.5 |
7/3/25 |
287.82 |
289.26 |
Last
American Hamas hostage returns home to New Jersey as MidEast war heats up,
cools down, heats up and China worries about closing the straits of
Hormuz. Russia/Ukraine just carry on. |
|
|
Politics |
3% |
450 |
6/19/25 |
+0.2 |
7/3/25 |
468.06 |
469.00 |
A
33 year old Islamist wins New York Democratic primary. Iran/Israel puts migrant raids on back
burner... just for a few days while the flocus is on 9/11 sorts as opposed to
tomato pickers. SecPress Karoline
Leavitt says 20M immigrants are all dangerous and proposes to throw them into
Florida swamps infested with snakes and alligators. |
|
|
Economics |
3% |
450 |
6/19/25 |
-0.2% |
7/3/25 |
435.28 |
434.41 |
BBB
budget also subsumed by war.
TV-con-mystics say social security will run out in 2034. All time 7/4 travel trouble predicted on
the roads and in the air. Time for a
cruise? Krippled Kroger closing
stores, but Amazon starts drone deliveries. |
|
|
Crime |
1% |
150 |
6/19/25 |
+0.1 |
7/3/25 |
214.26 |
214.47 |
Bad
dad leaves kid to die in hot car while he drinks at the Hanky Panky
Lounge. Strange “crimefighter” busted
trying to kidnap soft on crime Memphis Mayor.
Crimefighting congregation stops, arrests wannabe church shooter in
Michigan. |
|
|
ACTS of GOD |
(6%) |
|
||||||||
Environment/Weather |
3% |
450 |
6/19/25 |
-0.2% |
7/3/25 |
368.61 |
367.87 |
Deadly
heat reaches 110° in Washington, 100° in Boston. Fifty cities break heat records, some for
all of June. Tropical storm Andrea
flares up, then fizzles. |
|
|
Disasters |
3% |
450 |
6/19/25 |
+0.3% |
7/3/25 |
415.72 |
416.97 |
Boy
survives lightining strike in Central Park, girl survives Florida shark
attack. Hiker rescued three cays after falling off cliff. Passengers survive NYC boat crash that
injures 10, but South Lake Tahoe boat capsizes and kills 8; Brazil balloon
fire also kills 8. Mom throw baby out
window of burning house, Good Samaritans catch it. |
|
|
LIFESTYLE/JUSTICE
INDEX |
(15%) |
|
||||||||
Science, Tech, Education |
4% |
600 |
6/19/25 |
+0.1% |
7/3/25 |
615.22 |
615.84 |
Hackers
hack AFLAC duck as the New York Times report that China is stealing
secrets... from Russia! Images from
Chilean telescope show more distant galaxies full of aliens as well as
lighting up Dark Energy as a private space mission lifts off. |
|
|
Equality (econ/social) |
4% |
600 |
6/19/25 |
+0.3% |
7/3/25 |
660.38 |
662.36 |
Dallas
Cowboys cheerleaders get raises from $400 to $1600/game. French misogynists stab 150+ women with
syringes of unknown product (meth? Vaxxes?) at rockfest while New York
election hailed (or cursed) as a generational shift. |
|
|
Health |
4% |
600 |
6/19/25 |
-0.2% |
7/3/25 |
429.01 |
428.15 |
New
COVID plague is “razoe sore throat”.
Honda recalls over 200K vehicles with bad brakes. Bactarial “Little Remedies” honey cugh
syrup. TV docs say microwaving food in
plastic will release microplastic particle that will KILL You. (They also say drink with metal, not
plastic straws... no matter what the tariffs are.) |
|
|
Freedom and Justice |
3% |
450 |
6/19/25 |
+0.1% |
7/3/25 |
485.48 |
485.97 |
Defense
rests without testimony in Diddy trial.
Karen Read (mostly) acquitted – her mob threatens witnesses and
prosecutors. Sherri Papini says her boyfriend
(not 2 Hispanic women) was the kidnapper.
Columbia U’s Islamic activist Mahmous Khalid out on bail after 105
days. |
|
|
CULTURAL and
MISCELLANEOUS INCIDENTS |
(6%) |
|
||||||||
Cultural incidents |
3% |
450 |
6/19/25 |
+0.1% |
7/3/25 |
562.63 |
563.19 |
Dodgers/Padres
brawl after Ohtani HBP (ICE gloats).
Wild victory parade after Oklahoma City beats Indiana in NBA Game
Seven. USA beats Haiti in soccer. Actor Jeremy Llan White to play
Springsteen in “The Boss”. Buss family
buys Lakers. Beyonce kicks off tour in
Paris with guest... Miley Cyrus.
Singer/actress Rihanna honored at Kid’s Choise awards tells the little
rascals to “be themselves” (unless acting). RIP: Reality star Sara Burack, killed by
hit/run driver; Fed Ex founder Fred Smith, Gailant (“Hee Haw”) Sartain;
“Sanford and Son” actress Lynn Hamilton, musicians Mike Ralph (Bad Company)
and teen idol Bobby Sherman. |
|
|
Miscellaneous
incidents |
4% |
450 |
6/19/25 |
+0.1% |
7/3/25 |
539.08 |
539.62 |
Maido
of Peru named world’s best restaurant.
Hot Dog eater Joey Chestnutt pivots; eats forty chicken tenders.
Newark called #1 airport in USA; Provo, Utah the best city. |
|
|
|
The Don Jones Index for the week of June 19th through
June 25th, 2025 was UP 10.16 points
The Don Jones Index is sponsored by the Coalition for a New
Consensus: retired Congressman and Independent Presidential candidate Jack
“Catfish” Parnell, Chairman; Brian Doohan, Administrator. The CNC denies, emphatically, allegations
that the organization, as well as any of its officers (including former
Congressman Parnell, environmentalist/America-Firster Austin Tillerman and
cosmetics CEO Rayna Finch) and references to Parnell’s works, “Entropy and
Renaissance” and “The Coming Kill-Off” are fictitious or, at best, mere pawns
in the web-serial “Black Helicopters” – and promise swift, effective legal
action against parties promulgating this and/or other such slanders.
Comments, complaints, donations (especially SUPERPAC
donations) always welcome at feedme@generisis.com or:
speak@donjonesindex.com.
ATTACHMENT ONE – FROM
Wiki
Outline
ATTACHMENT
“A”
WIKI
OUTLINE
2025 New York City mayoral election
From Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia
For related races, see 2025 United States local elections.
2025 New York City mayoral
election
← 2021
November 4, 2025
2029 →
Nominee
Party
Nominee
Party
Incumbent Mayor
show
show
show
show
show
show
show
·
v
·
t
·
e
This article is part
of
a series about
show
New York City
Police Department
show
18th Borough
President of Brooklyn
show
110th Mayor of
New York City
·
v
·
t
·
e
The 2025 New York City mayoral election is
scheduled to occur on November 4, 2025. The incumbent, Mayor Eric Adams,
was elected mayor on the Democratic Party line in 2021, but is
seeking re-election to a second term as an independent. He was indicted on
federal corruption charges in September 2024 and has faced calls to resign from
office. The Department of Justice ordered
prosecutors to drop the charges against Adams in February 2025, and the case
was dismissed with prejudice in April 2025.
Primary elections for the Democratic
Party are scheduled to be held on June 24, 2025, with the early
voting period beginning on June 14. The Republican Party will not hold a
primary election; Curtis Sliwa is the Republican nominee for
mayor. In New York City, primaries are held using ranked-choice voting, also
known as instant runoff voting.
Background
[edit]
Eric Adams was elected mayor of New York City in 2021, narrowly winning
a primary election and
defeating Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa in
the general election. Adams' tenure has wrought a wealth of
controversy, with the mayor supporting tough-on-crime policies such as the
reintroduction of plainclothes police officers and increased policing in the
city's subway system.[1][2] Adams
has also received criticism for his handling of the migrant housing crisis,[3] the FBI
investigation into his 2021 campaign,[4] his
support for zero tolerance policies against the homeless,[5] and
his perceived closeness to Republican president Donald Trump.[6][7] A
December 2023 poll published by Quinnipiac University Polling
Institute showed Adams' approval rating at 28% among registered
voters, the lowest approval of any mayor since the institution began polling in
the city in 1996.[8] An
early October 2024 poll conducted by Marist College found
his approval rating to be just 26%, and that 69% thought he should resign.[9] Due
to Adams' unpopularity, speculation arose about the potential for a left-wing primary
challenger to his re-election bid.[10]
On September 25, 2024, following a series of criminal
investigations into his administration, Adams was indicted on
federal bribery, fraud, and conspiracy charges.[11] He
is the first New York City mayor to be charged with crimes while in office, and
has received several calls to resign before the end of his term.[12][13][14]
On February 10, 2025, the United States Department of Justice's
acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General, Emil Bove,
ordered federal prosecutors to dismiss all charges against Adams without
prejudice pending a review to be conducted following the general election in
November.[15][16] This
sparked a series of resignations within the
Department of Justice, where 7 prosecutors, including acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon and Assistant U.S. Attorney Hagan Scotten—who
was the lead prosecutor on the case—resigned.[17][18] Seven
days later, Brad Lander (who also is a candidate in this election), under
his power as the city comptroller issued a publicly viewable letter to Eric
Adams.[19] The
letter gave Adams an ultimatum till February 21 to present a contingency plan
to deal with the crisis.[20] In
the event that Adams did not present such a plan by that time, Lander stated in
the letter that he would initiate the "Inability Committee" (one of
the two ways to oust the mayor).[19][21] The
case against Adams was dismissed with prejudice in
April 2025.[15]
On April 3, 2025, Adams announced that he would exit the
Democratic primary and instead run in the general election as an independent.[22] Adams's
move changed the dynamic of the race.[23] Former
governor of New York Andrew Cuomo has led most Democratic
primary polls since announcing his intention to run on March 1,[24] but
the Working Families Party has not committed
to endorsing the winner of the Democratic primary and is unlikely to endorse
Cuomo if he wins. This cluster of events opens the possibility of a competitive
four-way general election race between a Republican candidate, a Democratic
candidate, a Working Families Party candidate, and Adams.[23] Adams
is the first incumbent mayor to seek re-election without the nomination of
either major party since John Lindsay in 1969; Lindsay lost the Republican
nomination, but ran and won on the Liberal Party line.[25] Adams
is circulating petitions to run on an "EndAntiSemitism" ballot line,
as well as a "Safe&Affordable" ballot line.[26]
Democratic primary
[edit]
Main article: 2025 New York City Democratic mayoral
primary
Primary elections for the Democratic
Party are scheduled to be held on June 24, 2025, with the early
voting period beginning on June 14.[27] In
New York City, primaries are held using ranked-choice voting, also
known as instant runoff voting.[28]
In early 2025, polls showed former New York
Governor Andrew Cuomo leading all other mayoral
candidates among Democratic voters.[24] A
campaign calling on voters not to list Cuomo on the multi-choice ranking system
for the Democratic primary formed in early 2025.[29][30][31] Leading
up to the election, polls showed that Cuomo continued to be the frontrunner in
the Democratic primary, with Assembly member Zohran Mamdani in
second place.[32][33][34] One
June poll found that Mamdani had a narrow lead over Cuomo.[35]
Candidates
[edit]
Declared
[edit]
·
Adrienne Adams, Speaker of the New York City Council (2022–present) from
the 28th district (2017–present)[36]
·
Selma
Bartholomew, educator[37]
·
Michael Blake, former state assemblymember from the 79th district (2015–2021),
candidate for Public Advocate in 2019,
and candidate for New York's 15th congressional
district in 2020[38]
·
Andrew Cuomo,
former Governor of New York (2011–2021), Attorney General of New York (2007-2010),
and U.S. Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development (1997–2001)[39]
·
Brad Lander, New York City Comptroller (2022–present)[40]
·
Zohran Mamdani, state assemblymember from the 36th district (2021–present)[41]
·
Zellnor Myrie,
state senator from the 20th district (2019–present)[42]
·
Paperboy Prince,
artist and perennial candidate[37]
·
Jessica Ramos,
state senator from the 13th district (2019–present)[43]
·
Scott Stringer,
former New York City Comptroller (2014–2021)
and candidate for mayor in 2021[44]
·
Whitney Tilson,
hedge fund manager[45]
Withdrawn
[edit]
·
Eric Adams,
incumbent mayor (running as an independent)[22]
·
Corinne
Fisher, standup comedian and author[46]
·
Deirdre
Levy, special needs teacher[46]
Declined
[edit]
·
Jennifer Jones Austin, lawyer and nonprofit CEO[47]
·
Jamaal Bowman,
former U.S. Representative from New York's 16th congressional
district (2021–2025) (endorsed Mamdani)[48][49]
·
Justin Brannan, city councilmember from the 47th district (2018–present) (running for comptroller)[50]
·
Kathryn Garcia, New York State Director
of Operations (2021–present), former Commissioner of the New York City Department of
Sanitation (2014–2020), and candidate for mayor in 2021[51]
·
Dan Goldman, U.S. Representative from New York's 10th congressional
district (2023–present) (endorsed Myrie)[47]
·
Letitia James, Attorney General of New York (2019–present)
and former New York City Public Advocate (2014–2018) (running
for re-election, endorsed Adrienne Adams)[47][52]
·
Mark Levine, Manhattan Borough
President (2020–present)[53] (running for comptroller)[54]
·
Yuh-Line Niou,
former state assemblymember from the 65th district (2017–2022)
and candidate for New York's 10th congressional
district in 2022 (endorsed
Mamdani)[53][55]
·
Antonio Reynoso, Brooklyn Borough
President (2022–present) (running for re-election,
co-endorsed Adrienne Adams, Lander, and Mamdani)[54][56]
·
Ritchie Torres, U.S. representative from New York's 15th congressional
district (2021–present)[57] (endorsed
Cuomo)[58]
·
Jumaane Williams, New York City Public Advocate (2019–present),
candidate for lieutenant governor in 2018, and candidate
for governor in 2022 (running for re-election,
co-endorsed Adrienne Adams, Lander, and Mamdani)[59][60][61]
Results
[edit]
Democratic primary
results
Party
Candidate
Round 1
Votes
%
Selma Bartholomew
Total active votes
100.00%
Republican primary
[edit]
The Republican Party will not hold a
primary election; Curtis Sliwa is the Republican nominee for
mayor.[32][62]
Candidates
[edit]
Nominee
[edit]
Republican primary
candidates
Candidate
Experience
Announced
Ref
Founder and CEO of
the Guardian Angels
Nominee for mayor in 2021
February 13, 2025
Website
Declined
[edit]
·
Eric Adams,
incumbent Democratic mayor (2022–present) (running as an independent)[64]
·
Joe Borelli,
former minority leader of the New York City Council (2021–2025) from
the 51st District (2015–2025)[65]
·
John
Catsimatidis, CEO of Gristedes and D'Agostino Supermarkets and candidate
for mayor in 2013 [66]
·
Rudy Giuliani,
former mayor (1994–2001) and former U.S. Attorney
for the Southern District of New York (1983–1989)[67]
·
Jim Walden, antitrust and government law
attorney (running as an independent)[68]
Endorsements
[edit]
hide
Curtis Sliwa
Organizations
·
Brooklyn Republican Party[69]
·
Manhattan Republican Party[69]
·
Staten Island Republican Party[69]
Results
[edit]
Republican primary
results
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Total votes
100.0
Third-party and independent candidates
[edit]
Fight and Deliver
[edit]
Declared
[edit]
·
Andrew Cuomo,
former Governor of New York (2011–2021) (also
running in Democratic primary)[70]
Working Families Party
[edit]
The Working Families Party (WFP) often endorses Democratic
Party nominees in general elections even if those nominees did not receive WFP
support in their respective Democratic primaries. However, Ana María Archila of the Working Families Party has indicated that
if Andrew Cuomo wins the Democratic mayoral
primary, the party will most likely nominate someone other than Cuomo for
mayor. The WFP has expressed support for Democratic candidates Adrienne Adams, Brad Lander, Zohran Mamdani,
and Zellnor Myrie.[23][71]
Independents
[edit]
Declared
[edit]
Independent
candidates
Candidate
Experience
Announced
Ref
Incumbent mayor
(2022–present)
Brooklyn Borough
President (2014–2021)
NY state senator from the 20th district (2007–2013)
April 3, 2025
Website
Antitrust and
government law attorney
Former assistant U.S. Attorney
October 23, 2024
Website
Potential
[edit]
·
Ed Skyler,
former deputy mayor for Michael
Bloomberg[75]
Endorsements
[edit]
hide
Jim Walden
Executive branch officials
·
Richard Donoghue,
former Acting United States Deputy Attorney General (2020–2021) (Republican)[61]
Statewide officials
·
David Paterson,
former Governor of New York (2008–2010) (Democratic)[73]
Organizations
·
NYC
Organization of Public Service Retirees[76]
·
NYPD
Retired Sergeants Association[76]
General election
[edit]
Polling
[edit]
Andrew Cuomo vs. Curtis Sliwa vs. Eric Adams vs. Jim
Walden
Poll source
Date(s)
administered
Sample
size[c]
Margin
of error
Andrew
Cuomo (D)
Curtis
Sliwa (R)
Eric
Adams (I)
Jim
Walden (I)
Undecided
May 23–26, 2025
1,000 (RV)
± 3.0%
44%
13%
10%
7%
26%
March 21–24, 2025
1,000 (RV)
± 3.0%
43%
13%
11%
4%
29%
Zohran Mamdani vs. Curtis Sliwa vs. Eric Adams vs. Jim
Walden
Poll source
Date(s)
administered
Sample
size[c]
Margin
of error
Zohran
Mamdani (D)
Curtis
Sliwa (R)
Eric
Adams (I)
Jim
Walden (I)
Undecided
May 23–26, 2025
1,000 (RV)
± 3.0%
35%
16%
15%
6%
27%
hide
Hypothetical polling
Poll source
Date(s)
administered
Sample
size[c]
Margin
of error
Eric
Adams
Joe
Borelli
Chris
Christie [d]
Andrew
Cuomo
Brad
Lander
Zohran
Mamdani
Curtis
Sliwa
Jim
Walden
Undecided
June 10–16, 2025
1,000 (LV)
± 3.1%
11%
–
–
45%
–
–
13%
5%
27%
19%
–
–
–
–
33%
16%
5%
28%
10%
–
–
39%
–
25%
12%
3%
11%
17%
–
–
–
30%
–
18%
5%
30%
January 24–30, 2025
618 (RV)
± 3.9%
40%
–
–
–
–
–
30%
–
30%
–
–
–
59%
–
–
25%
–
16%
38%
–
35%
–
–
–
–
–
27%
–
–
30%
52%
–
–
–
–
19%
20%
–
–
44%
–
–
23%
–
13%
22%
–
17%
44%
–
–
–
–
17%
20%
–
–
39%
23%
–
–
–
18%
27%
–
–
50%
–
–
–
–
23%
–
–
–
–
40%
–
27%
–
33%
–
–
23%
–
42%
–
–
–
35%
–
19%
–
55%
–
–
–
–
26%
–
20%
–
–
34%
–
–
–
45%
Andrew Cuomo vs. Adrienne Adams as WFP nominee
Poll source
Date(s)
administered
Sample
size[c]
Margin
of error
Andrew
Cuomo (D)
Adrienne
Adams (WFP)
Undecided
Upswing Research
& Strategy (D)[81][f]
–
200 (LV)[g]
–
34%
41%
25%
Andrew Cuomo vs. Brad Lander as WFP nominee
Poll source
Date(s)
administered
Sample
size[c]
Margin
of error
Andrew
Cuomo (D)
Brad
Lander (WFP)
Undecided
Upswing Research
& Strategy (D)[81][f]
–
200 (LV)[g]
–
41%
38%
21%
Andrew Cuomo vs. Zohran Mamdani as WFP nominee
Poll source
Date(s)
administered
Sample
size[c]
Margin
of error
Andrew
Cuomo (D)
Zohran
Mamdani (WFP)
Undecided
Upswing Research
& Strategy (D)[81][f]
–
200 (LV)[g]
–
46%
35%
19%
Eric Adams vs. generic Republican
Poll source
Date(s)
administered
Sample
size[c]
Margin
of error
Eric
Adams (D)
Generic
Republican
Undecided
Slingshot Strategies
(D)[82]
May 2–8, 2023
1,500 (RV)
± 2.5%
53%
20%
27%
WABC
A1X01
FROM ABC
Ranked-choice voting explained:
What to know for New York City mayoral election
Friday,
June 13, 2025 7:44PM
Sade
Baderinwa explains ranked choice voting.
NEW
YORK (WABC) -- New Yorkers will once again rank their top choices for
mayor of New York City for the primary election.
"We
order things naturally, we all have our top favorite three ice creams, or top
favorite breakfast dishes," said Susan Lerner, executive director of Common
Cause/New York.
And
thanks to ranked-choice voting, New Yorkers can do the same in some political
elections.
Ranked-choice voting allows voters to
rank as many as five candidates in order of preference.
If your top choice is eliminated, your
vote is then transferred to the next candidate on your ballot. If a candidate
gets a majority of votes (over 50%) they are declared the winner.
Proponents
say the system favors the candidates who appeal to the widest group of voters.
"Your
vote is more powerful if you take advantage of the rankings, you can vote for
one," Lerner said. "Nobody is going to force you to vote for more
than one, but if you want the full power of a ranked choice voting system, do
use the rankings."
So voters don't have to select five candidates,
but it is important to note you cannot vote for someone more than once.
And
you are still able to write in candidates.
As
for how you should rank your choices?
"Your first choice should be the
candidate you are passionate about, your second choice is the candidate you
think would do a really good job and if number one weren't running, that would
be your first choice," Lerner said. "Your third or fourth choices
should be candidates you think are going to be OK, you have no problem with
them. And your fifth choice is the candidate, well, I can live with this one,
but never rank somebody that you don't want to see in office."
Early
voting gets underway Saturday in New York City and primary day is Tuesday, June
24.
“
Out and about
with NYC’s mayoral hopefuls on the first day of early voting
Meanwhile, mayoral campaigns are
doing prep work of their own, with some campaigns, including Assembly Member
Zohran Mamdani’s, encouraging voters to cast their ballots in the remaining
days of early voting. (The BOE is also encouraging taking advantage of early
voting to beat the heat.)
So far, early voting numbers have
dwarfed 2021’s turnout. As
Gothamist reported, young people and people who live in Brownstone
Brooklyn have turned out in huge numbers to vote early. Those folks are more
interested in candidates Brad Lander and Zohran Mamdani than front-runner
Andrew Cuomo – who is more popular among older voters and voters of color.
At a Juneteenth event on Thursday,
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams kept a cool head, saying that her mayoral
campaign’s strategy for getting out the vote remains the same. “It’s not the
first hot day that we’ve had when people have to come out to vote. Please vote.
It’s going to be hot. Stay hydrated,” she said. “It doesn’t take that long to
cast your vote, so hopefully it won’t impede the voters,” she added.
Mamdani’s campaign is also
planning pop-up tents, water and snacks for volunteers, while state Sen.
Zellnor Myrie’s campaign is prepping kits for their teams to stay cool, with
sunscreen, electric fans and the works.
“Let’s make sure now that the air
conditioning is working in every polling site,” Lander said. “And let’s make
sure it’s on in advance.” He added: “I do not have confidence that Eric Adams’
administration will do it. My administration will do it.”
On Wednesday, Cuomo called on
Mayor Eric Adams to plan for the extreme weather on Election Day, when people
might end up waiting in line outside to vote. Cuomo urged the mayor – who he’s
trying to unseat – “to deploy the necessary resources, equipment and personnel
to ensure that every polling site is cool, comfortable and accessible, and
ensure that bottled water is provided to every registered New York City voter
who plans to vote in person next Tuesday,” the former governor said in a
statement.
In response to questions about preparing for heat, a spokesperson for
Mayor Adams said that the independent BOE is responsible for elections, but
said they are coordinating with them.
Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a
directive Wednesday for state agencies to prepare for “severe weather including
thunderstorms and extreme heat” starting Thursday and possibly continuing
through next week.
GUK
A2X43 FROM GUK
New York
City might elect a truly progressive mayor – thanks to ranked-choice voting
Mamdani’s
campaign deserves credit for offering a clear, inspiring, progressive message.
But ranked-choice voting is also helping make him competitive
Katrina vanden Heuvel Wed 18 Jun 2025 09.21 EDT
With
a week left until New York’s Democratic mayoral primary, one might have thought
that the former governor Andrew Cuomo would be measuring the drapes at Gracie
Mansion. Real estate developers, corporations like
Doordash, a smattering of billionaires and even Billy Joel have shoveled cash into
his campaign, with his Super Pac spending more money than any other outside
force in the city’s political history. This is on top of his entering the race
with major name recognition advantage, amounting to a 20- or 30-point lead as
recently as May.
But
according to a new poll, Zohran Mamdani – the insurgent state assemblyman and
democratic socialist whom the Nation recently
co-endorsed along with fellow mayoral candidate and New York
City comptroller Brad Lander – has pulled ahead of Cuomo for the first time.
And while Mamdani’s campaign deserves
credit for offering a clear, inspiring, progressive message, the fact that he
is competitive can also be partly credited to New York City’s
ranked-choice voting (RCV) system. It’s a winning system for
candidates who would otherwise be sidelined or would cannibalize each other’s
support – and for voters who can finally cast their ballots based on policy
rather than pragmatism.
America’s
politics have long been dominated (or diluted) by first-past-the-post
(FPTP) voting. In it, citizens cast their ballot for one candidate,
and whoever receives the most votes wins. Straightforward as it seems, this
method forces an either/or choice, often resulting in voters deciding between
the lesser of two evils. Not only does this reinforce a two-party
duopoly in general elections, but it also incentivizes a binary
choice between the two leading candidates in primaries.
For
the candidates themselves, the system encourages scorched-earth campaigns that
divide parties and inflame the narcissism of small differences. The progressive senators Bernie
Sanders and Elizabeth Warren came into the 2020 Democratic presidential primary
as allies with much more in common ideologically than their centrist opponents.
But there was no electoral incentive for either of them to form an alliance with
the other. Instead, they fought to consolidate a minority faction within the
party, and got mired in a grisly and public feud.
The mudslinging did leave one person standing – Joe Biden.
In
contrast, RCV makes it possible for dark horse candidates to work together.
After Mamdani’s campaign reached the fundraising limit, he urged his supporters to
donate to a fellow
anti-Cuomo candidate, Adrienne Adams. Adams, in turn, has maintained a
focus on criticizing Cuomo, even deleting a tweet that
was perceived as a swipe at Mamdani. These contenders are making it
clear they truly believe – as the Nation’s editorial board wrote in our
endorsement – New Yorkers
deserve better than Andrew Cuomo.
Critics
of ranked-choice voting argue it’s too confusing, but successful
implementations of the system in other jurisdictions suggest otherwise. In
Alaska’s 2022 congressional special election, the first statewide RCV election
there, 85% of people who
cast their ballots said they found the method to be simple. It also enabled the
Democrat Mary Peltola to fend off an extremist challenge from Sarah Palin.
Maine has also seen promising results from RCV, with 60% of its voters favoring
the system. Cities like Minneapolis and Cambridge, Massachusetts, have enjoyed higher turnout after
the implementation of RCV.
But
RCV is only as effective as its participants make it. Ahead of New York City’s mayoral primary
in 2021, I wrote a column expressing
high hopes for how the debut of RCV could reshape the city’s politics. But that
race became chaotic for other reasons.
Scott
Stringer and Dianne Morales’s campaigns collapsed.
Advocacy groups had to un-endorse and re-endorse – in some cases, multiple
times. There was a progressive effort to coalesce around Maya Wiley, including
a belated endorsement from
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Meanwhile, pragmatists who felt Eric Adams and Andrew
Yang lacked substance turned to the sanitation commissioner, Kathryn Garcia. If Wiley and Garcia had cross-endorsed,
one of them might have defeated Adams. Instead, Adams won the primary in
the final round by just over 7,000 votes.
This time, the mayoral candidates seem
to have learned. On Friday, Mamdani and Lander cross-endorsed each other,
encouraging their supporters to rank the other second. Mamdani explained
the decision with a refreshing mix of idealism and realism: “This is the
necessary step to ensure that we’re not just serving our own campaigns – we’re
serving the city at large.” This
was followed by another cross-endorsement,
between Mamdani and former assemblyman Michael Blake, on Monday. And the
national progressive movement is much more united than it was in 2021, with
both Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders endorsing
Mamdani in the home stretch this time.
By treating each other like allies
rather than adversaries, the anti-Cuomo coalition might just prevail. If anything, it is
the establishment wing of the New York Democratic party that is struggling to
coalesce – as evinced by the New York Times’ non-endorsement
endorsement that, if you squint, could be perceived as
encouraging New Yorkers to support Cuomo, Lander, hedge fund manager Whitney
Tilson, or flee the city.
The
Nation has a long history of covering New York’s mayoral
races. Although no New York mayor has been elected to higher office since 1869 – just
four years after the magazine was founded – the office has long held
fascinating implications for American progressivism.
Fiorello La Guardia, whom Mamdani and
Lander have both named as the greatest mayor in
the city’s history, took office at the height of the Great Depression and led
the city through the second world war. Over 12 years of cascading crises, he
transformed the city with a bold vision characterized by expanding public
housing and public spaces, curbing corruption, and unflinchingly supporting the
reforms of the New Deal.
Now,
nearly a century later, New Yorkers have an opportunity to bring the city into
a new era once again. And ordinarily, making that kind of change possible would
require making a tough choice. But if it happens this time, it will be because
of a ranked choice.
·
Katrina
vanden Heuvel is editorial director and publisher of the Nation, a member of
the Council on Foreign Relations, and a contributor to the Washington Post,
the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times
A3X11 FROM CITYANDSTATENY.com
Endorsements in the
2025 New York City mayoral race
Labor unions, political clubs and power
brokers. Stay up to date on which mayoral candidates are getting the coveted
endorsements for 2025.
Here’s who’s running
for New York City mayor in 2025
By Annie McDonough June 20, 2025 03:53 PM ET
Endorsements are a key piece of the puzzle for
mayoral candidates – alongside fundraising and communicating their
policies and message to voters. They can help broaden a politician’s appeal
beyond their base or even deliver on-the-ground votes. Major labor unions and
political organizations often have detailed interviews and voting processes to
determine their pick.
As the June 24 primary approaches,
formalized alliances are beginning to take shape between the candidates
themselves. One day before the start of early voting, Assembly Member Zohran
Mamdani and city Comptroller Brad Lander became the first pair to cross-endorse
each other, urging their respective supporters to rank the other second on
their ballots in a bid to ice out front-runner Andrew Cuomo.
Mamdani and former Assembly Member Michael Blake later cross-endorsed each other too.
Cross-endorsements
are still a relatively new strategy in New York City as candidates seek to
utilize the ranked choice voting system adopted in 2021. A late-in-the-game
endorsement of then–Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia by former
presidential candidate Andrew Yang in 2021 ultimately propelled her from third
to second place as votes were tabulated. That endorsement went just one way –
Garcia didn’t endorse Yang back.
There
have already been a couple of non-mutual endorsements in this year’s primary
too. State Sen. Jessica Ramos endorsed Cuomo late last week (and got a lot of
blowback in
the process), but the former governor did not return the favor. Former hedge
fund executive Whitney Tilson said he would rank Cuomo No. 2 on his ballot
during the second mayoral debate.
We’re
staying on top of the public endorsements by labor unions, political power
brokers, advocacy groups and more. Keep up with all the major nods here. And
because there are a couple familiar faces running again, check out our 2021 endorsements
tracker to
compare and contrast.)
The
endorsements listed here are ones City & State was able to confirm with the
individuals or groups directly, through news reports or on the endorsers’
social media accounts.
This
post was last updated on June 20.
Mayor
Eric Adams (Democrat running as an independent candidate)
None
reported yet.
Former
Gov. Andrew Cuomo (Democrat)
Elected
officials: Mayoral candidate and state Sen. Jessica Ramos, Reps. Ritchie Torres, Greg Meeks, Adriano Espaillat and Tom Suozzi,
state Sens. James Sanders (ranked No. 1), Toby Ann Stavisky and Joseph Addabbo Jr.,
Assembly Members Yudelka Tapia (ranked No. 1), Eddie Gibbs, Charles Fall, Latrice Walker, Jordan Wright,
Erik Dilan, Sam Berger,
Stacey Pheffer Amato, Vivian Cook, John Zaccaro, William Colton, Rodneyse
Bichotte Hermelyn, Ed Braunstein, David Weprin, Manny De Los Santos, Clyde Vanel, Alicia Hyndman, George Alvarez (ranked No. 1), Council
Members Kamillah Hanks, Farah Louis, Darlene Mealy, Susan Zhuang,
Lynn Schulman and Selvena Brooks-Powers
Labor:
32BJ SEIU, Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, District Council of Carpenters,
District Council 9 of the International Union of Painters and Allied
Trades, Laborers’ International Union of North America New York
affiliate, Teamsters
Local 237, IBEW Local 3, Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2, New York
City Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, New York City Coalition
of the International Union of the Operating Engineers, FDNY EMS Local 2507 and Uniformed EMS Officers Union Local
3621, New York State Iron Workers District Council (ranked No. 1), Teamsters
Joint Council 16, Uniformed Firefighters Association, Uniformed Firefighters
Officers Association,
Uniformed Fire Alarm Dispatchers Benevolent Association, the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater
New York
Organizations:
Executive committee of the Staten Island Democratic Party, Village Reform Democratic Club, Aldo’s Democratic Club, New York League of Conservation Voters (d with Lander), Citizens Union (d with Lander and
Myrie), amNY editorial board, Staten Island Advance editorial board, the New York Daily News editorial board (ranked No. 1)
Others:
Former New York Gov. David Paterson, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former state Comptroller Carl McCall, former Bronx Borough President
Ruben Diaz Jr., Black clergy members including Rev. Kevin Johnson of Abyssinian Baptist Church
and Rev. Johnnie Green of Mount Neboh Baptist Church, Bobov Orthodox
community leaders (ranked
No. 1), Chairman of the Democratic Party of Puerto Rico Luis Dávila Pernas, Satmar community leaders in Williamsburg, coalition of Hasidic sects in Borough
Park (No. 1), fellow candidate Whitney Tilson (No. 2), South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn
Assembly
Member Zohran Mamdani (Democrat)
Elected
officials: U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (ranked No. 1), Rep.
Nydia Velázquez (ranked No. 1), Public Advocate Jumaane Williams (ranked No. 3), fellow
candidate and Comptroller Brad Lander (No. 2), Brooklyn Borough President
Antonio Reynoso (after Lander, and alongside Adrienne Adams), state Attorney
General Letitia James (No. 3), state Sens. Jabari
Brisport,
Kristen Gonzalez, Julia Salazar (with Adrienne Adams, Lander and Myrie), Gustavo Rivera (ranked No. 1), John Liu,
Assembly Members Claire Valdez, Phara Souffrant Forrest, Marcela Mitaynes,
Sarahana Shrestha, Khaleel Anderson (ranked No. 2 or No.
3), Emily Gallagher (ranked No. 1 or No.
2), George Alvarez (ranked No. 2), Robert Carroll (ranked No. 2), Jessica González-Rojas (as top tier choice d with
Lander, followed by second tier choices Adrienne Adams and Myrie), and City
Council Members Jennifer Gutiérrez (with Adrienne Adams and Lander), Sandy Nurse (with Lander, Adrienne Adams
and Myrie), Lincoln Restler (with Adrienne Adams and Lander), Chi Ossé (with Lander, Adrienne
Adams and Myrie), Alexa Avilés (ranked No. 1), Tiffany
Caban (ranked No. 1), Crystal Hudson (with Myrie, Adrienne Adams
and Lander), Shahana Hanif (with
Lander), Carmen De La Rosa (ranked No. 2)
Labor:
District Council 37 (ranked No. 2), United Auto Workers Region 9A (ranked No. 1), Professional Staff Congress (ranked No. 1, No. 2 or No.
3), UNITE HERE Local 100 (ranked No. 2), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
(IATSE) Local 161 (ranked
No. 1), Teamsters Local 804 (after No. 1 choice Ramos,
and alongside Lander)
Organizations: New York Working Families Party (ranked No. 1), New York City
Democratic Socialists of America, New York Communities
for Change; CAAAV (formerly the
Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence) Voice; DRUM (Desis Rising Up
& Moving) Beats; Jewish Voice for Peace Action, New York Progressive
Action Network (ranked
No. 2 or No. 3), New Kings Democrats (with Lander, Ramos and
Myrie), Jews for Racial and Economic Justice’s political arm The Jewish Vote (ranked No. 1 or No.
2), Three Bridges
Democratic Club (d with Adrienne Adams and Blake), the Muslim Democratic Club
of New York City (ranked
No. 1), Sunrise NYC, Gen-Z for Change, CAIR Action New York, Fordham College
Democrats, College Democrats of New York, College Democrats of America (with Lander and
Ramos), Make the Road Action (after Lander, who they
ranked No. 1), Churches United for
Fair Housing Action (after
Lander, who they ranked No. 1), Emgage Action (ranked No. 1), Jim Owles Liberal
Democratic Club (ranked
No. 2), Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn (ranked No. 2), Alliance of South Asian
American Labor, Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City (ranked No. 3), New York State Tenant
Bloc (ranked
No. 1), Tenants PAC (ranked No.
1), Riders Alliance (with Myrie, Adrienne Adams,
Lander, Stringer, Blake), Staten Island
Democratic Association, Brooklyn Young
Democrats (ranked
No. 2), Bangladeshi-Americans
for Political Progress (ranked
No. 1), Citizen Action of New York (with Lander, Adrienne
Adams, Myrie and Blake), BKForge (ranked No. 2), Human Services Action (ranked No. 5)
Other: Former Rep. Jamaal
Bowman,
former Assembly Member Richard
Gottfried (ranked
No. 2), The Nation (ranked
No. 1), former mayoral candidate Maya Wiley (No.1)
New
York City Comptroller Brad Lander (Democrat)
Elected
officials: Fellow candidate and Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani (No. 2), Rep.
Nydia Velázquez (ranked No. 3), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (ranked No.
3), Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso (ranked No. 1, followed by
Adrienne Adams and Mamdani), Public Advocate Jumaane Williams (as his top choice with
Adrienne Adams, followed by Mamdani), New York Attorney General Letitia James (No.
2), state Sens. Liz Krueger (ranked No. 1), Julia Salazar (with Adrienne Adams,
Mamdani and Myrie), Andrew Gounardes (with Zellnor Myrie), Gustavo Rivera (ranked No. 2), Assembly
Members Khaleel Anderson (ranked No. 1), Emily Gallagher (ranked No. 1 or No.
2), Phara Souffrant Forrest (ranked No. 2), Monique
Chandler-Waterman (ranked No. 2), Robert Carroll (ranked No. 1), Claire Valdez, Jessica González-Rojas (as top tier choice d with
Mamdani), City Council Members Tiffany Cabán (ranked No. 2), Jennifer Gutiérrez
(with Adrienne Adams and Zohran Mamdani), Sandy Nurse (with Adrienne Adams,
Mamdani and Myrie) and Lincoln Restler (with Adrienne Adams and Zohran
Mamdani), Chi Ossé (with Adrienne Adams,
Mamdani and Myrie), Alexa Avilés (ranked No. 2), Crystal Hudson (with Myrie, Adrienne Adams
and Mamdani), Shahana Hanif (with
Mamdani), Carmen De La Rosa (ranked No. 3)
Labor: United Auto Workers Region 9A (ranked No. 2), Professional Staff Congress (ranked No. 1, No. 2 or No.
3), UNITE HERE Local 100 (ranked No. 3), Teamsters Local 804 (after No. 1 choice Ramos,
and alongside Mamdani)
Organizations: New York Working Families Party (ranked No. 2), Upper West Side Action
Group, New York Progressive
Action Network (ranked
No. 1), Three Parks Independent
Democrats, Hells Kitchen Democrats, Broadway Democrats, Independent
Neighborhood Democrats, Central Brooklyn
Independent Democrats, Village Independent
Democrats, New Kings Democrats (with Myrie, Ramos and
Mamdani), Abundance New York (with Myrie), Jews for Racial and Economic
Justice’s political arm The Jewish Vote (ranked No. 1 or No. 2), Bay
Ridge Democrats, Indivisible Brooklyn, 504 Democratic Club, BKForge, Fordham College
Democrats, College Democrats of New York, College Democrats of America (with Ramos and
Mamdani), Make the Road Action (ranked No. 1), Churches United for
Fair Housing Action (ranked
No. 1), Emgage Action (ranked No. 2), New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees, Jim Owles Liberal
Democratic Club (ranked
No. 3), Four Freedoms Democratic Club (ranked No. 1), Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn (ranked No. 1), Unity Democratic Club (ranked No. 1), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
(IATSE) Local 161 (after
Mamdani, who is ranked No. 1, and alongside Ramos), Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City (ranked No. 2), New York State Tenant
Bloc (ranked
No. 2), Riders Alliance (with Myrie, Adrienne Adams,
Mamdani, Stringer, Blake), New York League of Conservation Voters (with Cuomo), Brooklyn Young
Democrats (ranked
No. 1), Bangladeshi-Americans
for Political Progress (ranked
No. 2), Citizens Union (d with Cuomo and
Myrie), Citizen Action of New York (with Mamdani, Adrienne
Adams, Myrie and Blake), BKForge (ranked No. 1), Human Services Action (ranked No. 2)
Others: Texas Rep. Greg Cesar, New York City Housing
Authority tenant leaders including Aixa Torres,
president of Alfred E. Smith Houses in Manhattan, former Assembly Member Richard
Gottfried (ranked
No. 1), The Nation (ranked
No. 2), former mayoral candidate Maya Wiley (No. 3), the New York Daily News editorial board (ranked No. 3)
City
Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (Democrat)
Elected
officials: New York Attorney General Letitia James (No. 1), Rep. Yvette Clarke, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (ranked No. 2), Rep.
Nydia Velázquez (ranked No. 2), Public Advocate Jumaane Williams (as his top choice with
Lander, followed by Mamdani), Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso (after
Lander and alongside Mamdani), state Sens. Leroy Comrie (ranked No. 1),
James Sanders (ranked No. 2), Julia Salazar (with Lander, Mamdani and Myrie), Gustavo Rivera (ranked No. 3, No. 4 or No.
5), Assembly Members Andrew Hevesi, Brian Cunningham, Khaleel Anderson (ranked No. 2 or No.
3), Emily Gallagher (ranked No. 3, No. 4 or No.
5), Monique Chandler-Waterman (ranked No. 3), George Alvarez (ranked No. 3), Jessica González-Rojas (as second tier choice d
with Myrie, preceded by top tier choices Mamdani and Lander), City Council
Members Yusef Salaam, Kevin Riley (ranked No. 1),
Althea Stevens, Chris Banks, Rita Joseph (ranked No. 1), Diana Ayala, Amanda
Farías, Jennifer Gutiérrez (with Lander and Mamdani), Sandy Nurse (with Lander, Mamdani and
Myrie) and Lincoln Restler (with Lander and Mamdani), Chi Ossé (with Lander, Mamdani and Myrie), Alexa Avilés (ranked No. 3), Tiffany
Caban (ranked No. 3), Nantasha Williams,
Mercedes Narcisse, Crystal Hudson (with Lander, Myrie and
Mamdani), Carmen De La Rosa (ranked No. 1)
Labor:
District Council 37 (ranked No. 1), Communication Workers
of America Local 1180, UNITE HERE Local 100 (ranked No. 1), Professional Staff Congress (ranked No. 1, No. 2 or No.
3), United Auto Workers
Region 9A (ranked
No. 5)
Organizations: New York Working Families Party (ranked No. 3), The Muslim Democratic
Club of New York City (ranked
No. 2), Make the Road Action (after Lander, who they
ranked No. 1), Churches United for
Fair Housing Action (after
Lander, who they ranked No. 1), Emgage Action (ranked No. 3), Jim Owles Liberal
Democratic Club (ranked
No. 1), Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City (ranked No. 1), Higher Heights for America PAC, the New Majority NYC (ranked No.
1), Downtown Women for
Change (ranked
No. 1), Riders Alliance (with Myrie, Mamdani,
Lander, Stringer, Blake), Brooklyn Young
Democrats (ranked
No. 4), Bangladeshi-Americans
for Political Progress (ranked
No. 3), BKForge (ranked
No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5), Human Services Action (ranked No. 1)
Others:
Former Council Member I. Daneek Miller, former Manhattan Borough President C.
Virginia Fields, Greater Allen Cathedral’s the Rev. Stephen A. Green, Texas
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Citizen Action of New York (with Mamdani, Lander, Myrie
and Blake),
Jews for Racial and Economic Justice’s political arm The Jewish Vote (ranked No. 3), former
mayoral candidate Maya Wiley (No 2.), coalition of Hasidic sects in Borough
Park (No. 2), the New York Daily News editorial board (ranked No. 2)
Former
New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer (Democrat)
Elected
officials: Reps. Jerry Nadler, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (ranked No. 4), Nydia Velázquez
(ranked No. 4), Assembly Member Deborah
Glick, Assembly Member Micah
Lasher
Organizations: West Side Democrats, Downtown Independent
Democrats, Lexington Democratic
Club, Grand Street Democrats, El Nuevo Caribe
Democratic Club, New York City
Organization of Public Service Retirees, Human Services Action (ranked No. 4)
State
Sen. Jessica Ramos (Democrat)
Labor: Teamsters Local 808, Teamsters Local 804 (ranked No. 1), New York State Iron Workers District Council (ranked No. 2), UNITE HERE Local 100 (ranked No. 4), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
(IATSE) Local 161 (after
Mamdani, who is ranked No. 1, and alongside Lander)
Organizations: New Kings Democrats (with Lander, Myrie and
Mamdani), Chelsea Reform Democratic Club, Fordham College
Democrats, College Democrats of New York, College Democrats of America (with Lander and
Mamdani), Emgage Action (ranked No. 4), New York City
Organization of Public Service Retirees, the New Majority NYC (ranked No.
2), Brooklyn Young
Democrats (ranked
No. 5)
Rescinded Ramos endorsements:
Elected
officials: State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (previously ranked No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5),
Assembly Member Emily Gallagher (previously ranked No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5),
Assembly Members Khaleel Anderson (previously ranked No. 5)
Labor:
United Auto Workers Region 9A (previously ranked No. 3), Professional Staff
Congress (previously ranked No. 4 or No. 5)
Organizations: New York Working Families Party (previously ranked No. 5), Downtown Women for
Change (previously
ranked No. 1), Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club (previously included on its
slate), Jews for Racial and Economic Justice’s political arm The Jewish Vote (previously ranked No. 5), BKForge (previously ranked No. 3, No. 4 or No.
5), New York Progressive
Action Network (previously ranked No. 2, No. 3 or No.
4), Citizen Action of New York (previously included on its
slate), Riders Alliance (previously included on its slate), Three Bridges
Democratic Club (previously including on its slate)
State
Sen. Zellnor Myrie (Democrat)
Elected
officials: Reps. Dan Goldman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (ranked No. 5), Nydia
Velázquez (ranked No. 5), state Attorney General Letitia James (No. 4), state
Sens. Leroy Comrie (ranked No. 2), Julia Salazar (with Lander, Mamdani and
Adrienne Adams), Andrew Gounardes (with Brad Lander), Liz
Krueger (after Lander), Gustavo Rivera (ranked No. 3, No. 4 or No.
5), Assembly Members Yudelka Tapia (ranked No. 2), Khaleel Anderson (ranked No. 4), Emily Gallagher (ranked No. 3, No. 4 or No.
5), Monique Chandler-Waterman (ranked No. 1), George Alvarez (ranked No. 4), Jessica González-Rojas (as second tier choice d
with Adrienne Adams, preceded by top tier choices Mamdani and Lander), Council
Members Rita Joseph (ranked No. 2), Kevin Riley (ranked No. 2), and Sandy Nurse (with Lander, Adrienne Adams
and Mamdani), Alexa Avilés (ranked No. 4), Tiffany
Caban (ranked No. 4), Crystal Hudson (with Lander, Adrienne Adams
and Mamdani), Chi Ossé (with Adrienne Adams, Lander
and Mamdani), Carmen De La Rosa (ranked No. 4)
Labor:
District Council 37 (ranked No. 3), Professional Staff Congress (ranked No. 4 or No.
5), United Auto Workers
Region 9A (ranked
No. 4)
Organizations: New York Working Families Party (ranked No. 4), New York Progressive
Action Network (ranked
No. 2 or No. 3), New Kings Democrats (with Lander, Ramos and
Mamdani), Abundance New York (with Lander), Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn (ranked No. 2), Riders Alliance (with Adrienne Adams,
Mamdani, Lander, Stringer, Blake), Brooklyn Young
Democrats (ranked
No. 3), Citizens Union (d with Cuomo and
Lander), Citizen Action of New York (with Mamdani, Lander, Blake and
Adrienne Adams), Jews for Racial and Economic Justice’s political arm The Jewish Vote (ranked No. 4), Jim Owles Liberal
Democratic Club (ranked
No. 4), BKForge (ranked
No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5), Human Services Action (ranked No. 3)
Other:
Attorney and former political candidate Zephyr Teachout, former mayoral candidate Maya
Wiley (No. 4), coalition of Hasidic sects in Borough
Park (No. 3)
Former
Assembly Member Michael Blake (Democrat)
Elected
officials: State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (ranked No. 3, No. 4 or No.
5), Assembly Members George Alvarez (ranked No. 5), Emily Gallagher (ranked No. 3, No. 4 or No.
5), Khaleel Anderson (ranked No. 5), New York
City Council Member Carmen De La Rosa (ranked No. 5)
Labor: United Auto Workers
Region 9A (ranked
No. 5), Professional Staff Congress (ranked No. 4 or No. 5)
Organizations: Emgage Action (ranked No. 5), Three Bridges Democratic Club (d with Ramos and Mamdani),
Jews for Racial and Economic Justice’s political arm The Jewish Vote (ranked No. 5), Jim Owles Liberal
Democratic Club (ranked
No. 5), Citizen Action of New York (with Mamdani, Lander, Myrie
and Adrienne Adams), Riders Alliance (with Adrienne Adams,
Mamdani, Lander, Stringer, Myrie)
Other:
Former mayoral candidate Maya Wiley (No. 5)
Whitney
Tilson, former hedge fund manager (Democrat)
Other:
Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman (who has since donated
$250,000 to a political action committee supporting Cuomo)
Jim
Walden, attorney (independent candidate)
Organizations: New York City
Organization of Public Service Retirees, NYPD Retired Sergeants Association
Other:
Former prosecutors including former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of
New York Richard Donoghue
Curtis
Sliwa, Guardian Angles founder and radio personality (Republican)
Organizations: Queens County
Republican Party, Bronx
County Republican Party, Kings County Republican Party, Staten Island
Republican Party, Manhattan Republican Party, New York City Organization of Public Service Retirees
NYC BOE
and campaigns prep for scorcher Election Day
Temperatures are expected to reach
100 degrees on Tuesday, leading the BOE and some campaigns to encourage voters
to cast their ballots on the remaining, slightly cooler, days of early voting.
2025 New York City Mayoral Election
Temperatures
are expected to reach 100 degrees on primary election day as an oppressive
“heat dome” passes over parts of the central and eastern U.S., combining
dangerously high temperatures with smothering humidity. The weather forecast is
likely to impact Election Day voter turnout, and it’s just the latest twist in
a primary election season absolutely packed with them.
The
conditions could be dangerous for voters and poll workers – the latter of
which, the New York City Board of Elections notes, will be working up to 17
hours Tuesday. “This is fundamentally a facilities and workforce challenge, and
we are treating it with the urgency it deserves,” deputy executive director of
the BOE Vincent Ignizio said in a statement. In an advisory sent out on Thursday, the
BOE noted that it will be prioritizing poll sites that don’t have air
conditioning to provide fans, water and coordinate with the relevant utilities
to ensure continuous power.
Related articles
Out and about with
NYC’s mayoral hopefuls on the first day of early voting
Meanwhile,
mayoral campaigns are doing prep work of their own, with some campaigns,
including Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani’s, encouraging voters to cast their
ballots in the remaining days of early voting. (The BOE is also encouraging
taking advantage of early voting to beat the heat.)
So
far, early voting numbers have dwarfed 2021’s turnout. As Gothamist reported, young people and people who live in Brownstone Brooklyn have turned
out in huge numbers to vote early. Those folks are more interested in
candidates Brad Lander and Zohran Mamdani than front-runner Andrew Cuomo – who
is more popular among older voters and voters of color.
At
a Juneteenth event on Thursday, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams kept a cool
head, saying that her mayoral campaign’s strategy for getting out the vote
remains the same. “It’s not the first hot day that we’ve had when people have
to come out to vote. Please vote. It’s going to be hot. Stay hydrated,” she
said. “It doesn’t take that long to cast your vote, so hopefully it won’t
impede the voters,” she added.
Mamdani’s
campaign is also planning pop-up tents, water and snacks for volunteers, while
state Sen. Zellnor Myrie’s campaign is prepping kits for their teams to stay
cool, with sunscreen, electric fans and the works.
“Let’s
make sure now that the air conditioning is working in every polling site,”
Lander said. “And let’s make sure it’s on in advance.” He added: “I do not have
confidence that Eric Adams’ administration will do it. My administration will
do it.”
On
Wednesday, Cuomo called on Mayor Eric Adams to plan for the extreme weather on
Election Day, when people might end up waiting in line outside to vote. Cuomo
urged the mayor – who he’s trying to unseat – “to deploy the necessary
resources, equipment and personnel to ensure that every polling site is cool,
comfortable and accessible, and ensure that bottled water is provided to every
registered New York City voter who plans to vote in person next Tuesday,” the
former governor said in a statement.
In response to questions about
preparing for heat, a spokesperson for Mayor Adams said that the independent
BOE is responsible for elections, but said they are coordinating with them.
Gov.
Kathy Hochul issued a directive Wednesday for state agencies to prepare for
“severe weather including thunderstorms and extreme heat” starting Thursday and
possibly continuing through next week.
AM.NY
A4X12 FROM AM.NY
NYC Mayor’s Race: Cuomo sounds alarm on far-left and Iran; secures
President Bill Clinton endorsement
By Barbara
Russo-Lennon Posted on June 22,
2025
Hours before Tuesday’s Democratic primary for mayor, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo sounded off on
the far-left movement that he says is “really taking over” the Democratic
party.
Cuomo made the remarks during a Sunday morning appearance
at the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn on June 22.
“They’re called the Democratic Socialists,” he said. “And it is
a far-left view, and I don’t think it is productive for the Democratic party,
for the city. It’s about
dismantling the police department, legalizing prostitution, abolishing the jail
system, everything free—free transportation, free schools, free food,
free everything. And we’ll figure out a way to tax the wealthy. All great
ideas, but just in practice, it doesn’t work.”
Recent polls have Cuomo ahead among the Democratic primary
field, with Democratic socialist Queens Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani his
closest threat and gaining ground in the final weeks of the race.
While alluding to Mamdani’s candidacy and what he considers to
be socialist policies as being unrealistic for New York, the former governor
said his experience as a competent manager makes him uniquely qualified to run
the country’s largest city.
“I don’t do a lot of
things in life, but I know how to make government work. I did it at HUD. I did
it when I was governor of the state of New York,” Cuomo said. “I can’t sing. I
can’t dance. I don’t play golf. But I can make the government work. I can turn
the city around.”
He then turned to international politics, focusing on President
Donald Trump’s Saturday night missile attack on Iran.
While the former governor denounced the way Trump launched the
attack without consulting with Congress, he agreed with the President that Iran
“can not have nuclear weapons.”
“It’s dangerous not only
for the region, it’s dangerous internationally, it’s dangerous for the United
States,” he said. “As a New Yorker, my natural instinct as a former governor of
New York is that New York should get ready for a possible reprisal from Iran. I
would be on high alert here.”
Clinton backs Cuomo
Meanwhile, former President Bill Clinton has also given Cuomo
his support, the former governor’s campaign announced Sunday.
“The election will decide
the next mayor of New York, and I urge you to vote for Andrew Cuomo,” Clinton
said in a statement. “As President, I chose Andrew to be my Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development [HUD], and he never let me down—but more
importantly, he didn’t let the nation down.”
Cuomo served under Clinton as the head of HUD from 1993 to 1997.
“He built public housing all across the country, from Chicago to
L.A., designed and implemented new innovative programs to successfully combat
homelessness, and fought discrimination, including against the Ku Klux Klan
(KKK) and antisemitism,” the former President added as he cited the “desperate
need” for affordable housing in NYC.
Cuomo thanked Clinton for his support in a statement to the
press, returning the accolades to the country’s 42nd President.
“His administration was one of the most accomplished in modern
political history — and that’s what government is supposed to be all about,”
Cuomo said. “He never ran
from a challenge and, in fact, ran towards them. Together we built housing,
battled homelessness and fought for justice for communities too often left out
and left behind.”
A5X16 from cbS
From AOC to Bloomberg, here are some key endorsements in the NYC
mayoral Democratic primary election
New York City's mayoral primary election heads to the polls today, and the leading Democratic candidates have picked
up some key endorsements in the final stretch of the race.
CBS News New York's Political Reporter Marcia Kramer sat down
with J.C. Polanco, assistant professor at the University of Mount Saint
Vincent, and political consultant O'Brien Murray to discuss why these
endorsements matter.
Early voting ended Sunday, ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, June 24. Polls are now open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Bloomberg endorses Cuomo
The biggest endorsement, to date, appears to be the decision
by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to endorse former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
"Huge endorsement for former Gov. Cuomo. Why? Because
[former] Mayor Bloomberg talks to a specific type of voter -- down the Upper
East Side corridor, down the Upper West Side corridor, up to Park Slope and
Brooklyn. He talks to voters that come out in large propensities that are
Democrats, that will cross over to vote Republican," Polanco said.
"By endorsing former Gov. Cuomo, he gives them the green light -- you can
support this guy, forget about the baggage you've heard about, he's the guy
that I trust -- and they trust Bloomberg, this is going to be great for
Cuomo."
00:00
"There are three things that [former] Mayor Bloomberg
brings: Money, money and money. With that comes ... polling, it will help him
in the polling, number one. Number two, it will help him with fundraising.
Number three, it will help him with voters on Election Day," said Murray.
"But at the end of the day, Bloomberg's people were donating to this
campaign before and donating to the Super PAC, according to published reports.
If that continues, you could see Bloomberg money go to a Super PAC and
Bloomberg donors go to a Cuomo campaign."
In his announcement, Bloomberg did not mention Cuomo's sexual harassment or nursing home scandals. Bloomberg said
there are no perfect candidates, and while Cuomo may not be a perfect choice,
he is the best choice.
"I think it's perfect, I think we all know the baggage
that former Gov. Cuomo has, he doesn't have to remind people of it, it's baked
into former Gov. Cuomo's candidacy. And again, it gives the green light to
Democrats that are Bloomberg Democrats -- these are independent democrats that
really loved his mayoralty -- and this endorsement reminds them of those good
12 years that they enjoyed, and he's giving them the green light," Polanco
said.
"I was lucky enough to work in a race with Mayor Koch
about 10 years ago and this reminds me of the Mayor Koch quote: 'If you agree
with me 10 out of 10 times, you're crazy. If you agree with me 8 out of 10
times, please vote for me.' Because that's Michael Bloomberg's quote, basically
what he's saying there is no New Yorker is going to agree with any candidate
across the board and if they do, they are crazy," said Murray. "But
right now, [former] Mayor Bloomberg is most important for this. It adds
credibility, it adds money and it adds stability at a time when we see New
York's future uncertain."
Polanco again called it a "huge endorsement,"
adding, "If you ask New Yorkers in the street, like you do, 'What do you
think of [former] Mayor Bloomberg?' you're going to hear positive, rave
reviews. This is someone who won three consecutive terms as mayor of New York
City."
"Progressives never supported Cuomo, they never
supported Bloomberg. Everyone else that's not a progressive will come out in
droves as much as they can and the energy they have, because they want New York
to be what Bloomberg had and not what [Bill] de Blasio had and not what the
future could be under anything that progressive," Murray added.
Fellow Democratic candidate State Sen. Jessica Ramos made
the shocking move to endorse Cuomo, telling her
supporters to rank him number one. Ramos had been a harsh critic of the former
governor but said she now believes he's the best person to take on President
Trump.
Cuomo also received endorsements from his predecessor, former
New York Gov. David Paterson, and from Jewish community groups, including
Ahronim, the Bobov community in Borough Park, Crown Heights PAC, Crown Jewish
United and the Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance.
The New York Daily News also endorsed Cuomo. CLICK HERE for more
from his campaign.
AOC & Sanders endorse
Mamdani
Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani received a high-profile
endorsement from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the
race.
"I think most New Yorkers recognize that there was no
other candidate for AOC to support. He is the socialist candidate, AOC is
socialist. I think viewers would be as surprised as finding out I'm Latino,
they know I'm Latino, they know that AOC was going to support the
socialist," said Polanco. "It doesn't bring any new voters, because
all those voters and endorsements that Mamdani brought to the table, it was
already baked in."
"I disagree and here's why: Because it didn't go to
[Brad] Lander, and Lander needed it. Not only did he not get it, Adrienne Adams
was ranked higher," Murray said, referring to Ocasio-Cortez's full ranked choice voting list.
"At this point, when you have a situation where you have an opportunity
for Adrienne Adams to get some wind in her sails and AOC behind her, after
Mamdani, that is something that hurt Brad Lander like you wouldn't
believe."
Mamdani later received another endorsement from Sen. Bernie Sanders, and the Queens
socialist has taken advantage of ranked choice voting to align himself with fellow candidates Comptroller Brad
Lander and former state Assemblyman Michael Blake, in part, to
unite against Cuomo in the polls.
"Four years ago, we wound up with one of the worst
mayors in our history, largely because the two top alternatives in the race did
not come together and join forces to cross-endorse each other. We can't afford
to make that mistake again," Lander said when they announced their
cross-endorsement.
Polanco said it's all about addition.
"Being ranked on that sheet matters," he said.
"It's important for each candidate to get as much support as possible from
their fellow candidates on each side, because as they drop off the count, the
idea is that their supporters will now have their entire support moving
forward. And that matters at a game in which a few votes may decide who's going
to be the winner."
Mamdani has also received an endorsement from state Sen. John
Liu, who represents Queens and made history as the first Asian American to win
citywide office. CLICK HERE for more
from Mamdani's campaign.
NYT sounds off on Lander,
Mamdani
While not, technically, an endorsement, a panel of New York
Times opinion experts picked Lander as the best overall choice to run the
city.
"In the end, a veteran civic leader and elected
official, Brad Lander, the city comptroller, emerged as the top overall choice
among the panelists, including four who recently shifted away from Mr. Cuomo,
Mr. Mamdani and other candidates," the piece read. "Mr.
Lander was also cited as best on education, the economy and leadership. Those
who favored him cited his experience in city government and his ability to work
with others — but, truth be told, he also benefited from lacking the heavy
baggage of Mr. Cuomo and the democratic socialist image of Mr. Mamdani."
While the newspaper's Editorial Board no longer does
endorsements, the story could still have a major impact on the race. The
board's 2021 endorsement of Kathryn Garcia provided a
significant boost to her campaign.
CLICK HERE for more
from Lander's campaign.
The board has since come out against Mamdani, writing,
"We do not believe that Mr. Mamdani deserves a spot on New Yorkers'
ballots. His experience is too thin and his agenda reads like a turbocharged
version of Mr. de Blasio's dismaying mayoralty," in reference to former
Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Mamdani shrugged off the criticism.
"These are the opinions of about a dozen New Yorkers,
and a democracy will be decided by close to a million New Yorkers. They
certainly have the right to their opinions, and New Yorkers have the right to
their votes," he said.
AG James for Speaker Adams
Meanwhile, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams
received endorsements from state Attorney General Letitia James and DC37, the
city's largest municipal employee union.
"Adrienne Adams is a fearless leader who puts people
over politics. She has repeatedly stood up for New Yorkers and won, keeping
libraries open and protecting childcare for families. She is leading the City's
fight against the Trump administration, including keeping ICE out of Rikers.
I'm proud to endorse Adrienne as my number one choice for Mayor and look
forward to having her in the fight to protect New York City," James said
in a statement.
Murray noted that while James endorsed Adams, it was Mamdani
who helped the speaker raise enough money to access the city's matching
funds.
"That's the most amazing thing here. The Upstart did
more for her to raise money and get her on the map than Tish James did,"
said Murray.
"And it was all about social media," Polanco
added.
CLICK HERE for more
from Adams' campaign.
Other Democratic candidates
Use the following links for a closer look at each candidate's
endorsements:
·
Former state
Assemblyman Michael Blake
·
Former city Comptroller
Scott Stringer
Police unions holding out
until general election
Murray also pointed out the city's police unions are not
making an endorsement in the race.
"I think what they're trying to do is figure out what
they have to or can do for Mayor Adams. They do not want to go against the
incumbent right now, and they don't have to in the primary," he explained.
"Because once they go for somebody in this primary, they're stuck with
that person in the general. This gives them a full boat to wait until deciding
what to do after the summer."
Iran
bombing top of mind among NYC Democratic mayoral candidates
Renee Anderson is a digital producer at CBS New York, where
she covers breaking news and other local stories. Before joining the team in
2016, Renee worked at WMUR-TV.
ABC
A6X21 FROM ABC NEWS
Brad Lander heads back to immigration court; Andrew
Cuomo, Zohran Mamdani spar as campaign nears end
Saturday, June 21, 2025 2:27PM
New York City's mayoral candidates are
making their final rounds as the June primary enters its final stage. Lauren
Glassberg has more.
NEW YORK (WABC) -- With the hotly contested
New York City mayoral primary election just days away, the candidates are in
the final stretch of making their arguments amid record early voting turnout.
Polls show former New York Gov. Andrew
Cuomo has held onto his lead, with Queens state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani
closing in, but still in second place.
City Comptroller Brad Lander and Mamdani
teamed up in Brooklyn Friday afternoon to shore up support.
They arrived at Grand Army Plaza to canvas
voters, riding Citi Bikes side by side in the Prospect Park West bike lane.
Lander said the bike ride is
representative of ranked-choice voting, adding it's "a joyful form of
politics, instead of a bitter, sour, backwards-looking form of poltics. And of
course gathering all of our voters together, that's a majority of New Yorkers
on Tuesday."
They're asking voters to rank one first
and the other second for mayor.
The goal is to freeze out Cuomo, whom both
candidates are trying to stop.
"I hope he will call on his superpac
to take those hideous ads down," Lander said.
The
super PAC acknowledged it had lengthened and darkened Mamdani's beard on a
flyer, which was never distributed.
On
Friday, Mamdani said there's a direct link between that ads by the super PAC
and the death threats he and family members have received.
"If
you design mailers that lengthen and darken my beard, if you paint me as a
radical, it is not a surprise to see the kind of threats that come,"
Mamdani said.
Mamdani is also lobbying the Campaign
Finance Board to lift the fundraising cap, saying the system isn't working,
giving Cuomo a huge advantage.
"We raised $8.3 million from 20,000
people over donations of less than $70, a total of 8.3 million," Mamdani
said.
Mamdani is also taking issue with how much
money Cuomo's super PAC has raised and the way he has relied on some very big
donors like the former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Meanwhile, the City Council President and
mayoral candidate Adrienne Adams is also telling her supporters, many of whom
are black and from Queens, to rank any of the Working Families Party candidates
and not Cuomo.
But an endorsement by U.S. Rep. James
Clyburn of South Carolina on Friday could work in Cuomo's favor.
On Friday morning, mayoral candidate and
City Comptroller Brad Lander also entered a federal courthouse in lower
Manhattan to observe immigration court proceedings, just as he did a few days
ago.
But the last time he attempted to do
that, he was taken into custody by federal
agents during an immigration hearing for
allegedly obstructing federal agents when escorting an immigrant out of court.
He was released a few hours later and
appeared with Gov. Kathy Hochul who said the charges against him had been
dropped.
Lander says he'll keep standing with
immigrant communities.
"When I was sitting at the detention
center on Tuesday, there was a sign asking if you've been separated from your
child. We've normalized family separations. That's why I'll continue to fight
and return to Federal Plaza to help more families," Lander said.
Day six of early voting ends with more
than 250,00 votes cast. Early voting ends June 22 and the primary is June 24.
As we look ahead to Election Day, the race
itself is heating up, but for Tuesday, it is expected to be a scorcher. The
Board of Elections say they're prepared with fans.
NBC
A7X22 FROM NBC
What to
expect in NY's primaries: Storylines to watch, ranked-choice effect
New York state primaries are on Tuesday.
This is the last weekend for early voting. In NYC, the system uses a
ranked-choice format, meaning voters can rank up to five candidates in order of
their preference.
By Robert Yoon l The Associated
Press • Published June 20, 2025 • Updated on June
20, 2025 at 12:10 pm
NBC
New York’s Andrew Siff reports.
What to Know
·
A total of 30
City Council districts will hold contested primaries on Tuesday. The Democratic
primary for NYC mayor is the top race to watch, with Andrew Cuomo still leading
a crowded 11-candidate field and Zohran Mamdani closing the gap in recent weeks
·
The winner of the Democratic mayoral primary
typically is the heavy favorite for the general election in overwhelmingly
Democratic-leaning NYC. This year’s party nominee will face incumbent Mayor
Eric Adams, who was elected as a Democrat but skipped the primary to run as an independent in Nov.
·
In the
Democratic primary for New York City Council District 2, former U.S. Rep.
Anthony Weiner is seeking to return to elected office more than a decade
after multiple sexting scandals ended his congressional
career.
·
Also facing a
primary is Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who won a criminal conviction against Donald Trump in
2024. He faces a challenge from attorney Patrick Timmins.
Voters across New York state on
Tuesday will pick nominees in municipal primaries that include high-profile
comeback bids in New York City by a former governor and a former congressman who
both left office mired in scandal.
At the top of the ballot, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo leads a crowded 11-candidate
Democratic primary field for New York City mayor nearly
four years after resigning from office following allegations he sexually harassed 11 women.
State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani
has also emerged as a major
contender for the nomination,
winning key endorsements from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of
Vermont and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Also vying for
the nomination are City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Comptroller Brad Lander.
The winner of the Democratic
mayoral primary typically is the heavy favorite for the general election in
overwhelmingly Democratic-leaning New York City. This year’s party nominee will
face incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who was elected as a Democrat but skipped
Tuesday’s primary to run as an independent in November. Adams was indicted in a 2024 corruption case that President Donald Trump’s Justice Department later dropped. Curtis Sliwa, founder of the anti-crime patrol group the Guardian Angels,
will once again be the Republican Party nominee.
In the Democratic primary for New
York City Council District 2, former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner is seeking
to return to elected office more than a decade
after multiple sexting scandals ended his congressional
career, doomed his 2013 mayoral bid and resulted in a 21-month federal prison sentence. Weiner faces four other
candidates, including state Assemblyman Harvey Epstein.
A total of 30 City Council
districts will hold contested primaries on Tuesday.
Interactive: What is ranked-choice
voting and how does it work?
Early NYC voting sites: Where do I
vote early?
Also facing a primary is Manhattan
District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who won a criminal conviction against Donald Trump in
2024. He faces a challenge from attorney Patrick Timmins.
The New York City contests use a
ranked-choice voting system in which voters may rank up to five candidates in
order of preference. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes,
the lowest vote-getter is dropped, with that candidate's votes reallocated to
voters’ next-highest choices. Ranked-choice voting is used only to determine
winners in contests with more than two candidates in which no one receives a
majority. The process is not used in any other jurisdiction in the state.
Across the state, voters will
decide primaries for local offices, including a competitive contest for Buffalo
mayor. In the Democratic primary, acting Mayor Christopher Scanlon seeks a full
term after replacing Buffalo’s longest-serving mayor, Byron Brown, who resigned in October to head an off-track betting
agency. He faces a tough challenge from state Sen. Sean Ryan, who has the
endorsement of the county Democratic Party. Also running are City Council
member Rasheed Wyatt, former fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield Jr. and
community organizer Anthony Tyson-Thompson.
Under New York state election law,
an automatic recount is triggered in races with more than 1 million votes if
the margin of victory is fewer than 5,000 votes. For smaller races, the
automatic recount is triggered if the margin of victory is either 0.5% or less,
or up to 20 votes. In a ranked-choice election, if the margin between the final
two candidates meets the recount threshold, then all the ballots in the
election are recounted round by round. The AP may declare a winner in a race that
is eligible for a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a
recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.
Here’s a look at what to expect
Tuesday:
Primary day
New York will hold municipal
primaries across the state on Tuesday. Polls close at 9 p.m. ET.
Who gets to vote?
New York has a closed primary
system. Registered party members may vote only in their own party’s primary.
How are ranked-choice voting
results reported?
In New York City, initial vote
results released on primary night will include preliminary tallies only of
first-choice votes. These results are not final or official.
As these results are reported, the
AP will call winners in races in which it's clear a candidate will receive more
than 50% of the vote, either in the initial count or once ranked-choice results
are counted.
City election officials are
expected to release preliminary results a week after the primary. This involves
running the ranked-choice voting process on just the ballots that have been
tabulated by that time. These results will not be final or official and may
continue to change as all remaining ballots are processed and tabulated.
This means that it’s possible, at
least in theory, that the leading candidate when preliminary ranked-choice
voting results are released may go on to lose the election once all the ballots
have been counted and the final ranked-choice voting results are determined.
The AP will call a winner based on ranked-choice voting results if it's clear another
candidate cannot catch up when additional votes are counted.
What do turnout and advance vote
look like?
As of Feb. 20, there were 5.1
million registered voters in New York City. Of those, 65% were Democrats and
11% were Republicans. About 1.1 million voters were not registered with any
party.
Slightly more than 1 million
voters cast ballots in the 2021 New York City primaries, about 27% of eligible
voters, according to the city’s Campaign Finance Board. About 12% of ballots in
that primary were cast before election day.
How long does vote-counting
usually take?
In the 2024 presidential election,
the AP first reported New York City results at 9:01 p.m. ET, about a minute
after polls closed. New York City’s election night tabulation ended for the
night in Queens at 12:25 a.m. ET with about 90% of total ballots counted across
the city.
Are we there yet?
As of Tuesday, there will be 133
days until the November general election.
ABC
A8X23 FROM ABC NEWS
NYC mayoral primary race enters final weekend, last chance for early
voters
Saturday, June 21, 2025 8:46AM
Lindsay Tuchman has more details on what
the city is doing to protect voters from the heat.
NEW YORK (WABC) -- This weekend marks
the last for candidates to make their pitch and early voters to cast their
ballots before Tuesday's primary.
For voters wanting to hit the polls ahead
of election day, early voting ends Sunday.
Polls will be open Saturday and Sunday
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Officials are urging voters to cast their
ballots over the weekend or during cooler hours of the day as temperatures are expected to
climb into three-digits.
Polls show former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has
held onto his lead, with Queens state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani
closing in, but still in second place.
City Comptroller Brad Lander
and Mamdani teamed up in Brooklyn Friday afternoon to shore up support.
They arrived at Grand Army Plaza to canvas
voters, riding Citi Bikes side by side in the Prospect Park West bike lane.
Lander said the bike ride is
representative of ranked-choice voting, adding it's "a joyful form of
politics, instead of a bitter, sour, backwards-looking form of poltics. And of course
gathering all of our voters together, that's a majority of New Yorkers on
Tuesday."
They're asking voters to rank one first
and the other second for mayor.
The goal is to freeze out Cuomo, whom both
candidates are trying to stop.
"I hope he will call on his superpac
to take those hideous ads down," Lander said.
The super PAC acknowledged it had
lengthened and darkened Mamdani's beard on a flyer, which was never
distributed.
On Friday, Mamdani said there's a direct
link between that ads by the super PAC and the death threats he and family
members have received.
"If you design mailers that lengthen
and darken my beard, if you paint me as a radical, it is not a surprise to see
the kind of threats that come," Mamdani said.
Mamdani is also lobbying the Campaign
Finance Board to lift the fundraising cap, saying the system isn't working,
giving Cuomo a huge advantage.
"We raised $8.3 million from 20,000
people over donations of less than $70, a total of 8.3 million," Mamdani
said.
Mamdani is also taking issue with how much
money Cuomo's super PAC has raised and the way he has relied on some very big
donors like the former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Meanwhile, the City Council President and
mayoral candidate Adrienne Adams is
also telling her supporters, many of whom are black and from Queens, to rank
any of the Working Families Party candidates and not Cuomo.
But an endorsement by U.S. Rep. James
Clyburn of South Carolina on Friday could work in Cuomo's favor.
On Friday morning, mayoral candidate and
City Comptroller Brad Lander also entered a federal courthouse in lower
Manhattan to observe immigration court proceedings, just as he did a few days
ago.
But the last time he attempted to do
that, he was taken into custody by federal
agents during an immigration hearing for
allegedly obstructing federal agents when escorting an immigrant out of court.
He was released a few hours later and
appeared with Gov. Kathy Hochul who said the charges against him had been
dropped.
Lander says he'll keep standing with
immigrant communities.
"When I was sitting at the detention
center on Tuesday, there was a sign asking if you've been separated from your
child. We've normalized family separations. That's why I'll continue to fight
and return to Federal Plaza to help more families," Lander said.
Day six of early voting ended with more
than 250,00 votes cast. Early voting ends June 22 and the primary is June 24.
As we look ahead to Election Day, the race
itself is heating up, but for Tuesday, it is expected to be a scorcher. The
Board of Elections say they're prepared with fans.
NYT
A9X24 Candidates Interviewed by
The Times
·
Zellnor
Myrie: The
progressive state senator from Brooklyn has received some attention for
his proposal to create one
million homes and for his sincere, thoughtful demeanor.
·
Scott
Stringer: The former New
York City comptroller has tried to win over voters by centering his campaign on
improving life for families and opposing President Trump.
·
Brad
Lander: The city
comptroller, who has run as an earnest
technocrat with a stack of progressive plans, spoke about being
targeted by Mayor Eric Adams, universal prekindergarten and how he seriously
considered becoming a rabbi.
·
Zohran
Mamdani: The state
lawmaker from Queens, who is also a democratic socialist, has emerged as one of the
front-runners in the race by focusing on affordability, pledging to make
buses free and to freeze the rent on rent-stabilized apartments.
·
Michael
Blake: He emerged
from the debate as a scene-stealer for his attacks on Cuomo. He spoke about his
push to eliminate credit scores
on rent and homeownership applications and whether
it’s OK to put ketchup on a cinnamon raisin bagel.
·
Whitney
Tilson: The former
hedge fund executive, who has portrayed himself as an alternative to the
left-leaning candidates in the race, touched on his
love for cycling and his escalating criticism of Mamdani.
·
Adrienne
Adams: The speaker of
the New York City Council is running on a message of “no drama, no scandal —
just competence and integrity.” She spoke about her
experience and her middle-class upbringing in her interview.
·
Andrew
Cuomo: In his interview, the former
governor and front-runner in the race said he regretted his decision to
resign as governor of the state in 2021 while he was facing
sexual harassment allegations.
News and Analysis
·
Mamdani
Faces New Attacks: After a poll showed that
Cuomo maintained a modest but diminished lead over Mumdani, Cuomo criticized
the state lawmaker over comments he made on
a podcast about the phrase “globalize the intifada.”
·
Lander
Arrested: The city
comptroller and mayoral candidate was detained at an
immigration courthouse as he tried to escort a migrant whom ICE agents sought to
arrest. He received widespread support following the incident, but it was unclear how it
would affect his third-place campaign.
·
Mayor
Eric Adams: The
mayor has appeared regularly on Fox News and with other conservative
outlets. He participated in an interview with Sneako,
a conservative online content creator who has faced
bans from YouTube and Twitch for spreading misinformation and comments deemed
as antisemitic.
·
Cross-Endorsements: Mamdani and Lander, the two leading progressive candidates
in the race, have cross-endorsed each
other. Mamdani also announced a second
cross-endorsement for Blake.
·
Cuomo
Endorsements: Housing for
All, a super PAC representing landlords’ interests, announced plans to spend
$2.5 million on campaign ads to promote
Cuomo. Jessica Ramos, the state senator
from Queens, former Mayor Michael
Bloomberg, who donated $5 million to a
pro-Cuomo super PAC, and former Gov. David
Paterson have also endorsed him.
·
Mamdani
Endorsements: Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont
backed Mamdani, joining Representative
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in endorsing the front-runner of progressives.
·
The
Sprint for City Hall: Here’s
our limited-run series on the
critical Democratic primary race for mayor.
ABC
A10X25 FROM ABC
New York
City mayoral candidates cast ballots early, drum up support in final stretch of
race
By
Eyewitness News
Thursday,
June 19, 2025 5:01PM
Lauren Glassberg reports from Lower
Manhattan.
NEW YORK (WABC) -- With the June primary
just five days away, some of the leading Democratic candidates are casting
their ballots early and drawing in key endorsements.
At least three Democratic mayoral
candidates opted to cast their early voting ballots on the Juneteenth holiday -
Zohran Mamdani, Brad Lander and Adrienne Adams.
While each of the candidates puts their
best foot forward in the fight to the finish line, the front-runners are
drumming up support in the final stretch of the race.
The projected front-runner, Andrew Cuomo,
received major support from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg with a
$3.3 million donation to the Super PAC Fix the City, bringing the total
contributions of his campaign to $8.3 million.
The former mayor is now responsible for
one third of the PAC's $24 million raised. The money is being used to blanket
airways with anti-Mamdani ads in the final days of the primary.
The donation prompted Mamdani to accuse
Cuomo of trying to buy the election.
"Politics is not something that can
be bought by billionaires and corporations, it's something that can be won by
working people and that's something on the ballot this June," Mamdani
said.
RELATED
| Ranked-choice voting explained: What
to know for New York City mayoral election
Bloomberg endorsed Cuomo last week and
called him the "one candidate whose management experience and government
know-how to stand above the others."
Cuomo, 67, has worked in and around
government and politics his entire career.
Mamdani, 33, counters criticisms of his
thin resume with reminders of the scandals that drove Cuomo from office.
Assemblyman Mamdani has been running a
strong second to the ex-governor in most polls. But he is facing criticism over
remarks he made where he avoided denouncing the phrase, "globalize the
Intifada." The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum appeared to condemn
the statement.
But on Thursday he was all smiles and
energetic after voting at a polling site in Astoria alongside his wife.
"There have been difficult moments
absolutely, especially as I've faced death threats and threats to the ones that
I love, I've had to even hire security to that end, and that is troubling and
that's also sadly an aspect of life in the Trump administration's world, and
yet we know that doesn't define our city and it doesn't define this race, and
what this race will ultimately be defined by is the most pressing crisis across
the five boroughs, which is that of affordability," Mamdani said.
Cuomo says Mamdani's super PAC should
return donations from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, saying the
organization is anti-Israel. And he says Bloomberg is backing him because of
experience as governor and his strong support for the Jewish community.
"He wants to make sure we have a
mayor who is competent and qualified and he believes that is me," Cuomo
said. "I believe Mr. Bloomberg is concerned as are many Jewish New Yorkers
about statements Mr. Mamdani has made."
Meanwhile, Lander, the city comptroller,
voted Thursday in Park Slope. He has been front and center the last two days
after being arrested by ICE following
an immigration hearing.
On Thursday, he said he would continue
showing up for immigrants.
"New Yorkers need a mayor who will
stand up and fight instead of selling us out to Donald Trump, like our current
mayor has," Lander said. "We we need a mayor who will stand up for
New York values."
A Marist College survey Wednesday
found Cuomo would defeat Mamdani after seven rounds of ranked-choice voting, 55
percent to 45 percent.
Meanwhile,
former mayor Bill de Blasio has not minced words against his former government
colleague, but has joined the DREAM Coalition, which stands for Don't Rank Evil
Andrew for Mayor.
De
Blasio told 'Up Close' and
other outlets that he does not plan on publicly endorsing a candidate in the
Democratic mayoral primary, but has made no secret of his disapproval of Cuomo
running.
According to the Board of Elections, over 168,000 people have cast
ballots in the first five days of early voting, which is double the turnout in
2021.
Early voting ends June 22 and the primary
is June 24.
NYC
PRIMARY ELECTION RESOURCES
Up Close Election Special: Closer
look at the candidates for New York City mayor
How to register to vote in NY, NJ,
and CT
How to vote early in the NYC mayoral
primary
Ranked-choice voting explained: What
to know for NYC mayoral election
Politico
A11X26 from POLITICO
Divergent focuses for Cuomo, Mamdani in the NYC mayoral race’s final sprint
The ex-governor kept a spotlight on the “intifada” debate,
while the political newbie slammed a Bloomberg-funded super PAC.
New
York City mayoral contender Zohran Mamdani seeks to keep the focus on a
well-funded super PAC supporting frontrunner Andrew Cuomo. | Emily Ngo/POLITICO
By Emily Ngo, Joe Anuta and Cris
Seda Chabrier
06/19/2025
07:23 PM EDT
NEW
YORK — The final, frenzied sprint in New York City’s Democratic primary for
mayor featured Andrew Cuomo homing in on Zohran Mamdani’s refusal to condemn
the phrase “globalize the intifada” and Mamdani blasting the
millions of dollars Michael Bloomberg has poured into
a pro-Cuomo super PAC.
In
campaign stops Thursday, the rivals both name-checked the billionaire former
mayor, who has contributed $8.3 million to the pro-Cuomo PAC in an effort to
blunt Mamdani’s momentum. Mamdani slammed the spending as an affront to
democracy. Cuomo praised Bloomberg for taking a stand.
“Michael Bloomberg has sought to buy elections before. He spent an
unbelievable amount of money when he ran for president,” Mamdani told reporters
at an Astoria, Queens, bar. “It’s to fulfill the vision that he d with New
Yorkers many years ago: that this city should be a luxury product. And what we
want this city to be is a city for working- and middle-class people.”
Cuomo
acknowledged Bloomberg’s endorsement but devoted more pointed attention to Mamdani’s recent remarks
about the “globalize the intifada” phrase, which many Jews view as a call to
violence against them. Mamdani is not being criticized for using the
phrase, but for his response when asked to opine on it.
“He happens to be a billionaire. Good
for him. He also happens to have been a highly successful mayor of New York
City,” Cuomo said of Bloomberg during a campaign stop in the Co-op City section
of the Bronx. “Mr. Bloomberg is also concerned, as are many Jewish New Yorkers,
about statements that Mr. Mamdani has made. You know, when you say ‘globalize
the intifada,’ that is basically repugnant to the Jewish community and is
basically inciting violence.”
With
the June 24 primary just around the corner and early voting already underway,
several candidates for the Democratic nomination crisscrossed the city on the
Juneteenth holiday. Brad Lander, a third candidate who enjoyed a recent breakthrough with his arrest by federal immigration
officials, continued his push to stay in the conversation. But he stepped gingerly into the “intifada”
debate, trying to inject nuance into the flashpoint topic.
“I don’t like the phrase ‘globalize the
intifada,’” Lander, who is Jewish, told reporters after voting in Park Slope,
Brooklyn. “Some people, when they say it, they might mean ‘fight for the rights
of Palestinians,’ but I’ll tell you, all I can hear is ‘open season on Jews.’”
Lander,
the city comptroller who has cross-endorsed with Mamdani under the city’s
ranked-choice voting system, also defended the democratic socialist.
“We
do not agree on everything about Israel and Palestine, but I do believe that he
will protect Jewish New Yorkers and our rights,” he said. “And I was proud to
rank him second.”
Mamdani,
a critic of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, was asked this week if the
phrase, which has become a rallying cry for some pro-Palestinian protesters,
made him uncomfortable. He did not condemn or reject it and was asked again
about it Thursday.
“These words have different meanings
for many different people,” Mamdani said, repeating his
vow to combat antisemitism. “I’ve been clear that any incitement to violence is
something that I’m in opposition to, and that the use of any language to that
end is clearly something that I oppose.”
In
recent days, Mamdani has also discussed threats he’s faced over the course of
his campaign, often for being Muslim. On Thursday, his campaign released a
statement saying the NYPD is investigating a car bomb threat against him. In
the statement, Mamdani said the threat “is not surprising after millions of dollars
have been spent on dehumanizing, Islamophobic rhetoric designed to stoke
division and hate.”
Recent polls put Mamdani, a state
lawmaker, in second place behind Cuomo. Lander has placed third in recent
polling. Mamdani said his surge just behind Cuomo is what’s motivating
Bloomberg’s largesse — and that it highlights Cuomo’s alignment with the
wealthy.
He
also pointed to the NYPD’s post-9/11 surveillance of Muslims under Bloomberg, including
at mosques and schools.
“I
am very critical of their limited vision as to who belongs in New York City and
who is worthy of support and who is worthy of suspicion,” he said.
While
Cuomo and the super PAC backing him have focused many of their attacks on
Mamdani’s views around Israel, Cuomo has also called into question his
experience. Mamdani, who’s 33, has rebutted those broadsides by pointing to
Cuomo’s own record, including sexual harassment allegations that the former
governor has denied and his handling of Covid. Cuomo continued to hammer away at Mamdani’s relatively
light resume Thursday.
“Mayor
of New York, you need to have experience, you need to have credentials,” he
said. “You need to have had a job where you managed something before, right?”
NBC
A12X27 FROM NBC
Few political operatives have it easier than opposition
researchers in New York City this year.
New York’s 2025 municipal races feature a scandal-laden cast of characters
whose alleged or proven misdeeds have made front-page headlines for years. They
include the front-runner heading into Tuesday’s Democratic mayoral primary.
The ordeal sparked a new FBI review of Clinton’s use of a
private email server just days before the 2016 presidential election, which
Clinton lost to Trump. The FBI’s investigation also led to Weiner’s pleading guilty in 2017 to transferring obscene
material to a minor, being sentenced to almost two years in prison and
registering as a sex offender.
Weiner is now out of prison, and his political animal can’t be
caged. He is vying for a spot on the New York City Council — part of an unofficial
slate testing what voters will forgive and what they won’t in 2025.
In an interview this month, Weiner argued that the way he’s
handled his controversies can’t be compared to the ways Cuomo and Adams have
handled theirs.
“I’m not denying. I’m not pointing fingers. I’m not asking for a
pardon,” said Weiner, running for a district encompassing the Lower East Side
and East Village neighborhoods of Manhattan.
NBC x22
A13X22 FROM NBC
What to
expect in NY's primaries: Storylines to watch, ranked-choice effect
New York state primaries are on
Tuesday. This is the last weekend for early voting. In NYC, the system uses a
ranked-choice format, meaning voters can rank up to five candidates in order of
their preference.
By Robert Yoon l The Associated
Press • Published June 20, 2025 • Updated on June
20, 2025 at 12:10 pm
NBC
New York’s Andrew Siff reports.
What to Know
·
A total of 30
City Council districts will hold contested primaries on Tuesday. The Democratic
primary for NYC mayor is the top race to watch, with Andrew Cuomo still leading
a crowded 11-candidate field and Zohran Mamdani closing the gap in recent weeks
·
The winner of the Democratic mayoral primary
typically is the heavy favorite for the general election in overwhelmingly
Democratic-leaning NYC. This year’s party nominee will face incumbent Mayor
Eric Adams, who was elected as a Democrat but skipped the primary to run as an independent in Nov.
·
In the
Democratic primary for New York City Council District 2, former U.S. Rep.
Anthony Weiner is seeking to return to elected office more than a decade
after multiple sexting scandals ended his congressional
career.
·
Also facing a
primary is Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who won a criminal conviction against Donald Trump in
2024. He faces a challenge from attorney Patrick Timmins.
Voters across New York state on
Tuesday will pick nominees in municipal primaries that include high-profile
comeback bids in New York City by a former governor and a former congressman who
both left office mired in scandal.
At the top of the ballot, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo leads a crowded 11-candidate
Democratic primary field for New York City mayor nearly
four years after resigning from office following allegations he sexually harassed 11 women.
State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani
has also emerged as a major
contender for the nomination,
winning key endorsements from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of
Vermont and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Also vying for
the nomination are City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Comptroller Brad Lander.
The winner of the Democratic
mayoral primary typically is the heavy favorite for the general election in
overwhelmingly Democratic-leaning New York City. This year’s party nominee will
face incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who was elected as a Democrat but skipped
Tuesday’s primary to run as an independent in November. Adams was indicted in a 2024 corruption case that President Donald Trump’s Justice Department later dropped. Curtis Sliwa, founder of the anti-crime patrol group the Guardian Angels,
will once again be the Republican Party nominee.
In the Democratic primary for New
York City Council District 2, former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner is seeking
to return to elected office more than a decade
after multiple sexting scandals ended his congressional
career, doomed his 2013 mayoral bid and resulted in a 21-month federal prison sentence. Weiner faces four other
candidates, including state Assemblyman Harvey Epstein.
A total of 30 City Council
districts will hold contested primaries on Tuesday.
Interactive: What is ranked-choice
voting and how does it work?
Early NYC voting sites: Where do I
vote early?
Also facing a primary is Manhattan
District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who won a criminal conviction against Donald Trump in
2024. He faces a challenge from attorney Patrick Timmins.
The New York City contests use a
ranked-choice voting system in which voters may rank up to five candidates in
order of preference. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes,
the lowest vote-getter is dropped, with that candidate's votes reallocated to
voters’ next-highest choices. Ranked-choice voting is used only to determine
winners in contests with more than two candidates in which no one receives a
majority. The process is not used in any other jurisdiction in the state.
Across the state, voters will
decide primaries for local offices, including a competitive contest for Buffalo
mayor. In the Democratic primary, acting Mayor Christopher Scanlon seeks a full
term after replacing Buffalo’s longest-serving mayor, Byron Brown, who resigned in October to head an off-track betting
agency. He faces a tough challenge from state Sen. Sean Ryan, who has the
endorsement of the county Democratic Party. Also running are City Council
member Rasheed Wyatt, former fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield Jr. and community
organizer Anthony Tyson-Thompson.
Under New York state election law,
an automatic recount is triggered in races with more than 1 million votes if
the margin of victory is fewer than 5,000 votes. For smaller races, the
automatic recount is triggered if the margin of victory is either 0.5% or less,
or up to 20 votes. In a ranked-choice election, if the margin between the final
two candidates meets the recount threshold, then all the ballots in the
election are recounted round by round. The AP may declare a winner in a race
that is eligible for a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a
recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.
Here’s a look at what to expect
Tuesday:
Primary day
New York will hold municipal
primaries across the state on Tuesday. Polls close at 9 p.m. ET.
Who gets to vote?
New York has a closed primary
system. Registered party members may vote only in their own party’s primary.
How are ranked-choice voting
results reported?
In New York City, initial vote
results released on primary night will include preliminary tallies only of
first-choice votes. These results are not final or official.
As these results are reported, the
AP will call winners in races in which it's clear a candidate will receive more
than 50% of the vote, either in the initial count or once ranked-choice results
are counted.
City election officials are
expected to release preliminary results a week after the primary. This involves
running the ranked-choice voting process on just the ballots that have been
tabulated by that time. These results will not be final or official and may
continue to change as all remaining ballots are processed and tabulated.
This means that it’s possible, at
least in theory, that the leading candidate when preliminary ranked-choice
voting results are released may go on to lose the election once all the ballots
have been counted and the final ranked-choice voting results are determined.
The AP will call a winner based on ranked-choice voting results if it's clear
another candidate cannot catch up when additional votes are counted.
What do turnout and advance vote
look like?
As of Feb. 20, there were 5.1
million registered voters in New York City. Of those, 65% were Democrats and 11%
were Republicans. About 1.1 million voters were not registered with any party.
Slightly more than 1 million
voters cast ballots in the 2021 New York City primaries, about 27% of eligible
voters, according to the city’s Campaign Finance Board. About 12% of ballots in
that primary were cast before election day.
How long does vote-counting
usually take?
In the 2024 presidential election,
the AP first reported New York City results at 9:01 p.m. ET, about a minute
after polls closed. New York City’s election night tabulation ended for the
night in Queens at 12:25 a.m. ET with about 90% of total ballots counted across
the city.
Are we there yet?
As of Tuesday, there will be 133
days until the November general election.
A14X28 FROM GUK
Israel is playing an outsized role in New York City’s mayoral race.
Will it matter?
The election has turned into an
Israel-Palestine proxy war of sorts, even as voters on both sides wish the
focus remained on local issues
By Alice Speri Sun 22 Jun 2025 07.00 EDT
Speaking from a Jerusalem bomb shelter last week as Iran and
Israel exchanged fire, a
New York state senator posted a video message to New York City voters: “There is a
mayoral primary coming up this week where one of the candidates does not
believe the Jewish state has a right to exist,” said Sam Sutton, the senator
from Brooklyn. “We don’t want to be in a situation like this in America.”
Sutton called on New
Yorkers to elect a “great friend of the Jewish people”: Andrew Cuomo, New York’s former
governor.
The appeal was a
stark illustration of the outsized role a foreign country and its conflicts
have come to play in local elections. While Tuesday’s vote is just the primary,
the winner of the Democratic contest historically has gone on to win the
mayoral contest in November – though this year could be different.
“This election has turned into a two-person contest
between Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mandani, two candidates with very stark views
on this matter,” said Jacob Kornbluh, a senior politics reporter with the Forward
Jewish newspaper.
With New York City’s
nearly one million Jews making up the largest Jewish population outside of
Israel, mayors of the past have always claimed support for the country with
little pushback. But the war in Gaza has fundamentally changed the dynamic. Mamdani’s outspoken support for
Palestinians might have previously tanked his candidacy, but his insurgent
campaign has galvanised voters. Cuomo has responded by portraying
Mamdani as “dangerous” and himself as
uniquely positioned to fight antisemitism, a growing source of anxiety among
Jewish voters.
Cuomo’s campaign –
flush with millions from pro-Israel
billionaires like Bill Ackman – has ramped up attacks against Mamdani as
he surged in the polls, including by distributing
mailers condemned as racist. The former governor has stated
unequivocally that “anti-Zionism is antisemitism”.
It’s not just Cuomo
appealing to the fears of Jewish voters. Eric Adams – the current mayor, who is running as
an independent given his plummeting popularity – recently adopted a contentious
definition of antisemitism and floated running on an “EndAntisemitism” party line.
Mamdani grew emotional last week
while discussing the personal toll of the attacks, including multiple death threats, and has invoked
his experience as a Muslim New Yorker to say he understands the pain of the
Jewish communities that he pledges to protect.
“The attacks on Zohran are textbook post 9/11
Islamophobia,” said Sumaya Awad, a Palestinian New Yorker and member of the Democratic
Socialists of America, one of the first
groups to back his candidacy. She praised Mamdani for not “backing down”.
Mamdani co-founded
his college’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, and as a state
assembly member, introduced legislation to stop the
funding of illegal Israeli settlements. He has built an enthusiastic coalition
of young, progressive, and unabashedly pro-Palestinain New Yorkers, as well as
immigrants and many of the city’s roughly 800,000 Muslims.
City comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander, who is Jewish and
has cross-endorsed Mamdani, has sought to find a middle ground and accused
Cuomo and Adams of “using Jews as pawns”,
he told the Guardian in an interview – “not with the intention of making Jews
any safer, but with the intention of gaining political advantage for
themselves”.
“Thankfully it’s not
the job of the mayor to find mutual recognition and peace and safety for
Israelis and Palestinians,” he said. “It is incumbent on the next mayor,
whatever their position is, to find ways to reach across the divide.”
As some candidates
stoke fears, anxiety around the election is palpable among many Jewish voters.
Alex Kaufman, a
leader of LGBTQ Zionists of NYC, which endorsed Cuomo, said he had always prioritized
issues like housing affordability, sustainability, and racial inclusion. “But this year, my number one issue
is antisemitism,” he said. “I’ve never felt this unsafe.”
With election day
around the corner, the
race has turned into an Israel-Palestine proxy war of sorts, even as voters on
both sides wish the focus remained on local issues. Candidates have been
asked in mayoral debates about their support for Israel and whether they would
visit – with Mamdani’s answers that he supports Israel’s right to exist as a
state “with equal rights” and that as mayor
he would stay in the city rather than travel to a foreign country drawing both
praise and condemnation (including some from the left, who criticised him
for recognising Israel at all). In recent days, Cuomo has seized on Mamdani’s position on the words
“globalize the intifada”, saying they fuel “hate” and “murder”.
Beth Miller, the
political director of Jewish Voice for Peace’s advocacy arm, which has been
canvassing for Mamdani, said that his success challenges the long-held wisdom
that a New York mayor must support the Israeli government. “If you believe in
safety, freedom, dignity, and justice for people here at home, you can’t have a
Palestine exception to that,” she said.
‘The status quo is
being bent’
New York’s Jews are
a diverse constituency – ranging from some anti-Zionists and others variously
critical of Israel to orthodox communities traditionally voting as a unified
bloc for more conservative candidates. A recent poll of the city’s
Jewish Democrats showed 31% supporting Cuomo, 20% backing Mamdani, and 18%
behind Lander.
In the middle are New York Jews who consistently vote Democratic
and espouse a host of liberal and even progressive causes. Many are still
reeling from the 7 October 2023 attacks in Israel, are uneasy about the tone of
US protests against the war in Gaza, and are increasingly worried about Jewish
safety, pointing to recent violent attacks in Washington DC, and Colorado, and
defacing of Jewish businesses and synagogues in the city.
Kaufman, of LGBTQ
Zionists, said he wished there were “better options” but that many of his
acquaintances were coalescing around Cuomo even as they have reservations about his past conduct, including
the sexual assault allegations that ended his governorship. Others gravitated toward Lander,
but were troubled by his endorsement of Mamdani. Some said they were
“terrified” of the latter, pointing to his refusal to recognize Israel’s right
to exist as a Jewish state and his presence at protests where Houthi flags were
on display.
Cuomo has promised to run as an independent if Mamdani
wins on Tuesday. Because Adams is running as an independent, and Mamdani is
also expected to remain on the ballot as the Working Families Party candidate,
the contest is far from over.
But to some, the
fact that an openly pro-Palestinian candidate has made it this far is a sign of
a profound shift in the city’s politics.
“The status quo is
being bent,” said Awad. She said she cried when filling in her ballot early.
“Hope is such a rare thing to feel these days.”
Fox
A15X30 FROM FOX NEWS
New York City on high alert for Democrat mayoral
primary after US strikes Iran
Democratic
frontrunner Andrew Cuomo acknowledges Iran 'cannot have nuclear capability,'
while rivals take harsher anti-war stance ahead of Tuesday's primary
By Deirdre Heavey , Paul
Steinhauser Fox News Published June 23, 2025 1:27pm EDT
New York City is
prepping for primary elections on Tuesday as one of several major U.S. cities on high alert
following U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.
"We’re tracking the situation unfolding in
Iran," the NYPD said in an X post Saturday night. "Out of an abundance of
caution, we're deploying additional resources to religious, cultural, and
diplomatic sites across NYC and coordinating with our federal partners. We’ll
continue to monitor for any potential impact to NYC."
As New Yorkers brace for a major heat wave on Election Day, New York State Police are also
"working to protect at-risk sites and fight cyberattacks," Gov. Kathy
Hochul d Saturday night.
Home to the largest
Jewish diaspora outside Israel, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which
reached a boiling point with U.S. involvement Saturday, has seeped onto the New
York City campaign trail.
'GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA' PHRASE STIRS TENSIONS ON NYC CAMPAIGN TRAIL AS
MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT RAGES
Former Gov. Andrew
Cuomo, who resigned from office in 2021 following allegations of sexual
harassment, has emerged as the frontrunner in a crowded field vying for the
Democratic nomination.
CUOMO'S LEAD SHRINKS WITH UNDER ONE WEEK UNTIL NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL
PRIMARY: POLL
Following the United
States' successful strikes on Iran Saturday night, Cuomo acknowledged, "Iran
cannot have nuclear capability," and admitted that eliminating Iran's
nuclear capacity "is in everyone's best interest."
However, Cuomo joined the barrage of Democrats
criticizing Trump for striking Iran without congressional approval. Reps. Thomas Massie, a Republican, and Ro Khanna, a Democrat,
who proposed the bipartisan War Powers
Resolution with 49 co-sponsors as of Sunday, called Trump green-lighting
strikes against Iran "unconstitutional."
Congress has the
sole power to declare war under Article I of the Constitution.
"I don't support the way he did it. I do believe he
should have consulted Congress," Cuomo, who secured an endorsement from former President Bill Clinton over the
weekend, said in a statement.
However, Cuomo's
closest competitors in the race were not so diplomatic.
State Assembly
Member Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist with endorsements from Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, slammed Trump Saturday
night.
"Donald Trump ran for president promising to end
wars, not start new ones," Mamdani said. "Today’s unconstitutional
military action represents a new, dark chapter in his endless series of
betrayals that now threaten to plunge the world deeper into chaos."
Mamdani, who would
be the first Muslim mayor of New York City if elected, added he is
"thinking of the New Yorkers with loved ones in harm’s way."
Cuomo took a jab at
Mamdani on Sunday, according to The New York Times, telling reporters,
"This is not the time for on-the-job training," in light of the U.S.
strikes on Iran.
Additionally, New
York City Comptroller Brad
Lander, who has cross-endorsed Mamdani as they attempt to consolidate support
against Cuomo within the ranked-choice voting style, said during a Working
Families Party unity rally Sunday, "Jewish New Yorkers and Muslim New
Yorkers are not going to be divided against each other."
On Sunday night, Lander, who is
Jewish, dissed
"Trump’s reckless & unconstitutional strikes against Iran" as a
"dangerous escalation of war" that "threaten countless Iranian,
Israeli & American lives."
Democratic mayoral
candidates who will also appear on Tuesday's ballot include former Comptroller
Scott Stringer, educator Selma Bartholomew, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, City
Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, state Sen. Jessica Ramos, investor and editor
at Stansberry Research Whitney Tilson, former State Assembly Member Michael
Blake and content creator and music artist Paperboy Prince.
The Democratic
nominee will face incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as
an Independent.
Former federal
prosecutor Jim Walden is also running as an Independent, and Guardian Angels
founder Curtis Sliwa will once again be the Republican nominee.
Jewish Forward
A16X30a FROM THE JEWISH FORWARD
An assortment of bagels.
By Hannah Feuer June 10, 2025
Bagels have long played an outsized role in New York City politics,
from Cynthia Nixon’s
disastrous order combining cinnamon raisin and lox to the time Bill DeBlasio seemed to lie about getting
his bagel toasted.
Clearly, this cultural signifier matters to New Yorkers — and
especially Jewish voters, for whom a respectable bagel order can be a litmus
test.
In an effort to bring some much needed clarity to the chaotic
New York City mayoral race, I have ranked the candidates exclusively based on
their bagel orders, as told to The New York Times, the Forward,
and other outlets. Criteria included the order’s specificity, originality,
relatability, and — most importantly — how I think it would taste.
I have ranked only the most prominent candidates, though I
remain extremely curious about performance artist and mayoral candidate Paperboy Love Prince’s order, whose
campaign is about as serious as this article.
Last week, mayoral candidate Jessica Ramos endorsed Andrew
Cuomo, though she will still appear on the ballot. Prior to the endorsement,
she told the Times that her order
is “an everything bagel with cream cheese, lox, capers and red onions,” a
strong entry that would place her toward the top of the ranking. But I assume
her endorsement also applies to bagels.
1) Brad Lander
The order: “Everything bagel,
sorry, Ezra Klein. Scallion cream cheese, slice of tomato, lightly toasted,
lox.”
Judge’s comments: This is a bagel done right, with superb choice
of schmear and toppings. Though toasted, it is only “lightly.”
Lander’s reference is to Times columnist Ezra
Klein’s opinion piece titled “The Problem With Everything-Bagel Liberalism,” which critiques
progressive policy that tries to do too much and ends up accomplishing nothing
at all. But even Klein admits in his piece that “everything bagels are, of
course, the best bagels.” I agree.
2) Adrienne Adams
The order: “An everything bagel with veggie cream cheese. Do not toast
it.”
Judge’s comments: Adams deserves kudos as the lone candidate to
take a strong stance against toasting, which everyone knows ruins a freshly baked
bagel. Her choice of bagel and schmear choice is nothing special, but not
offensive, either.
3) Zohran Mamdani
The order: “As someone who grew up in Morningside Heights, I have to go
back to Absolute Bagels. Poppy seed bagel, scallion cream cheese. Some pulp
Tropicana on the side. And this is going to lose me some votes, but to be
honest with you: toasted.”
Judge’s comments: Mamdani gets props for his bold choice of
poppy and for specifying the pulp level in his orange juice.
Absolute Bagels, however, shuttered last December and is awaiting
reopening under new ownership. When it was in business, Absolute Bagels charged
an extra 10 cents for toasting — an interesting add-on for the socialist
candidate who has made affordability his signature issue. Could firsthand
experience with this upcharge be the impetus behind his proposal for city-run
grocery stores?
Last…
11) Andrew Cuomo
The order: “Bacon, cheese and egg on an English muffin, and then I try to
take off the bacon, but I don’t really take off the bacon. The bagel I try to
stay away from, to keep my girlish figure.”
Judge’s comments: This “bagel” order bungles the chronology of
ingredients in the classic bacon, egg and cheese. And an English muffin is
decidedly not a bagel.
CANDIDATES
Cuomo
X25 ABC
X61 CBS
Politico
A17X31 FROM POLITICO
If Cuomo
Wins, It Was All But Inevitable.
Here’s Why.
For
decades, New York politics was defined by party machines, yes, but also a
hyper-engaged voting public. Now, with the end of both, a candidate’s starpower
is all that counts.
By Will Bredderman 06/18/2025 05:00 AM EDT
In The Power Broker, the ultimate
account of New York politics in the 20th century, historian Robert Caro
revealed how an anonymous court secretary named Vincent Impellitteri became
mayor of America’s largest city.
It started in 1945 when New York’s
then-dominant Democratic leaders gathered to build their ticket for the three
top jobs in local government. After deciding on Brooklyn District Attorney
William O’Dwyer for mayor and Bronx state senator Lazarus Joseph for city
comptroller, they faced a dilemma in picking a candidate for the
since-abolished office of city council president.
“Since O’Dwyer was Irish and from Brooklyn,
while Joseph was Jewish and from the Bronx, the slate could have ethnic and
geographic balance only if its third member was an Italian from Manhattan,”
Caro wrote. Then, one of the party bosses noted that legal secretary jobs in
the state courts went only to machine loyalists, meaning any of them could be
counted on to do what party leaders wanted. “He turned to the list of legal
secretaries and ran his finger down it looking for a name that even the dumbest
voter would be able to tell was Italian — and came to Vincent R. Impellitteri.”
Five years later, when O’Dwyer
faced an investigation into his ties to organized crime, President Harry Truman
— in the closest thing to a precedent for the Donald Trump administration’s
abandonment of the bribery case against Mayor Eric Adams — appointed the
embattled Democrat ambassador to Mexico, letting him flee the reach of justice.
The city’s succession rules left the still-unknown Impellitteri interim mayor
of New York. But the rules also compelled a near-immediate special election to
complete O’Dwyer’s term, and the Democratic leaders judged Impellitteri unfit
for the job and denied him their nomination.
Improbably, Impellitteri launched
his own “Experience Party” ballot line and won, riding a mass backlash from a
public infuriated over local corruption in general and the O’Dwyer scandal in
particular.
Florita Rogovoy speaks to people
in front of a stand to solicit signatures for Vincent Impellitteri.
A supporters solicits signatures
for acting Mayor Vincent Impellitteri at Times Square in New York City, in
September 1950. | The New York Times via Redux Pictures
Vincent Impellitteri is sworn in
as the mayor of New York City by Supreme Court Justice Joseph A. Gavagan.
Impellitteri, right, is sworn in
as mayor by state Supreme Court Justice Joseph A. Gavagan, center, in November
1950. | Patrick Burns/The New York Times via Redux Pictures
This episode encapsulates
political life in New York City for most of the last century: machines strong
enough to raise a nobody to the highest echelons of political power, but that
kept the public engaged enough in municipal affairs that it could at times buck
their influence. Through World Wars, a Great Depression, race riots, white
flight, civil rights fights, crime waves, strikes and a brush with municipal
bankruptcy, this tension — between Democratic Party organizations that fostered
corruption but also uplifted average citizens, and average citizens motivated
to punish the party’s worst failures and excesses — remained remarkably
consistent, from Robert Anderson Van Wyck through Rudolph Giuliani.
But that was then. The strange
political resurrection of ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo 75 years later illustrates how
badly the city’s institutions, both the political machines and the civic consciousness
that were both a product of them and checked them, have broken down.
The city’s Democratic powerbrokers have all but stampeded over each
other to endorse Cuomo — despite their having demanded his resignation three
years ago after an attorney general’s report found he had sexually harassed
subordinates — and despite their own long-running personal feuds with the
ex-governor and close relationships with rival candidates.
Nearly all polls have shown Cuomo
in the lead, though the most recent surveys suggest a tightening race with
Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, the candidate of the Democratic Socialists of
America.
If Cuomo, the born politician with
his universal name recognition, triumphs in the Democratic primary this month,
it will complete a revolution that started 12 years ago, when ex-Rep. Anthony
Weiner used his viral fame to vault ahead of municipal pols in the 2013 mayoral
race before he imploded. Hyper-local political networks — whether embodied in
the machines or in their opposition — have lost the ability and even the will
to mobilize voters en masse and to independently elevate mayoral candidates.
This has coincided with a collapse
in participation in local elections, and the rise of what Dr. Heather James, a
social sciences professor at Borough of Manhattan Community College, termed
“superstar politics” — in which national name recognition counts for
everything.
“The information structure has
nationalized,” she asserted. “Cuomo is sort of his own superstar name in New
York. He definitely benefits from that consolidation of information. It’s
harder for other candidates to get their name out there and compete.”
The gears of yesteryear’s machines
were political clubs organized at the neighborhood level. These clubs,
according to the political scientist James Q. Wilson, offered a combination of
“tangible incentives” — most notoriously, patronage jobs, though some Tammany
Hall leaders simply provided free meals to impoverished constituents at club
meetings — and “intangible” ones, such as “the expression of neighborhood,
ethnic or tribal solidarity and for social action among old acquaintances.”
Wilson and the historian Caro both
noted this system was grossly corrupt, but also resulted in hyper-responsive
city services and a tight bond between communities and local government.
In his 1962 study The Amateur
Democrat, Wilson highlighted how Impellitteri’s successor, Robert Wagner, along
with countless candidates for state and city office, drew upon a new, rival
infrastructure of similarly hyper-local reform Democratic clubs that developed
as young professionals flooded Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. Wilson noted
these organizations offered only intangible incentives appealing to an educated
and transient political base: high-minded political discussions, a crusading
public spirit and regular social mixers that allowed new arrivals to make
friends and meet romantic partners.
Wilson noted that the incentives
and demographics might have been different, but both aimed at controlling local
offices through aggressive outreach and engagement at the neighborhood level.
As a result, voter engagement was extremely high: Roughly 2.2 million New
Yorkers cast ballots in the 1953 mayoral election, a now-unimaginable 93
percent of registered voters.
As Manhattan grew wealthier,
reform clubs came to dominate the borough, and the official Democratic machine
shriveled to a rump organization based in Harlem, though in the working-class
outer boroughs the bosses remained strong. The machines remained dominant, until mismanagement or
corruption provoked enough outrage to elect a Republican or a Democrat who had
broken with the party leadership. This era shaped Trump, known to admire the
late, baseball bat-wielding Brooklyn boss Meade Esposito.
However, the real club Esposito
swung was his organization, which could corral power across the three branches
of government, something recent presidents and mayors have struggled with.
But multiple developments in the
late 20th century and early 21st century shattered the political culture of New
York — and made Cuomo-level name recognition the strongest force in politics.
Democrats’ power broke down
somewhat in the two decades the party spent outside Gracie Mansion. After the trauma of 9/11,
Giuliani became the first Republican mayor in city history to successfully hand
over his office to his preferred successor: billionaire Michael Bloomberg,
whose willingness to spend virtually unlimited funds to win re-election reduced
the Democratic nomination to a booby prize for two cycles. This disrupted
the cycle that was established over the past several decades of machine scandal
followed by reform backlash.
But these two administrations did
not entirely break the old machines. Bloomberg still needed the old political
chieftains for the votes they controlled in the city council and state
legislature. They also could save him money by preventing a talented challenger
from emerging, and so he often propped them up with city contracts and even
donations from his own vast fortune.
Still, Giuliani and Bloomberg’s
administrations weakened the power centers of New York politics and the lively
political culture that the old order had created.
Professor John Mollenkopf, of the
City University of New York’s Center for Urban Research, proposed another cause
for the breakdown of the old political order: the city’s pioneering matching
funds system, through which the Campaign Finance Board awards taxpayer cash to
multiply the amount of every small donation a candidate receives.
The city inaugurated the program
after Giuliani-led investigations imploded the administration of Mayor Ed Koch,
who was entangled in a vast corruption scheme involving outer borough
Democratic bosses in the 1980s. Matching funds aimed to break the cycle of
scandal and backlash, and shift influence from big players to small donors.
What it did, Mollenkopf suggested, was break an entire model of politics as
collective civic endeavor, and warp the economics of elections by pumping
gargantuan sums of public cash — from $4.5 million in 1989 to $126.9 million in
2021 — into the process.
Mollenkopf stressed that he
believes matching funds have had a net positive effect. But by funneling money
to individual campaigns and away from organizations, whether reform- or
machine-oriented, it recentered the city’s political life around specific
politicians instead of the social networks behind them. Electing people to
office became less the ongoing mission of groups that consistently raised money
and turned out voters, and more one-off ventures by individual candidates who
could access public dollars.
So the clubs withered. By 1996,
the New York Times reported the number of Democratic clubs citywide had
declined from a pre-World War II high of more than 1,000 to just 150. Official
figures are hard to come by today, but based on public listings and discussions
with party insiders, there appear to be only around 75 currently, and only a
handful wield any influence.
The collapse of club
infrastructure coincided with plummeting participation in local elections. The
percentage of registered voters in New York who cast ballots declined from 93
percent in 1953 to 57 percent in 1993, and to just 24 percent in 2013. Only
1,149,172 New Yorkers voted in the 2021 election out of 5,586,318 on the rolls,
barely above one in five. That means despite more than twice as many people
being registered as in 1953, only a little more than half as many cast a
ballot.
Further, the huge infusions of
taxpayer dollars super-charged the political consulting industry, which grew
ever-more technical and sophisticated in their methods of pinpointing,
persuading and motivating the people most likely to vote — or at least in
advertising their supposed ability to do so. The old-fashioned volunteer-driven
door-knocking, phone-banking and local rallies the political clubs specialized
in seemed decreasingly relevant. Mass participation gave way to
micro-targeting, and the system of incentives around club life collapsed. In
consequence, New York politics lost their unique character, and began to mirror
the national scene.
“The rise of the campaign
consultant class has kind of replaced the political organization,” Mollenkopf
argued. “There’s an increasing amount of money in politics, and it’s become
increasingly technocratic.”
Mollenkopf argued the machines
actually grew comfortable with waning popular engagement, which had chastened
them at times in the past. Rather than work to broadly mobilize voters, he
said, today they deliberately depress participation: working to kick rivals off
the ballot in legislative races and to keep the total number of voters down, so
that the few New Yorkers still under their sway wield outsized power.
“They’re very comfortable with low
turnout. There are people who care, whose paycheck depends on political access
and political support, and they’ll turn out to vote,” Mollenkopf said.
And while machines once could
arrange multiethnic alliances, the last fragments of civic infrastructure
capable of activating low-income, low-education voters are ethno-religious:
namely, the numerous Black churches and assorted ultra-Orthodox Jewish sects.
These too have largely aligned with Cuomo, but like all other local
institutions, they’ve suffered recent erosion. Many African-American
congregations have lost members to Southern migration, while religious Jewish
voters have drifted toward the Republican Party.
The atrophied state of local
Democratic Party organizations made them exceptionally vulnerable to a
superstar like Cuomo, whose name alone exerts incredible gravitational pull.
The reason so many party leaders fell in line behind Cuomo is that none of them
could have stopped him, argued Tyrone Stevens, a former Cuomo aide.
“The issue for these political
leaders and these unions is no one person has the political organization by
themselves in place where they can just hop on to it and ride to victory,”
asserted Stevens. “It would be a risk for all these political leaders to say,
‘We’re going to try to stop Cuomo,’ if he ultimately wins.”
Cuomo, Stevens noted, would be in a
position to award — or deny — jobs at City Hall to the favored aides of his
supporters, and to grant or refuse requested favors. These are the meager
spoils today’s depleted machines contend for.
Compounding all these dilemmas is
the emergence of social media, which has altered the information environment
most New Yorkers exist in.
“Ten years ago, you could ride the
New York City subway and see people reading the newspaper,” Mollenkopf
observed. “Now, everybody is looking at their phone.”
Members of the Democratic
Socialists of America wave flags outside a building.
Members of the Democratic
Socialists of America protest in New York City in 2019. The NYC DSA is the best
example of a newer political organization that resembles the reform clubs of
old. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images
The phones have enabled the rise
of a new kind of superstar, seen this year in Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.
Following the model fellow
democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez created when she ousted
Queens Democratic Party boss Joe Crowley in 2018, Mamdani has used his good
looks, natural charisma and striking slogans to become a sensation in the
fleeting visual world of social media. The two are, in short, influencers: the
superstars of the ever-more fragmented future.
Like Ocasio-Cortez, Mamdani has
energized the city’s hyper-online under-40 vote and earned considerable
traditional media attention. But such an approach has limited utility outside
their overlapping Queens turf and a few inner-ring precincts of Brooklyn. And
even the weakened party organizations behind Cuomo remain stronger citywide
than the one supporting the assemblyman: the New York City chapter of the DSA.
The NYC DSA is the best example of
a newer political organization that resembles the reform clubs of old. But it
has exhibited structural problems that inhibit its ability to function as a
civic force.
Successful democratic socialist
parties internationally have mostly been direct outgrowths of labor
organizations. But the NYC DSA, which only became an electoral force after
2016, has no comparable base for mass mobilization, and so its membership
hovers around 10,000 — as Stevens and Mollenkopf noted, overwhelmingly white
and ultra-educated. Its engagement shrank during the Biden years and reinflated
with Trump’s return and Mamdani’s rise, indicating its strength is a product of
superstar politics, not an antidote.
Zohran Mamdani celebrates
signatures collected at a subway station for his petition to appear on the
mayoral primary ballot in Queens, New York, on Feb. 28, 2025. Mamdani’s online
dominance has let him position himself as the only alternative to Cuomo. |
Angelina Katsanis for POLITICO
Further, it has positioned itself
as openly antagonistic toward the sort of older Democratic voters, often Black or
Jewish, whom Mamdani desperately needs to peel away from Cuomo.
“People interpret some of the
DSA’s message as a rejection of the work that’s been done by those who’ve been
in the party, who’ve gone to community meetings, who have been poll workers,
who have been volunteers, who have been doing this for years,” said Stevens.
“You can win state senate seats, you can win congressional seats, you can win
assembly seats, you can win city council seats. But I don’t think DSA has the
ability to propel a citywide candidate yet to victory.”
But Mamdani’s online dominance has
starved his rivals of the all-important spotlight, letting him successfully
position himself as the only alternative to Cuomo.
So on Tuesday, New York will
witness two superstars colliding — a cataclysm that may finally annihilate the
old civic system and create a model that elections, in New York and nationwide,
could follow for decades to come.
Will Bredderman is a veteran
political journalist, having begun his career at the Bay Ridge Courier and most
recently served on the staff of the Daily Beast. His writing has appeared
everywhere from New York magazine to the New York Post, and his investigative
reporting has earned awards from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and
Writing and the New Jersey Society of Professional Journalists.
A18X32 FROM GUK
With Andrew Cuomo, Democrats are doing a disastrous imitation of Trump
The former governor, now a New
York City mayoral candidate, marks the party’s drift into boorishness and
cruelty
Tue 24 Jun 2025 06.00 EDT
As the far right has gained ascendancy, and the 2024 election is
historicized as a blowout victory for Donald Trump rather than the relatively
close contest that it actually was, members of the Democratic establishment and
party leadership seem to be settling on the lesson that they will take into the
second decade of the Trump era: if you can’t beat him, imitate him.
It’s long been the
impulse of the party to move right, chasing Republican victories by replicating
Republican policy positions, and since their loss last November many Democrats
have followed in this decades-old tradition, shifting their rhetoric still
further rightward on border policy, crypto, foreign policy, trans rights and DEI. They respond to
polling and to a vague sense of the cultural zeitgeist, aiming less to persuade
than to imitate. Often, Democrats seem as if they are not offering a different
policy vision for the country so much as they are offering a different
stylistic one: the same austerity, cultural revanchism and inequality but in a
more polite package.
Now the packaging,
too, is changing. Having ceded much cultural and policy ground to Trump, and
having thoroughly fled from their previous rhetoric endorsing social justice
struggles for gender and racial equality, the party now seems to be looking to
elevate not just its most conservative members, but also its most vulgar, cruel
and combative ones, leaning into a masculinism that mimics the corruption,
boorishness and irreverent disdain for the public of Trump himself. The
Atlantic called it “Searching for the
Democratic Bully”. We might also think of it as the abandonment of decency.
That is one way to
characterize the Democratic leadership’s near-lockstep support of Andrew Cuomo,
the former governor of New York state whom many polls favor to win the
Democratic nomination for the New York City mayoral race on Tuesday. Cuomo has
racked up endorsements from a generation of centrist Democratic heavyweights:
from the former president Bill Clinton, to the South
Carolina representative Jim Clyburn, to the
aggressively pro-Israel New York congressman Richie Torres, to the New York
Times, which had pledged not to endorse
in local races less than a year ago – only to publish an op-ed praising Cuomo
and casting aspersions on his major challenger for the mayoral nomination, the
charismatic millennial state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.
Cuomo, in many ways, is a Democratic Trump: he is loud,
vulgar, ill-informed, resentful, vengeful, contemptuous of his constituents,
and accused of being abusive toward women. He is apparently indifferent to
corruption and willing to tell lies; he is reportedly obsessed, as Trump is,
with getting revenge on his perceived enemies. He is ageing, rich, out of touch
and hated by the left, having left the governor’s mansion with a long record of
stymieing progressive agenda items in one of the nation’s largest blue states.
This is evidently just the kind of candidate the Democratic leadership is
looking for.
It’s not as though
Cuomo has not been tested. He resigned from the governor’s office in disgrace
in 2021, just four years ago, following a slew of sexual misconduct allegations
that were declared credible in a thorough report from the New York attorney
general, Letitia James. (Cuomo has denied wrongdoing, though he extended
apologies to some of the women at the time.) Cuomo has spent the past four
years attempting to punish the women who came
forward against him, suing one – a then-25-year-old assistant – for defamation
and demanding her gynecological records in court, and
dragging the others through vexatious and punitive legal proceedings for which
New York taxpayers have been footing the bill, to the tune of
tens of millions. He has been publicly swiping at James, too,
for having the gall to do her duty and investigate the claims against him.
His petulant and
childish behavior since resigning largely matches the way he behaved as
governor, when Cuomo was known for his acute personal hostility to other
lawmakers, prominently those in his own party. When a state anti-corruption
commission started sniffing around deals made by Cuomo and his
allies, Cuomo had the commission shut down. After Cuomo bungled his handling of
the pandemic, making a mistake that may have cost thousands of seniors their lives,
Cuomo could have accepted responsibility and apologized to the New Yorkers
whose loved ones died. Instead, he and his aides tried to cover up the deaths,
and when a state assemblymember, Ron Kim, spoke out against them, Cuomo called
him repeatedly and threatened to “destroy” him, according to Kim.
To me, this reads as
insecurity, egotism, the kind of pettiness and self-seeking that makes someone
morally unfit for leadership. But for the Democratic party, feeling demoralized
and emasculated, this kind of bullying and flagrant disregard for principle
have come to seem like virtues. In endorsing him for New York City mayor,
Torres called Cuomo a “tough guy”, and not a “nice guy”, which he meant as a
compliment. This is more or less the establishment’s consensus: rather than
oppose Trumpism’s masculinist domination politics and unaccountable cult of
personality, the idea now, in the party’s embrace of Cuomo, seems to be to
mimic them; not to oppose corruption and dictatorial politics per se, but to
offer a Democratic version of them.
This is a moral
failure, as well as a failure of imagination. Just four years ago, the
Democrats offered a real contrast to Trump, the abuser in chief, by calling for
Cuomo’s resignation, and signaling that the abuse of women would not be
tolerated within their ranks. The about-face by those who called for Cuomo’s
resignation then but are unwilling to declare him unfit for office now – including
the state senator Jessica Ramos, the US senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Torres and the Times – is a sign of
the establishment’s cowardice. If they are willing, even conspicuously eager,
to abandon their stated principles when they think that those principles have
become politically inconvenient, why should New Yorkers trust them to behave
with integrity and trustworthiness the rest of the time?
In addition to
dishonorable, it is not clear that the Democrats’ embrace of masculine bullies will even be
politically wise. After all, why would those voters who long for a strongman
chase after a pale Democratic imitation of Trump, when Republicans are offering
them the real thing? Isn’t it more pragmatic – as well as more dignified – to
present voters with something different, and maybe even more decent and
hopeful, than the mixture of domination and resentment on offer from the right?
But perhaps what is
most telling about the Democratic party’s embrace of Cuomo is not just their
disregard for principle or policy, but their willingness to squander other
talent. The mayoral race in New York City is crowded, but Cuomo’s two nearest
contenders – Mamdani and
Brad Lander, the city comptroller – have run remarkable campaigns. Lander has
touted a considerable record of accomplishments for the city, underscoring his
ability to deliver on promises to New Yorkers and his willingness to persist
against formidable interests in long fights for things like bike lanes and
affordable housing. Mamdani, meanwhile, has an infectious charisma, and has
launched a campaign that has excited young voters, energized a small army of
volunteers, and deployed innovative messaging tactics, achieving impressive
numbers with relatively little money. You would think that the Democratic party
would be more eager to make use of these men’s talents – the policy
achievements of one, the preternatural campaign skills of the other.
Instead, mainstream Democrats seem fearful, and almost hostile, towards these
candidates. Then again, that’s much the way they feel about their voting base
itself.
·
Moira
Donegan is a Guardian US columnist
Mamdani
X31 Politico
X54 Late nighter
NY Post
A19X41 FROM NEW YORK POST
NYC mayoral wannabe Zohran Mamdani keeps struggling to defend
‘globalize the intifada’ rallying cry — as even cross-endorser Lander piles on
By Mikella Schuettler, Hannah Fierick and Matt Troutman
Published June 19, 2025, 3:59 p.m. ET
Mayoral
contender Zohran Mamdani on Thursday continued to stumble defending
the “globalize the intifada” rallying cry –
as even fellow Democratic candidate Brad Lander, who cross-endorsed him, joined
a pileup of criticism.
The usually smooth-talking Mamdani
devolved into word salad as he maintained the phrase is not an incitement to
violence against Jews.
“These
words have different meanings for many different people, and my point is rather
to say that each and every New Yorker deserves that safety and that my focus is
going to be on making this an affordable city,” Mamdani said at a news
conference.
“I’ve
been clear that any incitement of violence is something that I’m in opposition
to.”
Zohran Mamdani keeps
struggling to defend his refusal to denounce the rallying cry, “Globalize the
infitada.”
00:0004:09
The
Democratic socialist’s awkward response came after he not only refused to
denounce the anti-Israel cry but argued he viewed it as a call to stand up for
Palestinian human rights.
Andrew
Cuomo racks up Democratic power player Rep. Jim Clyburn’s endorsement in NYC
mayoral race
He
also tried to downplay the term by noting the US Holocaust Memorial Museum used
the Arabic word “intifada” to describe the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising by
Polish Jews against the Nazis.
The
museum slapped down Mamdani’s argument — as did his critics, who view the
Queens state assemblyman as, at best, being blind to antisemitism.
Thursday’s
backlash included Lander, the lefty city comptroller who last week vowed to
rank Mamdani second on his ranked-choice city ballot — a pledge his friendly
rival returned.
The
pair’s cross-endorsement could carry weight in the ranked-choice voting
primary, where voters pick up to five candidates in order of preference.
Even
if a voter’s first choice is eliminated in successive rounds of ranked-choice
calculations, their other picks – from second on down – could still be in the
mix and emerge as the eventual overall winner with more than 50% of the vote.
Mayoral contender Brad Lander criticized Mamdani’s
remarks but still ranked him second in the primary.
Lander told the “Pod Save America”
podcast Tuesday that the phrase “globalize the intifada” carries violent
associations for Jews such as himself, especially after the recent assassination of two Israeli Embassy
staffers and
a Molotov cocktail-hurling wacko’s
attack in
Colorado.
“Maybe you don’t mean to say it’s open
season on Jews everywhere in the world, but that’s what I hear,” Lander said of
those who use the term.
“And
I’d like to hear that from other people as well,” he said of his comments,
implicitly knocking Mamdani.
But
Lander still insisted during the podcast that he doesn’t believe Mamdani is antisemitic — and noted his
own problems with Israel’s war in Gaza and treatment of Palestinians.
He
repeated his measured criticism Thursday of Mamdani’s defense of “globalize the
intifada” and overall support of his rival’s character as he voted early in the
primary.
“I
believe that Zohran Mamdani is a person of decency and integrity, and I am
therefore encouraging people to rank him number two,” Lander said.
“We
do not agree on everything about Israel and Palestine, but I do believe that he
will protect Jewish New Yorkers and our rights, and I was proud to rank him
myself.”
Mamdani has said he
rejects any incitement to violence.
Former
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has seen his polling lead in the mayoral primary chipped
away by Mamdani, didn’t miss the chance to lambast his
opponent after a brief speech at a Bronx Juneteenth celebration.
Cuomo
twice mispronounced Mamdani’s name — as he
did during a recent debate, drawing an emphatic correction from his
rival — while he accused him of “inciting violence against the Jewish community
worldwide.
“He
is divisive across the board,” Cuomo said.
Lander,
during his podcast interview, argued it was Cuomo — not Mamdani — who failed to
try to unite New Yorkers during that debate.
“I do not agree with him on Israel and
Palestine on every issue, and that’s appropriate,” Lander said of Mamdani,
before adding, “Cuomo did not try one iota to speak to Muslim New Yorkers or
signal that he will bring people together.”
Mamdani
would be the first Muslim mayor of New York City, if elected.
NY Times
A20X42 FROM NEW YORK TIMES
Money Talks as Mamdani Walks
Zohran Mamdani, who is second to Andrew M. Cuomo in the polls,
was rebuffed in his bid to raise his spending cap. It did not stop his
seven-hour trek down Manhattan.
By Jeffery C. Mays Published June 20, 2025 Updated June 21, 2025, 2:04
p.m. ET
If New York’s Democratic primary for mayor was to be decided by
whoever had the most money and energy, Zohran Mamdani would be at a cash
disadvantage but with a surplus on vigor.
He began Friday by asking the city’s Campaign Finance Board to
give him a waiver to exceed the almost $8 million spending cap for the primary
— hoping to come closer to leveling the huge spending advantage of his chief
rival, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.
Fix the City, a super PAC supporting Mr. Cuomo, has raised more
than $24 million, with much of it fueling an expensive attack ad campaign
against Mr. Mamdani, a Queens assemblyman and democratic socialist.
He later campaigned with Brad Lander, the city comptroller, in
Prospect Park in Brooklyn, after riding there on electric Citi Bikes from Mr.
Lander’s home in Park Slope. And then he ended the day with a planned
seven-hour walk from the north tip of Manhattan in Inwood Hill Park to its
southern tip at Battery Park, inviting his followers to join him “Forrest Gump”
style.
His battle for more money, however, was destined for less
traction.
The Campaign Finance Board quickly said increasing the spending
cap per Mr. Mamdani’s request would be against the rules. Tim Hunter, a
spokesman for the agency, said the only time the cap can be increased is when a
candidate who is not participating in the matching funds program raises more
money than those who are participating in the program.
That happened in the 2021 mayoral primary when Ray McGuire, one
of the longest-serving Black executives on Wall Street, blew through the
spending cap. It was then raised from $7.3 million to $10.3 million.
“We understand the challenge posed by independent spenders to
the goals of the matching funds program,” Mr. Hunter said, but the “law does
not apply to spending by participating campaigns or independent spenders.”
Fix the City’s spending prowess is unprecedented in city
elections. The most money spent by a single super PAC in the 2021 mayoral race
was about $6.5 million by New Start NYC, which supported the unsuccessful
campaign of the former Housing and Urban Development secretary Shaun Donovan.
Editors’
Picks
The total amount that super PACs spent on the mayoral campaign
was about $32 million, according to Campaign Finance Board records.
Fix the City, which was founded by close allies of Mr. Cuomo,
has already spent $16 million.
Leading the donations to Fix the City is former Mayor Michael R.
Bloomberg, the billionaire who has endorsed Mr. Cuomo and given more than $8
million to the group.
“He is terrified right now, which is why you’re seeing
billionaires have to give another donation after they’ve already given one to
his super PAC,” Mr. Mamdani said of Mr. Cuomo. “Because they’re calling him
back up and they’re saying, ‘This isn’t the race that we wanted.’”
One super PAC has already spent about $16 million to support
Andrew M. Cuomo in the mayor’s race.
Liz Benjamin, a spokeswoman for Fix the City, said Mr. Mamdani’s
letter to the Campaign Finance Board asking for the spending cap to be raised
“reads like campaign performance art.”
A21X43 FROM the NEW YORK TIMES
The left has not been able to match the outside expenditures of
groups like Fix the City.
Leaders We Deserve, a group headed by David Hogg, the former
vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, gave $300,000 to a Working
Families Party super PAC supporting Mr. Mamdani and a slate of anti-Cuomo
candidates this month, making the group the largest contributor to a
Mamdani-affiliated super PAC.
“The side of the working class never has the resources of the
side of billionaires and mega-corporations,” said Joe Dinkin, deputy national
director of the Working Families Party.
Two PACs, New Yorkers for Lower Costs and the Working Families
Party’s national PAC, expect to reach $2 million in spending on the race, he
said.
“We’ve reminded voters of Cuomo’s record of siding with the
powerful few and introduced people to Zohran,” Mr. Dinkin said.
The Campaign Finance Board said on Friday that it would give out
just over $5 million in new public matching funds to eight Democratic
candidates for mayor, including Michael Blake, a former assemblyman from the
Bronx, who received his first public money payment of just over $2 million.
Mr. Blake said he was preparing to use the money to pay for new
advertisements before the close of voting at 9 p.m. Tuesday. He has polled at
or near the bottom of the field but had a breakout performance at the first
mayoral debate; his lack of funds and low standing in the polls disqualified
him from participating in the second.
“We now have an opportunity to get my message out to people,” Mr. Blake said in an interview. His goal, he
said, was to focus on Black and Latino voters and give them an alternative to
Mr. Cuomo.
“Cuomo has pretty much every large union except for one or two.
Zohran has a massive army from the democratic socialists. You have to be able
to counter that with an operation,” Mr. Blake said. “What happened today now
gives us a chance to do that.”
Reporting was contributed by Tim Balk, Nicholas
Fandos and Emma G. Fitzsimmons.
Jeffery C. Mays is a Times reporter covering politics with a focus on New
York City Hall.
See more on: Andrew Cuomo, Michael Blake, Brad Lander
A22X44 from GUK
‘New Yorkers have been betrayed’: can Zohran Mamdani become the most
progressive mayor in the city’s history?
Six months ago, the 33-year-old was
an unknown outsider polling in single digits. Now he is in striking distance of
becoming New York’s youngest, most leftwing mayor in a century
By
Ed Pilkington Sat
21 Jun 2025 07.00 EDT
Zohran Kwame Mamdani is huddling with advisers surrounded
by agitated protesters, New York police department (NYPD) officers and lines of
metal barriers penning us in. An hour ago Brad Lander, the elected comptroller
of New York who is running against Mamdani in the race to become the city’s
next mayor, was arrested by masked
agents of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) as he accompanied an
individual out of immigration court. Video shows the agents shoving Lander
against a wall, handcuffing him, and scuffling him
away.
The incident has
clearly rattled Mamdani. He looks tense, and when greeted by supporters his
trademark beaming smile is replaced by a tight grin.
Days earlier Mamdani
cross-endorsed with fellow progressive Lander ahead of Tuesday’s Democratic
primary, which makes this personal. “This is horrifying,” he says.
Behind us looms the
brutalist tower of the Federal Building, its tombstone-grey granite and glass
exterior wrapped in fine mist. It is a setting out of a dystopian Gotham City.
“No peace, no
justice,” the protesters chant. “Ice out of the court, Ice out of the city.”
“This is an authoritarian regime that has
dispatched masked men in unmarked cars to detain and disappear as many
immigrants as they can find, and anyone standing in their way,” Mamdani says.
“Ice agents attempted to rough up Comptroller Lander and make an example of him
– if that’s what they are willing to do to an elected official, what will they
do to an unknown immigrant?”
There is a potent
family link too. “That’s the very court I took my father to a few months ago
for his citizenship interview,” he explains.
“I hugged him
tightly, not knowing if I would see him at the end or if he too would be
detained, as so many immigrants have been. I waited in a coffee shop for four
and a half hours hoping he would come downstairs, and he did.”
It is not
impossible, given the state of the race, that in three days’ time Mamdani,
until recently a virtual unknown, will prevail in the primary ballot and take a
giant leap towards becoming the next occupant of Gracie Mansion. Should he go
on to win the general election in November, he would be propelled onto the
front lines of the battle to protect New Yorkers from Donald Trump’s mass
deportations and other legally-dubious incursions.
Could he handle it?
“I do believe that I
could. I will unabashedly stand up for our sanctuary city policies which have
kept New Yorkers safe, and use every tool at the city’s disposal to protect our
immigrants.”
And then he adds:
“There is no option of surrender.”
That Mamdani should be a serious contender for the
leadership of America’s largest city is both a sign of the times and of his
individual capabilities. Polls show him
within striking distance of the frontrunner
Andrew Cuomo in what is now essentially a two-horse race, with Lander trailing a distant third.
Mamdani came to the US
aged seven from Uganda where he was born to parents of Indian descent. His
father is a political scientist Mahmood Mamdani, and his mother, Mira Nair, is
the Oscar-nominated director of Salaam Bombay! and Monsoon Wedding.
He is a democratic
socialist endorsed by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He has been
outspoken on the Gaza war,
which he views as a genocide, and is unrestrained in his criticism of
Trump, whom he calls an authoritarian. He denounced Lander’s arrest as
“fascism”.
He is equally
scathing about the establishment of the Democratic party, which he tells me has
“betrayed” the people of New York. And yet here he is, an unashamed progressive
Muslim immigrant, snapping at the heels of the ultimate Democratic machine
politician, the thrice-elected former governor of New York, Cuomo.
The outcome of the
ranked-choice vote could illuminate so much more than the future of New York,
important though that is.
There’s age.
Mamdani, if elected, would become at 33 the youngest mayor in a century; Cuomo,
67, would be its oldest in a first term. Could this election deliver a blow to
what Ocasio-Cortez has called the “gerontocracy” of American politics?
There’s Trump.
Lander’s arrest could be just the start – only a day before the comptroller was
apprehended, the president announced he was
prioritizing deportations from New York and other Democratic-run cities,
putting whoever wins the mayoral race in the line of fire.
And there’s the
Democratic party itself. Mamdani calls the election a referendum on the future of the party –
and given the parlous state in which it currently finds itself, trapped in the
headlights of a president who appears hell-bent on destroying American
democracy as we know it, he may not be wrong.
This is gearing up
to be a seismic clash at a turning point for the country. No wonder Mamdani
looks tense.
Mamdani on Lander’s arrest: ‘If that’s what they are willing
to do to an elected official, what will they do to an unknown immigrant?’
Our interview was not meant to be like this. The
plan was for us to meet in Mamdani’s campaign office near Madison Square Park,
but the shock of the Lander arrest sends him scrambling down to Federal Plaza,
the Guardian in hot pursuit.
It’s a bit like a
game of cat and mouse. We follow the candidate as he moves away from Federal
Building, and takes off with his posse of campaign managers to find a quiet
place to talk. He says we’ll regroup at a sandwich bar nearby then abruptly
changes the location, but amid the confusion he’s always impeccably polite.
“Thank you for your understanding,” he says to me.
We finally get to
sit down in a Le Pain Quotidien around the corner from where Lander is being
detained. Mamdani asks if I mind that he eats while we talk – it’s
mid-afternoon by now and it’s his first meal of the day. When I express
sympathy, he gives a maudlin smile and says: “I chose this.”
We begin by discussing his explosive rise, from a barely known member of the state assembly representing
Queens into a political phenomenon. The previous Saturday, at a rally at
Terminal 5, a music venue in Hell’s Kitchen, Mamdani was introduced by
Ocasio-Cortez, who likened how he has burst onto the scene to her own unlikely
eruption as Bronx bartender turned congresswoman in 2018.
Did Mamdani expect
to be where he is now when he launched his run last October?
From the start he
believed in the possibility of his campaign, he says, but did not expect his
numbers to surge until the end. “Instead we’ve been firmly in second place for the last few
months, and we’ve narrowed a 40-point gap with Cuomo down to single digits
despite Republican billionaires spending close to $20m in attack ads against
me.”
That Mamdani has
caught the imagination of young New Yorkers is self-evident at the Saturday
night rally. The venue is packed with over 3,000 supporters, most in their 20s
and 30s, waving placards saying “A City We Can Afford”.
Comedian the Kid
Mero hosts, a marching band performs Empire State of Mind, and the DJ plays
hope and change-themed tracks (the rally closes with Bob Dylan’s The Times They
Are A-Changin’). It all has the razzmatazz of a premature victory party.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and
Zohran Mamdani hold a rally at Terminal 5 in Manhattan, on 14 June.
Mamdani commands the stage, displaying an ease
with TikTokable soundbites and a beguiling charisma which are essential
qualifications for high office these days. He echoes the lyrical rhetoric of
Barack Obama: when he wins on 24 June, he orates, “it will feel like the dawn
of a new day, and when the sun finally climbs above the horizon that light will
seem brighter than ever”.
A key to his success
among young voters
– and in turn, the amassing of a vast army of 46,000 volunteers who have
knocked on more than a million doors – has been his savvy use of social media.
He has posted a stream of viral videos, shot on gritty New
York streets, infused with the humor and pace that he first honed during his
younger years when he was an aspiring rapper going by the name of Mr Cardamom.
To publicise his plan to freeze the rents of all
rent-stabilised apartments, Mamdani posted a TikTok video in which he dives fully clothed into the frigid
waters off Coney Island. It was titled: “I’m freezing … your rent.”
If I tell you that
I’m going to freeze your rent, you know exactly what I mean
Zohran Mamdani
When Cuomo entered
the mayoral race, Mamdani filmed in front of Trump Tower to visually connect
the two men as bullies accused of sexual misconduct – Trump was found liable for sexual abuse, Cuomo was
forced to resign as governor in 2021 following reports that he sexually
harassed female staff, which he denies.
Such grabby stuff
has spawned a whole cluster of fan-based Instagram groups. Among them: Hot Girls for Zohran and, not to be
outdone, Hot Boys for Zohran.
Fun this may be. But
it’s also serious politics. It’s earned him the adoration of countless young voters at a time when
social media is increasingly critical to winning elections – just ask Trump
who, with his 106 million X followers and his Truth Social platform, literally
owns political social media, leaving most Democratic leaders languishing in the
wilderness.
“New Yorkers of all
ages are engaging with the world around them through their phones,” Mamdani
says. “One reason we’ve been able to get so many to engage with us is that
they’ve heard about our politics in places they typically would not.”
He calls his social
media strategy the “politics of no translation”. What is that?
“It’s when you speak
directly to the crises that people are facing, with no intermediaries in
between. We need a politics that is direct, that speaks to people’s own lives.
If I tell you that I’m going to freeze your rent, you know exactly what I
mean.”
Mamdani: ‘We need a politics
that is direct, that speaks to people’s own lives.’
Mamdani puts his spectacular popularity with
young New Yorkers down to a hunger
for a “new kind of politics, one that puts working people at the heart of it
and showcases a new generation of leadership”. There’s maybe something
else also at play: he has a magnetism
that just seems to draw people towards him.
The young waiter who
takes his order of grilled chicken salad appears starstruck, and after we finish talking the waiter
comes back to the table and engages Mamdani in intense conversation. The candidate obliges,
despite his frantic schedule that will see him dashing between boroughs late
into the night.
I get flashes of
that magnetism as we sit at our table. Like any politician, Mamdani has his
talking points, but he drops his guard when I ask him what he remembers about
arriving in New York as a kid. He leans towards me, and his face opens, and he
seems transported.
“I remember going to
Tower Records around 66th Street or so, and browsing all the different CDS,
then stepping outside and buying my first bootleg copy of Eiffel 65, the euro
pop group with the song Blue (Da Ba Dee). I remember playing soccer in
Riverside Park, I remember falling in love with chess.”
Reverie over,
Mamdani the mayoral candidate is back, shoveling down food in between espousing
political strategy. And this is when we get down to it, and the real challenge
he faces. Because his appeal to young New Yorkers is not enough to win.
To defeat Cuomo on
Tuesday he has to reach beyond young voters. He has to get to the older African Americans and
Hispanics in the outer boroughs who dependably turn out to vote, and thus often
decide the outcome of New York Democratic primaries.
Polls suggest that such voters are still favouring
Cuomo as a safe pair of hands, though there has been a recent uptick among older
Latinos. Mamdani is candid about how hard this has been.
“It was very
difficult for us to get into these spaces to make our case,” he admits.
“Especially as we began with 1% name recognition. But things are shifting, now
we’re finding that we are double-booked for churches on a Sunday morning.”
Paradoxically, the outer borough communities
that he has to convert are home to the very same voters with whom Trump made
astonishing inroads last November. It’s the guilty secret of New York,
which is so proud of its status as a liberal bastion: Trump enjoyed his biggest swing of any state
in the country here – about 11.5% – and increased his vote by double digits in
both the Bronx and Queens.
“It wasn’t just the
scale of the swing,” Mamdani says. “It was that it took place far from the
caricature of Trump voters, and into the heart of immigrant New York.”
After Trump’s victory,
Mamdani had to turn the political impulse of lecturing into listening and went
on a listening tour to the outer boroughs. “I went to Fordham Road in the Bronx
and Hillside Avenue in Queens, and asked these New Yorkers, most of whom are
Democrats, who they voted for and why. I learned that many did not vote, and
many voted for Trump, and they did so because they remembered having more money in their pocket four
years ago.” Covid?
The plea he heard
over and over again was for an economic agenda that would make people’s tough
lives easier. “And that is how we have run this race,” he says.
That’s where his
affordability ticket kicks in. Rents will be frozen in rent-stabilised apartments that house 2
million New Yorkers, two-thirds of whom are
people of colour. Childcare
will be provided at no cost, the minimum wage will be raised, city-run
groceries will be opened offering cheaper healthy food, buses will be made fast
and free.
To pay for all
that, taxes will be raised for corporations and for the top 1%
of earners with incomes above $1m. When I ask him to imagine how he
imagines New York would look after he had been in Gracie Mansion for two terms,
he replies: “It is a city that is more affordable, that works better, and where
we have restored public excellence into public service.”
New Yorkers have
been betrayed by the politics of our city
Zohran Mamdani
Mamdani’s
affordability manifesto is a conscious blueprint for reconnecting working-class
Americans, of all races, back to the Democratic party in the fight against
Trump. It’s also a damning indictment of where he believes the Democratic
leadership has gone wrong.
He goes so far as to
use that word “betrayal”. “New Yorkers have been betrayed by the politics of
our city,” he says.
As evidence he
points to Trump’s deportations. We’re still sitting in Le Pain Quotidien,
Mamdani’s salad now half-eaten and his tie off, and we are both painfully,
though unspokenly, aware that Lander remains in custody as we speak (he was
released a few hours later without charge).
Up to 400,000 New
Yorkers are at risk of Trump’s deportations, he says, yet under the current Democratic
mayor, Eric Adams, whose corruption charges were dropped by Trump in what was
widely seen as a quid pro quo, the city has assisted fewer than 200 people
facing imminent removal.
Mamdani pledges that
under his leadership, the city would provide legal representation for all
immigrants in detention proceedings. That would boost their chances of going
home to their families some elevenfold.
His critique of the
Democratic party doesn’t end there. For him, Cuomo is the epitome of where the established party has
gone off the rails. Hunter Cuomo!
“I believe we lost
the presidential election because we had left the working class behind a long
time ago. They were told time and time again that their leaders would fight for
them, and those leaders, like Andrew Cuomo, sold them out.”
He’s in his flow
now, his arms flapping in grand gestures of the sort that his staff have worked
hard to get him to tone down. There’s animation
in his portrayal of Cuomo, containing a hefty dose of venom, and even disgust.
“We are considering electing a former governor who
resigned in disgrace, one who cut Medicaid, stole hundreds of millions of
dollars from the MTA [which runs the subway], hounded the more than a dozen
women who credibly accused him of sexual harassment even suing them for their
gynecological records. It begs the question: what high ground do we have in the
Democratic party when we critique Donald Trump?”
Towards the end of
his Terminal 5 rally speech, Mamdani warned his supporters to expect a barrage of negative
attack ads from Cuomo and his billionaire backers in the closing stage
of the race.
But it’s not just
the barrage of TV ads that are attacking Zohran. The most withering criticism
has come from the New York Times editorial board, which went so far as to opine that
he didn’t deserve a spot on the ballot.
Mamdani swats that one away with the curt remark: “These are the opinions of
about a dozen New Yorkers. They’re entitled to them.”
The paper described
his proposals as unrealistic. That’s paradoxical, he says. Working-class
Americans are losing faith in the Democratic party, yet anyone who comes up
with policies that address their daily struggles is castigated for being pie in
the sky.
“If you want to
fight for working people priced out of their own city, then you are told you
are out of touch.”
The Anti-Defamation
League, the Holocaust Museum, and several Jewish
leaders have also blast out to scorch him in the final stretch. Shortly after
we meet, a podcast is posted by the Bulwark in which Mamdani was asked whether he
felt uncomfortable about the use by some pro-Palestinians of the phrase
“globalize the intifada”, which has been condemned by some Jews as a call to
violence.
He would not denounce the expression, saying it spoke to
“a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for
Palestinian human rights”. The comment led to rapid backlash from some Jewish
groups.
That was just the
latest in a pattern in which, stepping outside a campaign tightly focused on
affordability, he has been prepared to speak out about the highly contentious
issue of the Middle East.
What high ground do
we have in the Democratic party when we critique Donald Trump?
Zohran Mamdani
He has decried the
humanitarian disaster in Gaza, and championed the cause of Mahmoud Khalil, the
pro-Palestinian student activist at Columbia University who was released on
Friday after more than three months detention on the orders of a federal judge.
Given the nature of
his economically-focused campaign, wouldn’t it have been expedient to skirt
around the issue of Gaza? .
“I have always been
honest,” he says. “I am honest because I believe it is incumbent upon us to
have a new kind of politics, consistent with international law, and I believe
there are far more New Yorkers looking for that consistency than one would
imagine.”
Mamdani has clearly
been riled by the attacks
made on him, which he calls Islamophobic. “I have been smeared and
slandered in clear racist language,” he says, pointing to mailers from a Cuomo-supporting super PAC
which altered his face to be darker and his beard to be thicker (the super PAC denied any intentional manipulation).
In the days after
our interview, the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force announced they are
investigating threats made against Mamdani, by an unidentified man who said he
was a “terrorist” who is “not welcome in America”.
None of this is new
for him. He’s had to deal
with Islamophobia since 9/11, when he was nine and had been living in
the city for just two years. He was spared the worst of the anti-Muslim fallout
of the attacks, he says, partly thanks to a kind teacher who pulled him aside
and told him to let her know if he was ever bullied.
But 9/11 left its
mark. “Living in the shadows of that moment, it politicized my identity. It
forced a nine-year-old boy to see himself the way the world was seeing him.”
That young boy is
now three days away from a vote in which he seeks to become the first Muslim
mayor of New York City.
As he finishes up
his salad and downs a cup of hot water with honey and lemon, before rushing off
to his next engagement, he looks a strange mix of bone tired and fired-up for
the battle ahead.
Ramadan burrito,
cybercrime sharia?
A23X45 FROM X
Amy Mek
@AmyMek
WARNING NYC Zohran Mamdani Isn’t
Running a Campaign — He’s Leading an Islamic Political Insurgency
What we’re witnessing in New York
isn’t a mayoral race. It’s civilizational
jihad, and Zohran Mamdani is its smiling face.
At a Brooklyn press conference,
Mamdani didn’t just talk policy. He delivered a call to his ummah, his radical
global Islamic community, telling Muslims across NYC: We don’t just belong
here. We belong in City Hall.
This is about dominion...
A CAIR-endorsed radical backed by
international socialist movements and anti-Western networks.
A man who co-founded a radical
Islamic hate group (SJP) - the campus arm of Hamas.
A Marxist who openly vilifies
Hindus, Jews, defends pro-Hamas rallies, and wants to force halal Sharia-based food
practices, holidays, etc into NYC’s public schools.
A loud opponent of borders, ICE,
and the very idea of American sovereignty.
And yet… NYC is sleepwalking
toward disaster.
Make no mistake: Mamdani is not
here to serve America. He is here to reshape it. His campaign fuses Islamic supremacism, post-colonial
grievance, and revolutionary socialism into one calculated movement—funded,
organized, and global in scope, This is the Muslim Brotherhood
playbook. This is the Red-Green Alliance. This is the long game: Use
democratic systems to embed anti-democratic ideology, until the system cannot
fight back.
June 24 isn’t just a primary - it’s a front line.
New York must decide:
Will we defend America, or
surrender it to those who despise it?
Will we honor those murdered on 9/11 or hand power to those who chant
“Intifada” in our streets?
If you love this city, if you
value freedom, faith, and the rule of law - you must stop Zohran Mamdani.
NYC is NOT a caliphate. City Hall
is NOT a mosque.
A24X46 FROM REDDIT
‘New Yorkers have been betrayed’: can Zohran Mamdani become the most
progressive mayor in the city’s history?
PG
In a Timeline Like the current I imagine some nutjob (private
citizen or federal agent) is already on his way to “get rid“ of Mamdani…
A25X47 FROM ROLLING STONE
RICH PEOPLE, PUNDITS REALLY DO NOT
WANT ZOHRAN MAMDANI TO BE MAYOR
Allies of former NY Governor
Andrew Cuomo are breaking New York City spending limits trying to make him
mayor. Mamdani is still closing the gap
By NIKKI MCCANN RAMIREZ June 20, 2025
The Democratic primary to unseat
disgraced New York City Mayor Eric Adams is in full swing. With only a few days left to
cast ballots, the uber-wealthy and America’s pundit class are doing everything
they can to promote former New York governor and current mayoral candidate
Andrew Cuomo and to tank the prospects of his main opponent: Democratic
Socialist Zohran Mamdani.
While New York limits mayoral candidates to less than $8 million in
direct spending on their campaign, Cuomo turned to PACs and Super PACs to skirt
the financial limits. The former governor’s candidacy has seen over $24 million
in total spending, most of it from outside groups and his primary Super PAC,
called Fix the City. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been the
single largest backer of Cuomo’s candidacy, dumping over $8 million into Fix
the City.
The PAC has run TV ads nonstop
painting Mamdani as a “radical” who is too “risky” and “dangerous” for New
Yorkers. The ad which Fix
the City spent over $5.4 million on, repeatedly featured clips of Mamdani in a
kurta — a common South Asian garment — which his campaign said was an
intentional choice by the PAC given that Mamdani typically dons a suit and tie
while campaigning. A Fix the City mailer — which the PAC claimed was a rejected
proposal that never made it to circulation — went viral on social media earlier
this month, after the Mamdani campaign accused the PAC of Islamophobia for
darkening and thickening his beard.
Cuomo has also seen $2.3 million in support from a
group called Housing for All, which has been exclusively funded so far by the
New York Apartment Association, a lobbying group for landlords.
Alongside the string of attack ads
painting Mamdani as a radical, the final days of the campaign have also brought
with them a series of hysterical headlines from publications that should
absolutely know better. “New Yorkers might vote for a socialist mayor, but a
Muslim?” mused Kathleen Parker in The Washington Post’s opinion section,
determining that Mamdani, if he wins the election, “might have a bigger role to
play as the city’s first Muslim mayor than as an advocate for the
disenfranchised,” while congratulating New Yorkers for being marginally less
Islamophobic than they were in the post 9/11 afterburn.
The Atlantic’s Michael Powell
designated Mamdani’s proposals to tax wealthy corporations in the city in order
to fund cheaper groceries, universal childcare, and free municipal buses, a
form of socialist “magical
realism” that was “disconnected from actual government budgets and
organizational charts.” The same article lauds Cuomo for having provided
free in-state tuition for low-income New Yorkers, raising the minimum wage,
renovating the subway, and expanding pre-kindergarten to much of the state.
None of those items apparently qualify as socialist wishcasting.
The New York Post, the tabloid
poltergeist of the Murdoch news empire, advised readers to “Keep menace Zohran
Mamdani completely off your NYC ballot in the Democratic mayoral primary” in
likely the most aggressive
anti-endorsements of the race. The New York Times editorial board
similarly urged voters not to rank Mamdani, in a widely-panned opinion.
But while Cuomo allies and the
assorted opinion sections may not like what Mamdani has to offer, large swaths
of the people of New York certainly do. As of Wednesday, Mamdani has cut Cuomo’s lead in the
primary by half when compared to Marist polling done in May.
The poll did not account for the
final barrage of ads, cross endorsements between Mamdani and fellow candidate
Brad Lander to accommodate NYC’s ranked-choice voting system, or a debate in which Cuomo
was — in all but paper mache and sticks – a piñata for his fellow candidates.
“Mamdani is clearly in Cuomo’s rearview
mirror,” Lee Miringoff, who conducted the poll, told The New York Times, adding
that “objects in the mirror may be closer than they appear.”
Al Jazz 222
A26X48 from al Jazeera
Zohran
Mamdani’s mayoral bid is bigger than New York
Amid a global rightward shift, Mamdani’s progressive campaign
offers a rare blueprint for the left to win.
Associate Professor of International Development Studies at
Roskilde University
Published On 21 Jun 202521 Jun 2025
Sitting
in northern Europe, I shouldn’t care about the New York mayoral race.
Yet,
despite all that is happening in the world, the contentious Democratic primary
for the 2025 New York City mayoral election has found its way into
conversations around me – and onto my social media feed.
Recommended
Stories
Why Republicans are
elated by ‘triumph’ of Italy’s Giorgia Meloni
Three years on, January
6 Capitol riot reverberates in US courts, 2024 race
Canada’s PM Carney
plans for stronger defence, broader trade amid US rift
Canada’s Carney rejects
Trump’s ‘51st state’ talk in Oval Office
This
attention isn’t just another example of the New York-centric worldview famously
skewered in Saul Steinberg’s 1976 New Yorker cover, View of the World from 9th
Avenue. A genuine political struggle is under way, one that has the potential
to reverberate far beyond the Hudson River. At its centre is the increasingly
polarised contest between Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani.
The
name Cuomo may ring a bell. He resigned as New York’s governor in 2021
following multiple allegations of sexual harassment. While he expressed remorse at the time, his political
comeback has been marked by defiance – suing one of his accusers and the state
attorney general who found the accusations credible. He claims the scandal was
a “political hit job”.
Cuomo’s
record in office was far from unblemished. He diverted millions of dollars from
the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), jeopardising the financial
health of New York’s essential public transit system. He formed the Moreland Commission to root out
corruption but disbanded it abruptly when it began probing entities linked to
his own campaign. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his administration was accused
of undercounting nursing home deaths, allegedly to deflect criticism of
policies that returned COVID-positive patients to those facilities.
Given
that legacy, one might
imagine Cuomo’s chances of becoming mayor would be slim. Yet, he currently
leads in the polls.
Close
behind him is Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist and state assemblyman from
Queens. When he entered the race in March, Cuomo led by 40 points. A recent
poll now puts Mamdani within 8 points.
Born in Kampala and raised in New York,
Mamdani is the first Muslim candidate to run for mayor of the city. But his
significance extends beyond his identity. What distinguishes Mamdani is his
unapologetically progressive platform – and his refusal to dilute it in the
name of “electability”. His appeal rests on substance,
charisma, sharp messaging, and a mass volunteer-led canvassing operation.
At
the heart of Mamdani’s campaign is a vision of a city that works for working-class New Yorkers. He
proposes freezing rents for all rent-stabilised apartments, building 200,000
affordable homes, creating publicly-owned grocery stores “focused on keeping
prices low, not making profit”, and making buses free. He supports free
childcare for children under five, better wages for childcare workers, and
“baby baskets” containing essentials for new parents.
To
fund these initiatives, Mamdani
proposes increasing the corporate tax rate from 7.25 percent to 11.5 percent,
and imposing a 2 percent income tax on New York City residents earning more
than $1m annually.
He
also wants to raise the minimum wage, regulate gig economy giants like
DoorDash, and protect delivery workers. His plan to establish a Department of
Community Safety would shift resources away from traditional policing towards
mental health and violence prevention.
He
further promises to “Trump-proof” New York by enhancing the city’s sanctuary
status, removing ICE’s influence, expanding legal support for migrants, defending
LGBTQ+ rights and protecting reproductive healthcare access.
But
championing such bold
policies – as a brown, Muslim candidate – has made Mamdani a lightning rod for
hate. Recently, in a rare show of emotion, Mamdani teared up while
recounting threats he has received: “I get messages that say the only good
Muslim is a dead Muslim. I get threats on my life … on the people that I love.”
The
NYPD is investigating two voicemails from an unidentified caller, who labelled
Mamdani a “terrorist”, threatened to bomb his car, and ominously warned: “Watch
your f..king back every f..king second until you get the f..k out of America.”
Cuomo’s
campaign has also played into Islamophobic tropes. A mailer targeting Jewish
voters from a Cuomo-aligned super PAC doctored Mamdani’s photo – darkening and
lengthening his beard – and declared that he “rejects NYPD, rejects Israel,
rejects capitalism and rejects Jewish rights”.
Much
of this centres on Mamdani’s outspoken support for Palestinian rights. He has been criticised for
refusing to affirm Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and for defending
the slogan “globalise the intifada”, which he describes as “a desperate desire
for equality and equal rights”. He also noted that the Arabic term intifada has
been used by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum to describe the 1944 Warsaw
Uprising.
Despite
the attacks, Mamdani’s movement is surging. He has received endorsements from
Senator Bernie Sanders, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Congresswoman
Nydia Velasquez, Attorney General Letitia James, the New York Working Families
Party, United Auto Workers Region 9A, and Jewish Voice for Peace Action.
In
contrast, Cuomo is backed by major real estate donors wary of Mamdani’s housing
agenda. His campaign has received $1m from DoorDash, presumably in response to
Mamdani’s proposed labour protections. Other prominent donors include Home
Depot co-founder Ken Langone and hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman – both
known for supporting Donald Trump.
Still,
Mamdani’s grassroots campaign has continued to gain ground. Whether or not he
wins the nomination, his candidacy has already achieved something vital: it has
offered proof that an anti-corporate, anti-Trump, community-powered campaign –
one rooted in progressive values and refusal to compromise – can resonate with
American voters.
But
the stakes extend far beyond New York. Across Europe, South America, South Asia and Africa,
right-wing populists are gaining ground by exploiting economic precarity,
stoking culture wars and vilifying minorities. Mamdani’s campaign offers
a clear counter-narrative: one that marries economic justice with moral
clarity, mobilises diverse communities and challenges the politics of fear. For
progressives around the world, it is a rare and instructive blueprint – not
just for resistance, but for rebuilding.
The
views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily
reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
NY Post
A27X49 FROM NEW YORK POST
NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani slams US bombing of Iran nuclear
sites: ‘Dark new chapter’
By Carl Campanile, Dorian Geiger and Zoe Hussain
Published June
22, 2025 Updated June 22, 2025,
4:13 p.m. ET
Anti-Israel
mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani blasted the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites
as an “unconstitutional military action” — as other top primary contenders
called President Trump reckless for greenlighting the military action.
“Donald
Trump ran for president promising to end wars, not start new ones,” the
Democratic Socialist said in a statement released on X late Saturday, two days
before the Big Apple’s Democratic Party primary.
“Today’s
unconstitutional military action represents a dark, new chapter in his endless
betrayals that now threaten to plunge the world deeper into chaos,” said
Mamdani, who has been closing the gap with frontrunner candidate Andrew
Cuomo in recent polls. “In a city as global as ours, the impacts of war
are felt deeply here at home.”
“Donald Trump ran
for president promising to end wars, not start new ones,” candidate Zohran
Mamdani said in a statement on X, blasting the bombings.
“Today’s
unconstitutional military action represents a dark, new chapter in his endless
betrayals that now threaten to plunge the world deeper into chaos,” Mamdani
said about Trump’s decision.
Mamdani
also blamed the “political establishment” for spending money on weaponry and
“endless wars” rather than on fighting poverty and promoting peace.
“For
Americans middle aged and younger, this is all we have known,” said Mamdani,
who is running a strong second in polls to front-runner Andrew Cuomo in the
Democratic primary for mayor.
“We
cannot accept it any longer,” the candidate said.
Bill
Clinton endorses former top aide Andrew Cuomo for NYC mayor: ‘Never let me
down’
For a
change, Primary Day won’t decide NYC’s next mayor
Communist
group slams Mamdani for ‘deceiving working class,’ making ‘false promises’
Cuomo, the ex governor, also condemned
Trump’s strike on Iran, calling the president “the big bad wolf knocking at the
door,”
while speaking to reporters outside a press conference for
the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Though
he agreed the US shouldn’t have gone about bombing Iran in the way they did,
“the world is a safer place,” he contended.
He
also warned New Yorkers to be prepared for a “possible reprisal” from Iran and
vowed to keep the Big Apple on “high alert,” if elected.
City Comptroller and
Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander also condemned the bombing, calling it
“reckless & unconstitutional.”William
Farrington
“You
have to separate the actual bombing of Iran and ending their military and
nuclear capacity versus the means and the process by which Trump did it,” he
said.
“I
don’t support the way he [Trump] did it. I do believe he should have consulted
Congress. I believe this is Trump saying, ‘ I don’t have to follow the rules. I
do what I want to do when I do it,” he said.
City
Comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander also slammed the
bombing.
·
What are bunker busters:
Everything to know about the $500M bombs
·
Iran’s Foreign Minister
warns US strikes will have ‘everlasting consequences’
“Trump’s
reckless & unconstitutional strikes against Iran are a dangerous escalation
of war — and threaten countless Iranian, Israeli & American lives,” Lander
wrote on X on Saturday, after President Trump’s address to the nation outlining
why the US launched the bombs at Iran.
“My
thoughts are with families fearing for their safety, and the thousands of New
Yorkers worrying tonight about loved ones in Iran,” Lander said.
Trump defended the bombing in
his speech by saying, “Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear
enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s No. 1
state sponsor of terror.”
Trump defended the
bombing, saying, “our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear
enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s No. 1
state sponsor of terror.”via
REUTERS
The
US strikes came before Tuesday’s final day of voting in the Big Apple’s
Democratic primary for mayor after Sunday’s last day of early voting,
overshadowing and potentially impacting the outcome.
Mayor
Eric Adams, who is seeking re-election on an independent ballot line, said he
ordered the NYPD to “increase its presence around religious, cultural, and
diplomatic sites throughout the five boroughs” in the wake of the US attack.
“Thinking
about our large Persian population here in NYC at this time,” he wrote
on X on Saturday night. Mamdani’s
close Democratic Socialist ally, New York City Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,
said Trump’s bombing of Iran is “grounds for impeachment.”
Mamdani
has come under fire for his vicious bashing of Israel, which has also struck
Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities in an effort to prevent Tehran from
building nuke bombs.
He
is a staunch supporter of the boycott, divestment
and sanctions movement against the Jewish state, and refused to condemn the
“globalize the intifada” rallying cry — a slogan that has been denounced for allegedly
stoking antisemitic violence.
The
Democratic Party primary is set for in-person voting Tuesday after 10 days of
early voting. The winner of the primary will have to run in
November’s general election, but will very likely be the next mayor in the
deeply blue Big Apple.
A28X50 FROM USA TODAY (ADAMS)
Live: Cuomo's political comeback may be blocked by young progressive
Zohran Mamdani
New York City
Democrats head to the polls on June 24 to vote in citywide elections that will determine
their party's nominee for mayor.
By
Ben Adler AND James Powel
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is at the precipice of a
remarkable political comeback, but a second-term Assembly member stands in his
way.
New York City Democrats head to the polls on June 24 to vote in
citywide elections that will determine their party's nominee − and thus
the favorite to win in November − for every office from mayor to county
court judge. But the winner likely won't be known until at least July 1, when
the unofficial results of the instant runoff conducted with ballots that rank
up to five choices will be announced.
The mayoral race presents a stark contrast in its two leading
candidates: Cuomo, 67, is the oldest and state Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani,
33, is its youngest.
Each also represents an ideological pole in the 11-candidate
field, with Cuomo − a centrist who appointed many Republicans to his
gubernatorial administration − on its right, and Democratic Socialists of
America-member Mamdani on its left.
While Cuomo has pledged to hire more police and increase private
housing construction, Mamdani has excited
progressives with promises to freeze rents in regulated apartments and
make buses free.
The battle between the two of them, and a host of other local
officials, on who can best stand up to President Donald Trump, lower the city's
housing costs, and remove homeless people from the streets and subways has
drawn big spending from billionaires on Cuomo’s behalf. A Super PAC backing
Cuomo has spent $24 million, much of it raised from Trump donors such
as hedge fund manager Bill Ackman and real estate executive Steven
Roth, along with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
More: NYC's Democratic primary is here. What to know about
candidates, ranked choice voting
Winning would cap a startling resurrection for Cuomo, a
three-term governor who resigned in 2021 amid scandals including covering up
nursing home deaths and numerous allegations of sexual harassment, which he
denies.
Cuomo recently moved back to New York City for the first time in
three decades, and launched a run for mayor, becoming an instant frontrunner.
Many elected officials who condemnded him in 2021
have endorsed him for mayor this year.
But while he has led in polls throughout the race, Cuomo's lead has
gradually diminished. A June 23 Emerson College
Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey released June 23 showed Mamdani edging him out in the
final round of the instant runoff that will use the city's ranked-choice voting
system to determine a winner. Betting markets, which previously
showed Cuomo with a far greater chance of winning, are now almost tied on
the eve of the election.
Notably absent from the ballot is incumbent Mayor Eric Adams,
who has dropped out of the primary to run as an independent in the general
election. Adams has seen sagging approval numbers since his 2024 criminal
indictment on federal corruption charges. He subsequently aligned himself
increasingly with Trump, whose Department of
Justice dropped the charges.
And Adams won't be the only independent candidate in November.
In addition to attorney Jim Walden, Cuomo is also on the
November ballot as the nominee of the newly invented Fight and Deliver
Party ballot line and he will continue that campaign even if he loses the
Democratic nomination. Likewise, Mamdani is the candidate of the Working
Families Party and he may run on that in the fall even if he loses the
Democratic primary.
At some point after polls close at 9 p.m., the city Board of
Elections will announce first-place vote totals, but no candidate is expected
to clear the 50% threshold needed to be declared winner without a runoff.
Mayor Eric Adams
tells reporters he planned to write himself in for mayor five times
Mayor Eric Adams isn’t running for re-election in the June 24
Democratic primary, but that didn’t stop him from voting. Outside of his
Brooklyn polling place, he told reporters he planned to
write his name in for mayor. “One, two, three, four and five, Eric Adams,” he
said.
Under the city’s ranked choice voting, voters can choose up to five different candidates. Writing in the
same candidate five times would invalidate the person's second through
fifth-place votes, though not the entire ballot. “You cannot rank the same
candidate more than once,” the city Board of Elections said in voter instructions.
Fabien Levy, a spokesperson for the mayor, said the mayor was
joking about voting for himself more than once.
"Everyone in the room knew he was joking, other than the
reporters who sent the tweet," Levy told USA TODAY.
Levy didn’t know how the mayor voted, but he said he knew how to
vote properly.
"I wasn't in the booth, so can’t tell you how he voted, but
he knows how to vote properly," Levy added.
In 2021, Adams won the Democratic primary — when New
York City first used ranked choice voting — before easily winning in the
general election that year.
Adams has opted to run as an independent in the November 2025
general election. Even though the city skews heavily Democratic, the race for
mayor isn’t over regardless of the June 24 Democratic primary outcome.
- Eduardo Cuevas
Mamdani would be New
York's first Israel critic as mayor
The politics of a foreign country don’t normally weigh on
municipal issues. But in a global city like New York, home to 1 million Jews,
Israel and its siege of Gaza after the 2023 Hamas-led attacks have taken center
stage in a campaign otherwise focused on affordability and public safety.
Since Israel’s founding, every New York City mayor has visited
Jerusalem. Mayor Vincent Impellitteri first made the trip in
1951. Mamdani has declined to follow suit when asked whether he’d visit Israel.
Instead, he’s said he’d prioritize Jewish safety in the five boroughs, but he has
criticized Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, calling its actions in Gaza a
genocide.
Mamdani has defended the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
movement to cut ties with Israel in order for it to change its policies toward
Palestinians. Israel supporters have called the movement antisemitic for
protesting the only Jewish state. On the debate stage, Mamdani has said he
supports Israel’s right to exist “as a state with equal
rights” when pressed on whether he supported Israel’s right to exist
as a Jewish state.
He also declined to condemn the controversial phrase “Globalize
the Intifada.” The popular rallying cry for liberation by Palestinians and
their supporters is heard by pro-Israel supporters as a call to violence
against Jews, harkening back to resistance movements in the 1980s and 2000s.
Mamdani was swiftly criticized for his comments, including by the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum and the American Jewish
Committee.
Cuomo and Whitney Tilson, a former hedge
fund manager, have repeatedly accused Mamdani of antisemitism, charges that
Mamdani denies. A super PAC supporting Cuomo — which receives funding from
former Mayor Mike Bloomberg and billionaire Trump supporter Bill Ackman — have
also unleashed tens of millions in ads painting Mamdani as an extremist.
Mamdani, who is Muslim, and his supporters have said the attacks rely on islamophobic tropes. Mamdani would be
the city’s first Muslim mayor.
Meanwhile, candidates agree antisemitism is a pressing
issue, evidenced by rises in attacks against Jewish
people. Cuomo, who is not Jewish, made opposing antisemitism a top issue issue in his
campaign. Other candidates who are Jewish have criticized Cuomo for his use
of antisemitism as a campaign tactic.
The politics of a foreign country don’t normally weigh on
municipal issues. But in a global city like New York, home to 1 million Jews
with many having strong support for Zionism, Israel and its siege of Gaza after
the 2023 Hamas-led attacks have taken center stage in a campaign largely
focused on affordability and public safety. New York City is home to the most
amount of Jews outside of Israel.
Since Israel’s founding, every New York City mayor has visited
Jerusalem. Mayor Vincent Impellitteri first made the trip in
1951. Mamdani has declined to follow suit when asked whether he’d visit Israel.
Instead, he’s said he’d prioritize Jewish safety in the five boroughs, but he
has criticized Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, calling its actions in Gaza
a genocide.
Mamdani has defended the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
movement to cut ties with Israel in order for it to change its policies toward
Palestinians. Israel supporters have called the movement antisemitic for
protesting the only Jewish state. On the debate stage, Mamdani has said he
supports Israel’s right to exist “as a state with equal
rights” when pressed on whether he supported Israel’s right to exist
as a Jewish state.
He also declined to condemn the controversial phrase “Globalize
the Intifada.” The popular rallying cry for liberation by Palestinians and
their supporters is heard by pro-Israel supporters as a call to violence
against Jews, harkening back to resistance movements in the 1980s and 2000s.
Mamdani was swiftly criticized for his comments, including by the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum and the American Jewish
Committee.
Cuomo and Whitney Tilson, a former hedge
fund manager, have repeatedly accused Mamdani of antisemitism, charges that
Mamdani denies. A super PAC supporting Cuomo — which receives funding from
former Mayor Mike Bloomberg and billionaire Trump supporter Bill Ackman — have
also unleashed tens of millions in ads painting Mamdani as an extremist.
Mamdani, who is Muslim, and his supporters have said the attacks rely on islamophobic tropes. Mamdani would be
the city’s first Muslim mayor.
Meanwhile, candidates agree antisemitism is a pressing
issue, evidenced by rises in attacks against Jewish
people. Cuomo, who is not Jewish, made antisemitism a top issue, equating it with
opposition to Israel. Other candidates who are Jewish have criticized Cuomo for
his use of antisemitism as a campaign tactic. New York City
Comptroller Brad Lander who has cross-endorsed with Mamdani, each urging their
supporters to rank the other candidate second on their ballots, is Jewish.
-Eduardo Cuevas
New York City mayor
primary: Where the polls are, when they open and close
The final hours of voting in the New York City mayoral primary
elections start the morning of June 24.
Election Day polls opened at 6 a.m. and close at 9 p.m.
You can find a list of polling places here.
-James Powel
In the NYC mayoral
race, a chance for historic firsts
If Cuomo wins the race for City Hall, he will be the first
former governor to become mayor. He is also the heir to a political dynast: his
father Mario Cuomo was also a three-term governor. Before being elected
governor in 1982, Mario Cuomo unsuccessfully ran for mayor in the 1977
Democratic primary, losing to New York City Comptroller Abe Beame.
Mamdani, on the other hand, presents a different kind of first –
a fresh-faced legislator with less than five years in office, gunning to be the
first Muslim New York City mayor, the first Asian American mayor, and the first
Democratic Socialist in City Hall. He is also from a prominent family: his
father is a well-known professor at Columbia University and his mother is the
filmmaker Mira Nair.
-Ben Adler and Anna Kauffman
Who is running for
NYC mayor?
There are 11 Democrats
on the ballot in the June 24 primary, hoping to advance
to the general election on Nov. 4:
Ramos stopped campaigning and endorsed Cuomo.
Whoever wins the Democratic mayoral primary on June 24 will face
Republican candidate, Curtis Sliwa and two independents: NYC Mayor Eric L. Adams and Jim Walden in the general election on Nov. 5.
Cuomo is also on the November ballot as the nominee of the newly invented Fight and
Deliver Party ballot line and he will continue that campaign even if he loses
the Democratic nomination. Likewise, Mamdani is the candidate of the Working
Families Party and he may run on that in the fall even if he loses the
Democratic primary.
-Ben Adler and Fernando Cervantes Jr.
What are Zohran
Mamdani's policy proposals?
Mamdani has surged from obscurity to a leading contender for
mayor with a campaign platform
intended to reduce New York City's high cost of living. Those proposals include:
·
An
immediate rent freeze for all rent-stabilized tenants
·
The
elimination of fares on city busses
·
Creating
a Department of Community Safety and investments in citywide mental health
programs and crisis response
·
A
2% tax on residents earning above $1 million annually
·
Raising
the corporate tax rate to 11.5%
·
Overhauling
the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants so as to toughen code enforcement on
landlords
·
Fast
tracking affordable housing development
·
Establishing
city-owned grocery stores
The only problem? New York City doesn't have the legal authority
to raise taxes, and thus the revenue for programs like free buses, without
permission from the state government. And New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has said
she isn't willing to increase taxes on top earners as Mamdani proposes.
-Ben Adler and James Powel
Justin Brannan, Mark
Levine battle for New York City comptroller
Mayor isn't the only race on the ballot on June 24. The
next-most powerful position in New York City government, comptroller, is also
up for grabs.
The comptroller is the city's chief fiscal officer. He or she
audits city agencies, manages city employees' pension funds, and oversees
contracts to safeguard against waste, fraud and abuse.
The two leading candidates for comptroller are Manhattan Borough
President Mark Levine and City Council Member Justin Brannan, from Brooklyn.
State Sen. Kevin Parker of Brooklyn is also running.
Levine is a typical liberal from Manhattan's Upper West Side,
which he previously represented on the City Council. Brannan, who represents
the politically diverse, middle-class neighborhood of Bay Ridge, is more
idiosyncratic, having been a member of the Council's Progressive Caucus but
also describing himself as a moderate. He was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders,
I-Vermont.
Current Comptroller Brad Lander is running for mayor, and
currently polling in third place. His predecessor Scott Stringer is also on the
mayoral ballot.
-Ben Adler
Can NYC polling
sites handle the heat?
As the city awoke to alarmingly high temperatures Tuesday, June
24, the Board of Elections
prepared for the worst: a blackout at polling sites.
In a statement to City & State, a spokesperson said the
board was prepared with backup batteries and that should those run out, ballots
would be counted later, similar to the process for absentee or vote-by-mail
ballots.
Candidates urged voters to stay cool as they made their voices
heard, pushing for water and additional air conditioning at polling sites.
-Anna Kauffman
Who is Zohran Mamdani?
Mamdani is an Assembly
member from Astoria, Queens. He is the first South Asian man to serve in the assembly and
the third Muslim person to do so.
He previously worked as a foreclosure-prevention housing
counselor and a campaign staffer.
He was born in Uganda but raised in Manhattan after his family
moved there when he was 7 years old, according to his
office's biography.
Mamdani describes himself on his campaign website as a
democratic socialist.
He is the son of Mahmood Mamdani, a professor at Columbia
University, and Mira Nair, a filmmaker best known for directing "Monsoon
Wedding."
-James Powel
Ranked choice voting
in a crowded field
While Cuomo continued to lead Mamdani in first-place
voters, New York City primaries
now use a system of ranked-choice voting, in which voters
rank up to five candidates.
And they have a plethora to choose from. New York City
Comptroller Brad Lander is polling in third place, and he and Mamdani have
cross-endorsed one another, encouraging their supporters to rank the other
candidate second. Then there's Lander's predcessor Scott Stringer, City Council
Speaker Adrienne Adams (no relation to the mayor), state Sen. Zelnor Myrie,
former Assembly Member Michael Blake and retired hedge fund manager Whitney
Tilson.
With the exception of Tilson, the candidates generally lean
left, and their supporters may be more likely to rank Mamdani than Cuomo down
ballot. That is the dynamic that led to Mamdani overtaking Cuomo in the instant
runoff in the most recent poll.
"In this ranked
choice environment, I do feel there are scenarios in which Cuomo is
beatable," Basil Smikle, a New York City-based political consultant, told USA TODAY in early June.
An extreme heat wave
could harm turnout
New York City is in the midst
of a severe heat wave, with temperatures well above 90 degrees and the city's
stifling summer humidity. June 24 is expected to be especially scorching, with
highs breaking the rarely-breached 100-degree mark.
This may pose a threat to
Cuomo's chances, because his supporters skew older and are more likely to stay
away because of the temperature. The former governor complained on June 19 that the Board of Elections' plans to
mitigate the heat were insufficient and demanded air conditioning in polling
places. Cuomo's backers are also more likely to cast their ballots on Election
Day, while Mamdani's − who tend to be younger, highly educated, engaged,
and enthusiastic − are better represented among those who took advantage of
early voting, which started on June
14.
-Ben Adler
A campaign under
Trump's shadow
As he does in all facets of politics, President Donald Trump
looms large in his former hometown's elections. Adams' increasingly friendly
relationship with Trump has driven his split with the Democratic Party's base,
while every other candidate pledges to fight against the president.
In a clearly implied contrast with Adams, progressive candidates
have tried to prove their anti-Trump bona fides on immigration. Mamdani shouted at
White House immigration czar Tom Homan when Homan
came to the state Capitol in Albany, and Lander recently made national
news by getting arrested escorting an immigrant out of a
deportation hearing.
Cuomo has argued that his experience makes him best qualified to
handle Trump.
"Donald Trump would go through Mr. Mamdani like a hot knife
through butter," Cuomo said at a June 5
debate that was dominated mostly by opponents' attacks on his
record.
-Ben Adler
AOC, Bernie Sanders,
Bill Clinton weigh in
Prominent figures in national politics have weighed in on both
sides. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose district overlaps with Mamdani's in
Queens, put him at the top of
her ballot. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the independent Vermont socialist who
grew up in Brooklyn, is backing Mamdani as well.
But beacons of the Democratic Party's moderate establishment
such as former President Bill Clinton have weighed in on behalf of Cuomo.
With New York's complicated instant runoff, in which the lowest
ranked candidate in each round is eliminated, taking days to conduct, the only thing that will be
known on election night is who got the most first place votes.
Lander
Time
A29X51 from TIME
The U.S. Elected Officials Who Have Been Arrested or Approached by
Authorities While Protesting Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
by Rebecca
Schneid and Solcyré Burga
Local officials and
members of Congress have been handcuffed, slammed to the ground, and detained
by law enforcement while objecting to the Trump Administration’s policies in
multiple high-profile confrontations as mass deportations are carried
out across the country.
New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad
Lander became the latest elected official to be detained amid protests over the
Administration’s crackdown when he was arrested by Immigrations Customs
Enforcement (ICE) at a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday.
Lander, who said he
has been attending immigration court hearings in Manhattan for the past three weeks, was seen in a
crowded hallway holding on to a man who was being detained by ICE. “I will let go when you show me
the judicial warrant,” Lander can be heard saying in video of the incident.
“You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens asking for a judicial
warrant.”
At least four other
officials have been arrested or confronted by authorities after speaking out
against the Administration’s immigration policies in recent weeks. Here’s what
you should know about each of them.
Sen. Alex Padilla
California Sen. Alex
Padilla was slammed to the ground and handcuffed after he disrupted a press
conference being held by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem
on June 12.
The tense
interaction came after Noem said DHS officials would continue their operations
in Los Angeles—the site of multi-day protests over ICE raids and the
Administration’s broader immigration stance—to “liberate this city from the
socialist and burdensome leadership that this governor and this mayor have
placed into this city.” Trump sent National Guard members and Marines to the
city to quell the demonstrations against California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s wishes,
igniting widespread backlash.
Video of the
incident shows Padilla attempting to ask Noem a question before two men push
him back. Padilla, who identified himself as a Senator, asked agents to keep
their “hands off” as they forcibly removed him from the room.
“If that is what the
Administration is willing to do to a United States Senator for having the
[audacity] to simply ask a question, imagine what they’ll do to any American
who dares to speak up,” Padilla said in a speech on the Senate floor on Tuesday. The California
Senator, who is the son of Mexican immigrants, called Trump a “tyrant” who
continues to “test the boundaries of his power.”
Many politicians
have denounced Padilla’s removal from the press conference. Former Vice
President Kamala Harris called the incident a “shameful and stunning abuse of
power” in a post on X.
Brad Lander
Lander, who has been
the New York City Comptroller since 2022 and is currently running for mayor,
was arrested on Tuesday while accompanying a man he identified as Edgardo out
of immigration court.
When authorities
sought to detain Edgardo, Lander repeatedly asked to see a judicial warrant.
“You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens,” Lander told ICE agents,
before he was handcuffed and taken into custody himself.
Read more: New York City Mayoral
Candidate Brad Lander Arrested at Immigration Courthouse
Lander was released
later that afternoon after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul condemned the arrest and
advocated for his release.
“This is a sorry day
for New York and our country,” Hochul said in a press
conference following Lander’s release.
Asked about the
“trend” of elected officials being detained over immigration issues while
speaking with Democracy Now! after his
release, the comptroller said the Trump Administration “wreak havoc.”
“They’re trying … to
‘liberate’ Democratic cities from their duly elected officials. This is part of
what authoritarians do: strike fear into immigrant families and communities and
try to undermine the rule of law and basic democracy by stoking conflict,”
Lander said. “Our challenge is to find a way to stand up for the rule of law, for
due process, for people’s rights, and to do it in a way that is nonviolent and
insistent, demands it, but also doesn’t help them escalate conflict.”
On Wednesday, Lander
called out the Trump Administration for what he called immigration escalation
“Gestapo tactics” while speaking with MSNBC.
Several other
Democrats also came to Lander’s defense on social media and called for his
release.
New York Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the arrest
“political intimidation,” while Sen. Padilla said he was “not shocked” by the action.
Ras Baraka
Ras Baraka, the Mayor of Newark, was arrested after
traveling on May 9 to inspect Delaney Hall, a privately run federal immigration
detention center that he accused in March of violating safety
protocols.
Baraka, who is
running for governor, and three members of New Jersey’s congressional
delegation—Reps. Robert Menendez,
LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman— tried to enter the facility.
ICE agents arrested
Baraka on trespassing charges.
Read More: A New Jersey ICE
Facility. A Warning for the Country
Homeland Security officials accused the lawmakers of
“storming the gate” and trespassing
into the detention facility, posting a video of the arrest on X and asking viewers to
“check the tape.”
Rep. McIver and
other members of Congress, though, argued that they were just trying to perform
their duties as elected officials.
“The way we were
treated at Delaney Hall is almost unbelievable. ICE shoved me, manhandled
@repbonnie, and
arrested @rasjbaraka,” McIver posted on X. “They disrespected
us and tried to stop us from conducting the oversight we’re elected to do. But
we’ll never back down in our fight for what is right.”
Baraka himself posted the moment that he was
escorted into Delaney Hall. “Nobody was kicking or shoving like the coverage
suggests. We were invited in.”
The mayor was
released hours after being detained. He sued New Jersey’s top federal
prosecutor, interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba, earlier this
month over his arrest, arguing that the Trump-appointed attorney had pursued
the case out of political spite and seeking damages for “false arrest and
malicious prosecution.”
LaMonica McIver
In the wake of the
same incident, McIver was indicted by the
Department of Justice on June
9 for allegedly "impeding and interfering with federal officers”
during Baraka’s arrest, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The indictment
includes three counts of "assaulting, resisting, impeding and
interfering" with federal officers—charges that could include a prison
sentence if McIver is convicted.
Read more: What to Know About the
Assault Charges Against Rep. LaMonica McIver
In a statement after the
indictment was announced, McIver called the proceedings a “a brazen attempt at
political intimidation.”
“This indictment is
no more justified than the original charges, and is an effort by Trump’s
administration to dodge accountability for the chaos ICE caused and scare me
out of doing the work I was elected to do,” McIver said. “But it won’t work—I
will not be intimidated. The facts are on our side, I will be entering a plea
of not guilty, I’m grateful for the support of my community, and I look forward
to my day in court.”
Hannah Dugan
Milwaukee County
Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan became the first of these elected officials to
be detained when she was arrested on April 25 by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) on charges of concealing a defendant to prevent his arrest
by ICE.
Politico
A30X52 FROM POLITICO
Why the
New York Mayor’s Race Matters
Voters
are disappointed by the Cuomo-Mamdani race, but the result will resonate far
beyond the Big Apple.
New
York City mayoral candidate and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo greets union
members after speaking during a Get Out the Vote Rally on June 16, 2025, in New
York City. | Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
By Jonathan Martin 06/22/2025 07:00 AM EDT
NEW
YORK — How on earth are voters in America’s largest city choosing between a 33-year-old
socialist and a sex pest for mayor?
OK,
that’s a bit unfair: Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani would be 34 by the time he’d
be sworn in to lead New York City.
But
seriously, these are the choices Democrats here have before them when they go
to the polls Tuesday in the most revealing primary election since the party’s
debacle last year.
There’s
Mamdani, a proud member of the Democratic Socialists of America by way of a
noted workers’ paradise, Bowdoin, who’s calling for city-owned grocery stores
and offending the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum by trying to rationalize calls to “globalize the
intifada.”
Then
there’s former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was forced out of office less than four
years ago after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment, now says he regrets resigning
and has expressed little contrition about his personal conduct
or his deadly mishandling of Covid-19.
Cuomo
is despised by much of the city, including some of his biggest benefactors, and is the favorite to win.
Oh,
and if either Mamdani or Cuomo falls short in New York’s ranked-choice
Democratic primary, each already has secured a separate ballot line in the
general election; if they win, they’ll get to use it in addition to the
Democratic party line, and if they lose, they’ll still get the chance to run as
independents. Neither ruled out remaining in the race when I asked them if
they’d run on a third-party line this fall.
Mayor
Eric Adams, who avoided corruption charges after cozying up to the Trump administration in an apparent arrangement that would have some Philly
ward bosses blush, will also be on the ballot on his own line. The Republican
standard bearer is Guardian Angels leader Curtis Sliwa, who was wearing a red
hat (beret, to be exact) before it was cool and is ageless in that Dick Clark
sort of way.
It
doesn’t quite portend a replay of John Lindsay jousting with Abe Beame and
William F. Buckley Jr. in 1965.
However,
the outcome should not be minimized.
Suburban
moderate women with national security experience were handily nominated this month to lead the Democratic
ticket in state races this year in Virginia and New Jersey, which may itself
say something about the appetite of the party’s primary voters. But in New
York, there is a real internecine clash — and it carries profound implications.
Can
a young leftist appeal to the party’s traditional base of older Black voters?
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is watching. Has the backlash to so-called wokeness
that sanitized Trump last year reached into Democratic ranks so voters will
reluctantly vote for the S.O.B.-we-know? And would Cuomo take such support as a
vote of confidence and quickly begin running for president himself in 2028? He
repeatedly refused to rule out such a run when I asked him.
Voters express discontent
This
being New York, it’s not exactly difficult to find voters exasperated with
their choices or shy about articulating their frustrations. Including in front
of the candidates themselves.
Last
Sunday afternoon, walking up a closed-to-traffic Columbus Avenue on the Upper
West Side, I came across city comptroller Brad Lander, who’s polling in third
place in the mayor’s race. Lander — an affable, middle-aged official fittingly
called “Dad Lander” by his 20-something daughter — was passing out his
brochures to shoppers strolling through the streetside market.
It
was one of those great moments of municipal politics serendipity — running into
a candidate in the wild — and I used the opportunity to ask Lander why New
Yorkers were left with two options so many found wanting.
“What
I’m doing is presenting an option which is neither of those,” Lander began
before a voice beside us interjected.
“I
wish you or Scott Stringer had actually run as a moderate Democrat instead of
trying to be all things to all people,” said the voice, carrying an
unmistakable New York accent and citing another lagging candidate. “Because the
last thing this country needs is the left wing of the party dragging us down
again and electing people like Trump.”
The
voter’s name was Robert, he wouldn’t offer his last name, and he wasn’t
finished.
“If
you’d actually run as a moderate, you’d be the top of my ticket,” he told
Lander, explaining: “I’d rather have an asshole than a progressive.”
In
what may have been one of the most dutiful and unnecessary follow-ups in my
career, I confirmed that, yes, Robert did have Cuomo in mind when he cited “an
asshole.”
Lander
was patient, arguing that he doesn’t think it’s wishy-washy “to want government
to run better and to be ambitious about what it can deliver.”
Robert
became friendlier and presented a peace offering by way of vowing to still rank
Lander.
Then
I asked Lander directly, well, are you a progressive or a moderate?
“See,
he won’t answer the question!” Robert butted in before Lander could even
respond. The candidate called himself “a pragmatic progressive,” which prompted
Robert to walk away.
The
Upper West Sider said he was a committed Democrat and retired lawyer who also
worked in IT and finance, but he was more interested in venting his
frustrations than discussing himself. In short: He’s “really pissed off” at
MAGA and progressives, the latter, he said, for paving Trump’s return.
Which
gets to the heart of the frustration so many New Yorkers have, not just over
this race but from the long shadow of 2024. Moderates believe the party’s drift
to the left on culture and identity doomed them last year, and progressives
can’t believe Democrats haven’t learned from ceding populism to the right.
Leaders stay on the sidelines
Yet
just as the party sleepwalked into Armageddon by not speaking up about Joe
Biden sooner, New York Democrats find themselves with a stark choice today as
much as through omission as commission.
Most
major institutions have either remained silent or enabled Cuomo’s comeback.
That
starts with elected officials who disdain him,
most significantly Gov. Kathy Hochul and Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten
Gillibrand. The silence of Schumer, his party’s Senate leader and a New York
senator for more than a quarter-century, is particularly deafening. Imagine
Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi letting an old home-state rival waltz back to
office.
8 Experts on What
Happens If the United States Bombs Iran
1.
A judge sided with
Trump. Behind the scenes, he was lobbying for a nomination.
2.
Republican plans to cap
student borrowing could shatter an everyday profession
3.
White House wary of
Iran counterattack as Trump strikes triumphant tone
4.
Trump wants one thing
from the NATO summit. Europe is going to give it to him.
Organized
labor, the closest thing that exists to New York’s old Democratic machines, has
also for the most part stayed out of the race or backed Cuomo.
And
then there’s The New York Times editorial page, which has a
proven record of influencing local elections. The dominant local daily
initially declined to offer an endorsement. Instead, they empaneled a group of
local citizens to offer their preferences — Lander was the most
popular — and eventually ran an unsigned editorial denouncing Mamdani and
urging New Yorkers not to rank him.
To
be fair, it has been difficult for any candidate to get much attention when so
much of traditional and social media is drenched in national coverage and
namely the return of another rampaging son of Queens.
Perhaps
the most important non-event took place before the campaign even got fully
underway. That was when Trump won last year and Attorney General Letitia James
decided not to run for mayor.
James
may never have ultimately entered the race, but multiple New York Democrats
told me there was a backstage campaign to nudge her into the race. A Black
woman from Brooklyn who ran the inquiry into Cuomo’s sexual harassment, James
would’ve been the obvious Stop Andrew candidate.
“If
Tish James had run, it would have been no race — she would have won hands
down,” the Rev. Al Sharpton told me. “And I think that is why we ended up where
we are.”
Sharpton,
speaking in the back of his National Action Network’s Harlem headquarters just
minutes after hosting Cuomo there, said: “I would have wanted to see Tish James
run.”
With
James out and Adams cutting his deal with Trump, Cuomo was emboldened. Some
Democrats, including Hochul and most crucially James, cast about for an alternative
and landed on City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, also a Black woman. However,
Adams got in late, had little name ID and wasn’t able to raise much money. And
by then, many New York Democrats knew, and feared, Cuomo well enough to jump on
board with him or at least stay out of his way.
“The
only people with ‘rizz’ are the anti-establishment socialists who can’t win
citywide,” complained Lis Smith, a Democratic strategist and still-deciding New
York voter.
It
may be the largest city in the country, but the talent is either average,
blocked by aging incumbents or simply happy to wait for a future gubernatorial
or Senate run and avoid a job that not only may be the country’s second-hardest
but also ends rather than launches careers.
Look
no further than the last three former mayors — Rudy Giuliani, Michael Bloomberg
and Bill de Blasio — and the current incumbent. The former mayors all ran for
president and found about as much success as the Jets have in reaching the
playoffs. And Adams called himself “the future” and “the face”
of the Democratic Party upon winning in 2021, only to face federal charges
three years later.
Three candidates and a funeral
The
city’s current mayor and the leading hopefuls to replace him converged earlier
this month at the funeral for longtime Rep. Charlie Rangel, a homegoing that
amounted to a state funeral in New York.
The
service was held in St. Patrick’s, the city’s grandest cathedral. Cardinal
Timothy Dolan, New York’s Archbishop, presided. Dignitaries filled the pews and
took to the pulpit to remember the long-serving House member and “Lion of Lenox
Avenue,” who “thought the ‘H’ in Heaven stood for Harlem,” as one of his
eulogists said.
It
was a grand mix of the Black church and the Catholic church, and it was
exquisitely timed in the political calendar in a way I think Rangel would have
loved.
“What
a scene!” he may have said in that gravelly, ‘New Yawk’ voice, eyes twinkling
and bow tie knotted smartly.
The
mayoral candidates played to type.
“Adams
arrived at the front of the church, with most people already seated, at 9:54
for a 9:45 service. He’s only the second Black mayor in the city’s history, but
he didn’t speak and was scarcely mentioned, fitting for someone who’s become a
non-person in the minds of political New York.
Mamdani
zipped around the pews before the service, offering a hand to people he
recognized, being greeted by some he didn’t and generally playing the role of
both outsider and young man in a hurry. He sat behind a massive marble pillar
that had a wheelchair stuffed between it and the pew, 11 rows back from the
front of the sanctuary.
Cuomo
sat in the fourth row and acted as though he were still in high office. He
chatted with Nancy Pelosi, an old family friend, before the service and visited
with other current and former officials, but notably avoided his former
nemesis, de Blasio, who was inches away.
When
Mamdani finally mustered the courage to walk to the front rows and greet the
VIPs before the service, none stood except for de Blasio.
It
was great theater, an allegory for the campaign, but the politicking in such an
august setting was also something else: a reminder that there’s always been a
thin line separating the hacks and the statesmen of New York.
The
Roosevelts didn’t have clean hands when it came to Tammany Hall, and their
highbrow heirs also did what it took to win. One of my favorite New York
artifacts is the letter an on-the-make professor named Daniel Patrick Moynihan
wrote to Tammany boss Carmine De Sapio in 1971.
Addressing
his note to De Sapio in the “United States Prison Facility” of Allendale,
Pennsylvania, Moynihan recalls his 11th Avenue upbringing (“George Washington
Plunkitt’s old district”), laments that De Sapio was denied parole and offers
regret that he “never got to know you fellows very well” before assuring the
boss that he has “a friend on the Harvard faculty.”
It’s
redolent of reformers and regulars, the 20th century New York of the “Three Is”
— when Democrats would strive to nominate a ticket that could reflect Ireland,
Italy and Israel.
But
for Cuomo, the past is never dead — it’s not even past.
Cuomo talks to dad
Speaking
to closely huddled reporters avoiding a summer drizzle outside of Sharpton’s
Harlem headquarters, Cuomo reminded a young journalist that he had worked on
his father’s losing mayoral race, a formative campaign in the life of both
Cuomos.
He
had been asked about the biggest surprise in this contest. “Nothing,” he said
with a shrug. “My father ran for mayor before you were born, 1977,” Cuomo recalled,
boasting: “I know this city like the back of my hand.”
Cuomo
has long lived in the suburbs and, as governor, in Albany, and he’s sensitive
about criticisms over his residency. Which may be part of the reason he insists
on driving himself around the city in a black Dodge Charger.
Yet
I didn’t think about it again until the following day, which happened to be
both Father’s Day and what would have been Mario Cuomo’s 93rd birthday. Andrew
was at his second Black church of the day, and this one was in Jamaica, Queens,
his father’s hometown. Speaking during the service, and at another one in
Brooklyn earlier in the morning, Cuomo said matter-of-factly that he still
talks to his deceased father, and in fact his father talks back, and at times
they argue.
So when I caught up with Cuomo in
Queens, I asked what his father would think of his candidacy today.
“Oh, he would think it’s exactly
right,” said the younger Cuomo.
Then
he was off to the races in ways that made clear he, too, was still consumed by
2024 and was interested in leading his party’s recovery.
“Donald
Trump, we lost to Donald Trump, 500,000 fewer Democrats turned out” in New
York, he said by way of explaining why his dad would approve of his bid.
The
party, Cuomo said, had lost too much of its working-class base. “‘What are you
going to do for me?’ It has to be real, it has to be tangible,” he said,
articulating what those voters expect and arguing he fits the bill because of
his record of results.
A
record, he argued, which includes his performance on Covid-19. Cuomo said the
idea that his effort on the pandemic is a blemish is “100 percent wrong” and
called the coverage of deaths in nursing homes “all created for New York Post
readers.”
He
was full of swagger, even insisting on going off the record a couple of times
as though he was still in Albany telephoning the tabloids to steer their
coverage.
The
previous night, at a rally in Manhattan, Ocasio-Cortez had said Cuomo was only
running for mayor to run for president in 2028.
What
say you, I asked. “I’m doing this for this,” he said of the mayor’s race.
He
then talked about the importance of focusing on the here and now, but in the
process unfurled his resume, recalling his service as HUD secretary and even
claiming, without mentioning the election, that he had been “on the short list
for vice-president.”
Sounding
like a Queens Sun Tzu, Cuomo said: “If you are watching the step ahead, you’ll
trip on this step, I believe that.”
It
was all a non-answer that pointed at his obvious ambition, quest for redemption
and, perhaps, the chance to succeed at what his father never dared to try.
“You
think you’re going to get a different answer?” when I tried once more. “You
think this is my first rodeo?”
I
was reminded that it’s very much not a bit later, after Cuomo was reunited with
all three of his daughters that Father’s Day Sunday. They stood behind him
outside the church in Queens, and their dad’s mood brightened with their
presence as he addressed a handful of reporters and photographers.
Were
they happy he was back in the political fray, I asked?
Each
of them took their turn speaking with pride about their father, and Cuomo
beamed. He also recognized something else: This was a moment that should be
captured. He gestured to an aide, but the staffer didn’t initially get the
message. So the aide walked over to the former governor as the girls spoke. The
staffer leaned in and Cuomo whispered: “Film it.”
Forty-eight
years later, he still thought like the operative he had been on his dad’s
mayoral campaign.
A city on the brink
I
should talk a bit about the state of the city. This is one of those moments
when perception is at odds with the statistics.
As
with so many American cities, New York has entered what I call the
post-post-Covid moment. While it didn’t suffer the spike in carjackings as
other parts of the country did — the city’s geographic and population density
is a natural prophylactic — New York had its troubles during and immediately
after the pandemic. There were abhorrent crimes on the subway and there are
still nuisance matters, such as the toothpaste and shampoo being behind a
locked window at the drugstore.
Still,
Adams is going to preside over a historic plunge in violent crime. The first
five months of this year brought the lowest number of shootings and
homicides in recorded New York City history.
There’s
a noticeably increased police presence, particularly on the subways,
where Hochul has state authority and intervened.
Coming
out of the Washington Square station one afternoon this month, I counted six
uniformed city cops underground.
Much
of Manhattan feels like a summer playground, downtown for those under 40 (or
under 40 at heart) and the Upper East and West sides for those middle-aged (or
still so at heart).
“As
for people who are like, ‘the city is crumbling,’ try getting into a
restaurant,” de Blasio told me over a pesto bagel near his Brooklyn home.
And
yet the most recent Marist survey of the city’s voters found that 77 percent believed New
York is headed in the wrong direction.
Part
of that can be attributed to embarrassment over Adams’ saga in addition to
lingering quality-of-life concerns, less fear of being shot and more unease
with the mentally ill homeless person muttering to you.
Recalling
what police commissioner Bill Bratton once told him, de Blasio said: “We have
to separate crime and order, but the public doesn’t.”
However,
the city’s discontents also center on something else, which has been the
heartbeat of Mamdani’s campaign — affordability.
Enter Mamdani
For
all his nifty videos and quick-on-the-draw wit, Mamdani wouldn’t be giving
Cuomo such a race had the assemblymember not harnessed such a galvanizing
issue. His calls for a rent freeze and broader lament about the costs of living
in New York are what vaulted him into contention and have made him a
progressive phenomenon, particularly with young voters.
“Mamdani
understood that he was never going to own the crime issue. He was for defund,
but he could own affordability, and that’s where he planted his flag early,”
said Howard Wolfson, a longtime Bloomberg adviser and shrewd student of the
city’s politics. “And as crime has come down, the issue of affordability has
risen and it turns out it was the smart play.”
Odd
as it may sound, affordability was a luxury issue that became more resonant
once people feared less for their personal safety.
In
the weeks leading up to the mayoral primary, one could be forgiven for thinking
that Mamdani was the only candidate in the race, at least away from a TV set
where Cuomo and his allies are carpet-bombing their young rival.
To
walk around the city is to see mostly Mamdani signs, pamphlets and canvassers.
Strolling from Sharpton’s 145th St. office 35 blocks down to Central Park
North, I ran into three sets of Mamdani volunteers, all of them clearly under
50.
Along
the way, I popped into the Frederick E. Samuel Community Democratic Club, one
of Harlem’s old Black clubhouses, and the conversation quickly turned to
Mamdani’s appeal with young voters.
Maurice
Cummings, who’s an aide to a Democratic assemblymember, recalled a recent
gathering Mamdani had in Harlem.
“The
thing that I find interesting is that he’s crossing racial lines, the place was
filled with Black, white, Indian, Puerto Rican,” said Cummings, who’s 52. “I
would probably have been one of the oldest folks there.”
I
caught a glimpse of this dynamic on the corner of 155th and Broadway in
Washington Heights, where Mamdani held a press conference on Father’s Day
afternoon. While he addressed the cameras, a small group of New Yorkers reflecting
his base gathered to greet him and offer their support.
There
was the post-collegiate white guy, still wearing his backpack with a Notre Dame
logo, a trans person thanking him for supporting trans rights, a fellow
graduate of the Bronx High School of Science and a young Jewish voter lamenting
the line of questioning Mamdani, who’s Muslim, had received on Jewish-related
issues.
What
there wasn’t was any older Black people (except for the one who drove by,
leaned out the window and told Mamdani to take his campaign “to the projects”).
It
was a similar demographic the previous night, when Mamdani held a packed rally
at an event space in one of Manhattan’s old piers. One of the loudest cheers of
the night was when a city councilor called to “Free Palestine,” electrifying an
audience more bougie than Bronx. The only Black people there over 40 I could
find were working security.
Walking
with Mamdani down Broadway after his press conference the next day, I asked how
he could avoid the fate of other progressive candidates in Democratic primaries
who couldn’t expand their coalition beyond young and non-Black voters.
He
said he was heartened by how far he had come — he had been in two Black
churches himself that morning — but it was easy to pick up traces of wishing he
had more time.
“One
of the greatest challenges has been having to introduce myself, because when we
started this race, one percent of New Yorkers knew who I was,” Mamdani told me,
adding that he believes his affordability message “resonates” but “the question
is whether we can it with as many people
as possible.”
As
with Cuomo, though for far less time, Mamdani worked in politics a bit before
taking the plunge himself as a candidate. So for all his progressive proposals,
there’s also a hunger to win and an inevitable tension between principle and
politics.
Some
of Mamdani’s own advisers are eager for him to assure more moderate New Yorkers
that he won’t revert to his defund-the-police calls from the Black Lives Matter era. The easiest way to do that would
be to signal he’d retain Jessica Tisch, the popular police commissioner,
heiress and good news story of the otherwise cringey Adams administration.
“I
would consider doing so,” he said, praising Tisch’s efforts to root out
corruption. Mamdani wouldn’t go any further, though, saying “these
conversations are ones that I will engage in after the primary.”
Of
course, that may be too late.
He
had said at his rally the night before that “the days of moral victories are
over,” but Mamdani is self-aware enough to know how far he’s come in his first
citywide race — and that this won’t be his last campaign.
“As
a Muslim democratic socialist, I am no stranger to bad PR,” he joked.
And
after I asked him about the three rings he wears and wondered where he was
hiding his Bowdoin class ring, he shot back: “That’s for the re-elect.”
Jonathan Martin is POLITICO’s senior political
columnist and politics bureau chief. He’s covered elections in every corner of
America and co-authored a best-selling book about Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
His reported column chronicles the inside conversations and major trends
shaping U.S. politics.
Times
A31X53 FROM TIMES of ISRAEL
Gnawing at the problem
Jewish New York City mayor candidate vows to tackle rats
City comptroller Brad Lander takes aim at rat-hating
mayor Eric Adams with new anti-rodent campaign plank
By Luke Tress 14 April 2025, 6:45 pm
NEW YORK — Jewish
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, a candidate for city mayor, has sparred
with his rivals about antisemitism, public safety and
city transportation.
But last week, he took a break from
his Passover preparations to open a new front in the race: rats.
“New York City’s trash collection policy has turned our
city into an all-night rat buffet,” Lander
said in a campaign video set to ominous
music. “I’m in this rat race for mayor because it doesn’t have to be that way.”
“Cleaner streets, fewer rats, happier New
Yorkers,” Lander vowed.
Lander took specific
aim at New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who holds a famous hatred of the
rodents. Adams has repeatedly voiced his loathing for rats, pledged to kill
them, hosted a “National Urban Rat Summit,” appointed the city’s first “Rat
Czar,” and declared, “Rats don’t run our city.”
“The rats may be
listening and we want to surprise them,” Adams warned in a 2022 speech on “rat mitigation.”
“I hate rats and we want to get rid of rats. That is what
we need to do. We’re going to kill rats,” he said.
There are up to 3 million rats in New
York City, according to a 2023 estimate by a pest control company that reported a steep population
increase in recent years.
Lander challenged
the rat-hating mayor with his “comprehensive plan to combat rats once and for
all.”
“Unlike Eric Adams’
‘Rat Czar’ gimmicks and trash bin chaos, Brad’s plan is smart, scalable and
actually works,” Lander’s campaign said.
Lander’s 4-page “Trash the Rats” plan calls for improved containerization, data-driven rat tracking, cameras to catch illegal dumping,
and a “Rat out the Rat” campaign encouraging New Yorkers to report rodent
sightings.
“We can make New
York #1 in keeping rats out,” Lander’s campaign said.
Lander is a
progressive with long ties to leftist New York City Jewish groups. As
comptroller, he is the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the city
government.
The comptroller is
the city’s chief financial officer and provides fiscal oversight to the mayor’s
office. Lander has had a
contentious relationship with Adams; the mayor once mocked Lander as “the
loudest person in the city.”
Lander is running in
a crowded field for the Democratic party primary, in June. Adams is running as
an independent.
Lander appeared to
be the first candidate in the race to roll out a rat policy.
Not all of New York’s Jews are on board with the city’s
anti-rat measures, though.
Brooklyn Jewish lawmakers have opposed a Department of Sanitation rat-mitigation rule that
required constituents to put garbage on the curb on Friday nights or risk
fines. Legislators said the measure conflicted with prohibitions against
carrying or lifting on Shabbat.
Late Nighter
A32X54 FROM LATE NIGHTER
NYC
Mayoral Hopefuls Mamdani and Lander to Guest on Colbert’s Late Show Election
Eve
By Jed Rosenzweig June
20, 2025 3:38 PM
New
York City Comptroller Brad Lander and Queens
Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani are running for the same job. They’re also
campaigning together. And on Monday night—just one day before the Democratic
primary—they’ll make a joint appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, turning their
progressive tag team into a late-night double act.
The timing is no accident. With former governor Andrew Cuomo
polling ahead in his bid to become New York City’s next mayor, Lander and
Mamdani have spent the last stretch of the race boosting each other rather than
battling it out.
The two candidates a
politically progressive ideology, but the city’s ranked voting system makes
their team up mutually beneficial, as well. Since voters can rank multiple
candidates in order of preference, Lander and Mamdani aren’t cannibalizing each
other’s support—they’re amplifying it. If one gets eliminated, their
supporters’ next-choice votes can go to the other, keeping at least one
progressive contender in the mix as the field narrows.
A Marist poll released Wednesday puts Cuomo in
a commanding lead with 43 percent of first-choice votes, followed by Mamdani
with 31 percent, and Lander at 8 percent.
Whether the move helps either of them close the gap is still up
to the voters. But in a field crowded with candidates and short on oxygen,
Lander and Mamdani appearing on Colbert together on Election Eve is sure to
make news.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Colbert has extended an
invitation to Cuomo leading up to the primary. LateNighter has reached out to
CBS and we’ll update this article when/if we hear back. As Governor, Cuomo made
two appearances on Colbert’s Late Show, both in 2020.
Usa today
A32X55 FROM USA TODAY use A
Some Democrats are finally standing up to Trump – even if it gets them
arrested | Opinion
Not all Democrats
are afraid to push back against Donald Trump's immigration policy. Some are
willing to be detained.
USA TODAY
AI-assisted summary
·
NYC
mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested by ICE while protesting their
actions.
·
Lander
joins a growing number of Democrats facing legal trouble for opposing Trump's
immigration policies.
·
Lander's
arrest has brought him more attention in the mayoral race, where he trails
Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani.
In safely blue areas of the country, constituents are asking
themselves who has the audacity to stand up to President Donald Trump’s extreme
immigration agenda. Earlier this week, New York City constituents got their
answer.
On June 17, New York City comptroller and mayoral
candidate Brad Lander was arrested by Immigration
and Customs Enforcement agents while escorting a man out of immigration court
in Manhattan. Lander, who repeatedly asked to see a judicial warrant for the
man ICE was attempting to detain, was held in custody for four hours. The
federal government is still trying to decide whether it will charge him with a
crime.
“We’re not just showing up for just a few families, or for the
strength of our democracy,” Lander told the supporters waiting for
him outside the federal courthouse. “We are showing up for the future of New
York City.”
While it’s unclear that Lander’s arrest will make any difference
in his chances to be New York City’s next mayor, one thing is now certain: He
is the kind of person the city and Democrats need in the Trump era.
Democrats should be
fighting Trump's systematic hate
Lander is now a member of an exclusive group of Democratic politicians who have
gotten into legal trouble for combating the Trump administration’s extreme
deportation agenda. These politicians are not doing anything wrong – they are
simply trying to stand up for the immigrants who make this country great.
Trump lied about the LA protests so you wouldn't see what
he's really doing
The first to face legal repercussions was Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan, who was arrested
in April and later indicted for allegedly assisting an undocumented immigrant
in escaping arrest.
Then in May, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested at an ICE
detention center when three members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation
arrived for an unannounced inspection. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-New Jersey, who
was also arrested that day, was indicted on June 10 for allegedly interfering
with immigration officers.
Less than a week before Lander’s arrest, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, was
handcuffed and thrown out of a Department of Homeland Security news conference.
This defiance is encouraging to see. People who have the
privilege of a public platform are putting their careers on the line to stand
up for those who are being terrorized by the federal government.
These actions, so long as they are peaceful, are how Democrats
should be reacting to the Trump administration.
We need a mayoral
candidate who suits New York
Until this moment, Lander had flown under the radar for the
duration of the city’s mayoral race. Despite his position as the city’s top
financial officer and an endorsement from a panel of experts with The New York
Times, Lander has been polling behind front-runner
Andrew Cuomo, a former New York governor, and Zohran Mamdani, a member of the
New York State Assembly.
Who is Zohran Mamdani? A Democratic socialist is running for NYC mayor. I hope he
can rally voters. | Opinion
It’s not that Lander is a bad candidate – he’s experienced and
policy-driven, and he has a progressive view of what the city can be. He and
Mamdani have cross-endorsed each other in the hopes of besting Cuomo in the
ranked-choice voting system.
Lander just doesn’t have Cuomo’s name recognition or Mamdani’s
charisma.
By getting arrested, Lander has shown New Yorkers that someone
is willing to stand up for their values of protecting immigrants.
We don’t have to elect Cuomo, who had to resign in disgrace in
2021 after more than a dozen women accused him of
sexual harassment.
Nor do we have to elect incumbent Eric Adams, who has welcomed ICE into our city against the wishes of the voters.
Lander is showing us that we could have someone who is willing
to fight the Trump administration while leading the nation’s most populous
city. And he's one of several showing Democrats the way forward.
City and state
A33X56 FROM CITY AND STATE
Brad
Lander’s moment
For the first time, for one full
day, the wonkish comptroller absolutely dominated mayoral race discourse.
Struggling
to break through as a front-runner in the New York City mayoral race,
Comptroller Brad Lander on Tuesday finally captured the attention of his
competitors and the hotly contested attention of Democratic voters in the city.
The
thing that did it? Being detained by ICE agents in immigration court.
Lander wasn’t the first New York City
mayoral candidate to get arrested in a highly publicized way. Bill de Blasio
was arrested in July 2013 advocating to save a Brooklyn hospital. In the
summer of 2021, longshot candidate Shaun Donovan was arrested at a Black Lives Matter protest. Eric Adams’ top adviser Frank
Carone implied Lander was seeking attention disingenuously, tweeting “Academy award goes to…”
But
Lander’s detainment – which lasted several hours but resulted in no
charges – was not a political stunt, he said. “I did not come today expecting to get arrested,”
Lander told reporters after his release. It was Lander’s third time in
recent weeks observing immigration court proceedings and, alongside other
advocates, trying to help escort immigrants out of their hearings to avoid
being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, who have
begun positioning themselves in the hallways of immigration court in
plainclothes and sometimes face masks to make arrests. In recent months,
routine court visits have become terrifying ordeals for many immigrants trying
to comply with court dates.
Brad Lander released
after hourslong detention by ICE
Here’s who’s running
for New York City mayor in 2025
Though
Lander was released without injury or criminal trouble, he said he felt like he
failed because the man who he was trying to help when he was detained by ICE
agents remains in federal custody and doesn’t have the same resources to fight
for his release or defend himself.
Lander’s
detainment nonetheless had the political effect of upstaging other candidates
in the waning days of the Democratic primary, including a large rally held by
former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in Manhattan. It also sent several of his competitors
– and many other elected officials – flocking to 26 Federal Plaza throughout
the afternoon to denounce his detainment – with the exception of Cuomo.
While
several thousand union workers attended Cuomo’s rally at Union Square park –
many cheering loudly as the former governor touted his commitment to “building
the best New York has ever been” – Lander’s arrest loomed large over
proceedings with much of the city’s press corps occupied further downtown.
Stories about Lander’s arrest ate up much of the day’s news cycle.
Speaking
to reporters after the rally concluded, Cuomo condemned Lander’s arrest and –
signaling that he’s also focused on the general election in November – blamed
New York City Mayor Eric Adams for “handing over the keys to Donald Trump.”
After
his own smaller campaign stop in Astoria earlier in the
morning, Mamdani was one of the first mayoral candidates to appear at 26
Federal Plaza to call for Lander’s release. “This is an example of how we can
stand up for immigrant New Yorkers,” Mamdani told reporters of Lander’s work.
There’s
roughly a week to go until the June 24 primary and tensions are high. As recent
polling shows the crowded Democratic primary increasingly narrowing to a
two-man contest between Cuomo and Mamdani, the other candidates are fighting to
increase their standing. It’s likely Lander’s arrest will benefit him in the
race – Trump and his immigration agenda are highly unpopular in the city – but
it’s perhaps too late to have a consequential effect on who wins.
Lander
was eventually released shortly after 4pm on Tuesday. He was accompanied by
Gov. Kathy Hochul, who arrived at the federal immigration court to push for his
release.
A
highly-anticipated Marist poll is also expected to drop Wednesday morning, giving candidates and their
supporters greater insight into where the race currently stands. The poll,
which comes about a month and a half after their first look at the race was
released, is widely seen as the gold-standard for political polling.
OTHERS
CBS
A34X61 FROM CBS
Who's
on the ballot in the NYC mayoral election? Meet the candidates in the
Democratic primary
The New York City mayoral race is heating up in the June 2025
primary election. The Democratic candidates faced off in their final debate last week, and early voting wraps up this weekend.
Eleven Democratic candidates are running to replace incumbent
New York City Mayor Eric Adams in a crowded primary. Adams is running for reelection as an independent, so he bypasses the
primary and will face the winner of the Democratic field, along with Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and fellow independent candidate Jim Walden, in the November
general election.
If former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo loses the Democratic
primary, he will still appear on the November ballot as an independent. If state
Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani loses, he will likely still appear for the Working
Families Party.
Early voting for the primary lasts for nine days ahead of
Election Day on Tuesday, June 24.
Get to know the Democratic candidates and where they stand on
the issues with these in-depth interviews from CBS News New York's Political
Reporter Marcia Kramer on "The Point."
NYC Council Speaker
Adrienne Adams
New York City mayoral candidate Adrienne Adams appears on
"The Point" with Marcia Kramer. CBS News New York
New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams hopes to break
the glass ceiling and become the first woman to live in Gracie Mansion --
and the first woman of color.
In our April interview, Adams spoke about suing to keep ICE off Rikers Island and the deadline to close the jail complex, her plan to
provide guaranteed income for homeless families, threats of federal tariffs and
funding cuts, Mayor Eric Adams' (no relation) decision to run as an independent and his relationship with the White House, navigating
the city's budget negotiations, how to handle quality of life concerns, and NYPD staffing and overtime strains.
Her message to New Yorkers: "I am the leader that will do
that work -- the leader that's already been doing that work. And all I have to
say, wife, mother, grandmother, give it to the woman, and we're going to get
things done, just move me over into that side of City Hall."
CLICK HERE to watch the full interview, and CLICK HERE for more from
her campaign.
Former state
Assemblyman Michael Blake
New York City mayoral candidate Michael Blake appears on
"The Point" with Marcia Kramer. CBS News New York
Michael Blake worked for former President Barack Obama and
represented the Bronx in the New York State Assembly. Now, he wants to be
mayor.
"I'm the only person who has federal, state and local
experience," he said in our February interview. "When you think about
who has to be a mayor, a mayor is a manager. We're talking about a $100 billion
dollar enterprise of a city where we can transform what's possible."
He went on to speak about Mayor Adams' relationship with President Trump, which he called
"unacceptable," and how to make the city more affordable under his
plan for "guaranteed income" and "local median income,"
along with affordable housing, universal child care, and bringing back
businesses to drive commercial revenue. He also d his thoughts on some
cost-saving policies from other candidates, and the impact of Canadian tariffs
on local utilities.
CLICK HERE to watch the full interview, and CLICK HERE for more from his campaign.
Former New York Gov.
Andrew Cuomo
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo made a big splash when he entered the race in March and has
been polling as the frontrunner ever
since.
"I know what needs to be done and I know how to do it.
Experience matters. Leading New York City in the midst of a crisis is not the
time or the place for on-the-job training," he said in his campaign
announcement.
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has largely
stayed out of mayoral politics since leaving office, came forward to endorse Cuomo, pointing to his
experience and leadership as governor.
"In sizing up the field in the race for mayor, there is one
candidate whose management experience and government know-how stand above the
others: Andrew Cuomo," Bloomberg said in a statement.
Cuomo announced would run on both the Democratic and independent
tickets, so he can be on the ballot in November whether he wins the primary or
not. He was a favorite punching bag in the first debate, as the other
candidates repeatedly brought up his sexual harassment scandal.
Cuomo was forced to resign as
governor in 2021 after the state
attorney general's office found he sexually
harassed nearly a dozen women and created a
hostile work environment. He denied the
allegations but ultimately
stepped down in the face
of an impeachment
investigation. “Handy Andy!” what would dad
say about his landlord $
His administration was also accused of lying about the number of nursing home residents who died during the COVID pandemic, and he is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice.
Cuomo did not appear for an interview on "The
Point." CLICK HERE for more from his campaign.
NYC Comptroller Brad
Lander
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander thinks it's time for new leadership at City
Hall.
A panel of New York Times
opinion experts has ranked him the
best overall choice for the job. Lander and Mamdani also cross-endorsed one another in the race, in part to unite
against Cuomo.
Lander was later arrested by ICE agents while observing immigration court in Lower
Manhattan, where many of his fellow candidates were quick to come to his defense.
In our February interview, he addressed Mr. Trump's threats to kill congestion pricing, Mayor Adams' since-dropped corruption case, Cuomo's decision
to join the race, and his plan for ethics reform at City Hall.
Lander went on to speak about the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration and the
economic impact, how to address homelessness and mental illness with supportive
housing, a plan to use the city pension fund to help municipal employees buy
homes, and how to increase voter participation and spread his message.
CLICK HERE to watch the full interview, and CLICK HERE for more from
his campaign.
State Assemblyman
Zohran Mamdani
State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani (born in Uganda to scholar
Mahmood… of Islamic/Indian) represents part of Queens and recently earned the
endorsements of Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the race.
The democratic socialist has built a campaign based on lowering the cost of
living, including a rent freeze on stabilized units.
A new Marist poll of Democratic
candidates placed him second with 27% behind Cuomo at 38%, and he previously
told Kramer he believes a significant get-out-the-vote effort could be
consequential. If there's a candidate who appears most likely to potentially
defeat Cuomo in the primary, Mamdani may be it.
In addition to cross-endorsing Lander, the assemblyman has
also cross-endorsed Blake.
In our March interview, Kramer asked him about Mayor
Adams' corruption scandal and turnover in his administration, what he thinks
about Cuomo and Speaker Adams joining the race, and how he would fund his plans
for free buses and universal free child care. He also spoke about fighting
federal funding cuts, his push to get younger voters to the polls, raising the
corporate tax rate, bipartisan politics and what brings him hope.
CLICK HERE to watch the full interview, and CLICK HERE for more from his campaign. CLICK HERE for a New York post expose linking him to terrorists)
State Sen. Zellnor
Myrie
State Sen. Zellnor Myrie took over Eric Adams' state Senate seat
in 2019, and now he wants to do it again.
"I'm a New Yorker through and through," he said in our
January interview.
Myrie, who represents part of Brooklyn, said he would focus on
making the city safer and more affordable, including a lofty plan to build a
million apartments and a law enforcement strategy that includes more police
officers. He went on to discuss how to address mental illness on the streets
and subways, Mayor Adams' progress on public safety and the mayor's
relationship with Mr. Trump, saying the city needs fresh leadership with
"integrity" and is "serious about the job."
He also spoke about how to address the MTA's budget gap in Albany, Gov. Kathy Hochul's inflation refund checks, threats to the state's sanctuary laws, and the deadline
to close Rikers Island.
CLICK HERE to watch the full interview, and CLICK HERE for more from his campaign.
State Sen. Jessica
Ramos
State Sen. Jessica Ramos also thinks the clock has run out on
Mayor Adams' administration. While she is still in the race, she made a
stunning announcement to endorse Cuomo, telling her supporters to rank him No. 1 on the ballot due to
her low polling numbers and inability to raise money. It was a surprising turnaround for someone who was
once one of Cuomo's harshest critics.
She said she now believes
Cuomo is the best person to take on Mr. Trump.
"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. "This wasn't an easy decision."
In our January interview, Ramos said her record is what sets her
apart, pointing to legislation to raise the minimum wage and expand
child care affordability. She answered questions about housing and "City of Yes," her plan for
property tax reform, addressing safety and mental illness on the subway. She
went on to speak about taxing billionaires, as well as helping small
businesses, funding the MTA's capital plan in the state budget, and some more
personal questions, like why she doesn't have a drivers license.
CLICK HERE to watch the full interview, and CLICK HERE for more from
her campaign.
Former NYC
Comptroller Scott Stringer
Former New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer ran for mayor once before, now he
thinks the second time is the charm.
In our interview from last December, he said he would lead with
"competence," referencing former Mayor Ed Koch's 1997 campaign
slogan.
Stringer answered questions about Mr. Trump's mass deportation
threats, his plan to align policing and mental health services, building
affordable housing and supporting congestion pricing. He said he would be "the streets mayor"
and look to expand the bus network and fair fares program.
CLICK HERE to watch the full interview, and CLICK HERE for more from
his campaign.
Businessman Whitney
Tilson
Whitney Tilson spent his
childhood in Tanzania and Nicaragua, climbs mountains for sport and
participated in the Stanford marshmallow challenge -- making him a mayoral candidate like no other.
In our January interview, the former hedge fund manager spoke
about his "disappointment" in Mayor Adams, taking a hyper localized
approach to public safety, growing the city's economy by making it more
business friendly (calling the loss of the potential Amazon headquarters in Long Island
City, Queens "crazy"), and how to address the cost of living and
housing affordability.
He also d his thoughts on improving schools and called for
lifting the cap on charter schools. He went on to speak about spending on
asylum seekers, and said he supports deporting serious criminals under the current
sanctuary laws.
CLICK HERE to watch the full interview, and CLICK HERE for more from
his campaign.
Additional Democratic candidates Dr. Selma Bartholomew and Paperboy Love Prince did not appear
on "The Point."
A35X62 From staten island live
ARTIST, REPEAT CANDIDATE TO APPEAR ON BALLOT FOR DEMOCRATIC MAYORAL
PRIMARY
By Paul Liotta |Published: Jun. 09, 2025, 11:17 a.m.
STATEN
ISLAND, N.Y. — A Brooklyn mayoral forum in April saw an early disruption from a
man in clown makeup and clown shoes.
Held
at Medgar Evers College, the event was focused on the “Black agenda,” and the
disruption was led by Paperboy Prince,
a perennial candidate (in a “Joker” as opposed to “Penguin” mask) who will be
appearing on this year’s ballot for the Democratic mayoral primary.
Paywall
POLLS
A36 FROM the MANHATTAN INSTITUTE
A39X71 FROM
X71 FROM MANHATTAN INSTITUTE
2025 NYC Mayoral Poll Cuomo Holds His
Lead One Week Before Primary Day, as Voters Express Unease with City’s
Direction
Between June 11th and June 16th,
2025, the Manhattan Institute conducted a survey of 1,000 likely voters in New
York City’s upcoming mayoral election, including an oversample of 644
Democratic primary voters to provide granular insights into primary dynamics.
The sample was drawn from a national voter file and weighted to reflect the
likely 2025 electorate on age, gender, race, county, education, party
registration, and 2024 presidential vote. Responses were collected using a
mixed-mode approach: online (400), SMS-to-web (420), live calls to cell phones
(153), and landlines (27). The margin of error is ±3.1% for the likely voters
sample and ±3.9% for the primary voters sample.
Despite the Big Apple’s
progressive image, the mayoral electorate takes a markedly more skeptical view
on crime, homelessness, and immigration than national narratives suggest.
Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani has energized a vocal progressive flank, but their
views on policing and public order are far afield from those of most New
Yorkers. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo, by contrast, leads the Democratic
primary and commands the broadest general election coalition—not because voters
are nostalgic, but because they’re uneasy. The picture that emerges is not of a
city in revolt, but of one seeking a course correction.
Full Results Available: Toplines
(General Election Likely Voters), Toplines (Democratic Primary Likely Voters),
Crosstabs (General Election Likely Voters), Crosstabs (Democratic Primary
Likely Voters)
Tuesday’s Democratic Primary
Our ranked-choice simulation
(Figure 1) shows Cuomo defeating Mamdani 56% to 44% in the final round. The
former governor opens with a 13-point lead in the first round (43% to 30%),
with the remaining vote scattered across City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams,
current Comptroller Brad Lander, former comptroller Scott Stringer, and others.
Cuomo maintains his lead through every round and comes within striking distance
of a majority in round 9 before sealing the win in round 10. The race remains
fluid, but with one week to go and despite the media narrative of a Mamdani
surge, Cuomo remains what he has been from the start: the frontrunner.
Five dynamics shape the race:
Black voters are Cuomo’s firewall.
He is the clear first choice among black Democratic primary voters (39%), with
Zohran Mamdani a distant second (16%). Cuomo’s path to victory depends on
strong black turnout (Figure 2).
Figure 2: More than half of
Cuomo’s first-preference votes are from Hispanic and black voters
Mamdani’s base is young,
college-educated, and overwhelmingly progressive. Among 18–34-year-old college
grads, 67% rank Mamdani first, compared to just 6% for Cuomo (Figure 3).
Figure 3: One in four of Mamdani’s
support base comes from 18–34 year olds
Issue priorities map cleanly onto
candidate support. Among Cuomo first-choicers, 36% list crime/public safety as
a top concern; among Mamdani supporters, just 5% say the same. Meanwhile, 59%
of Mamdani voters cite housing costs as a top issue, compared to 20% of
Cuomo’s. Voters who prioritize crime overwhelmingly break Cuomo’s way.
Final-round consolidation could be
the tipping point. Cuomo only clinches a majority after picking up Stringer and
Lander voters in the final rounds, suggesting that endorsements from
ideologically adjacent candidates may matter in the last days of the race
(Figure 4).
Youth turnout is the major
wildcard. Mamdani wins 60% of first-choice votes from 18–34-year-olds citywide,
compared to just 10% for Cuomo. If young voters turn out at significantly
higher rates than in past primaries, the race could tighten. For example, if
18–34-year-olds make up 24% of the electorate—double their in 2017 or 2021—the race becomes a
statistical tie. If their rises to 30%,
Mamdani would likely edge out a narrow win over Cuomo.
Figure 4: Cuomo is the
second-choice favorite for most candidates’ supporters—including a large of Adrienne Adams voters—while Mamdani relies
more heavily on support from progressive rivals like Lander
November’s General Election
We tested multiple general
election matchups with various candidate configurations. Party labels were
omitted due to lingering uncertainty around how each candidate will appear on
the November ballot.
The results show that Cuomo
remains the most electable option for Democrats. In a contest with Curtis Sliwa
and current Mayor Eric Adams (who intends to run in November as an independent
candidate), Cuomo captures 45% of the vote, compared to 13% for Sliwa and 11%
for Adams (Figure 5). But if Mamdani were to replace Cuomo as the Democratic
nominee, the numbers would shift dramatically. Mamdani’s vote drops to 33%, while Adams jumps to 19% and
Sliwa to 16%—a significantly reduced margin of support for Democratic nominee
(Figure 6).
Cuomo wins 45% of the vote in a
Cuomo-Silwa-Eric Adams-Walden matchup
Mamdani wins 33% of the vote in a
Mamdani-Silwa-Eric Adams-Walden matchup
The difference is especially stark
among black voters. In the Cuomo scenario, 54% of black voters back him,
compared to 14% for Adams and 2% for Sliwa. But with Mamdani as the candidate,
black voters are nearly evenly split: 30% for Mamdani, 29% for Adams, and 4%
for Sliwa.
We also tested a five-way race
featuring Cuomo, Mamdani, Sliwa, Adams, and Walden (Figure 7). Here, Cuomo
leads with 39%, followed by 25% for Mamdani, 12% for Sliwa, and 10% for Adams.
Walden receives only 3%. Notably, Cuomo performs better with Mamdani in the
race than Mamdani does without Cuomo, suggesting broader crossover appeal.
A Cuomo and Mamdani race ends in a
Cuomo victory
In a separate scenario where
Comptroller Brad Lander is the leading Democratic candidate, he earns just 30%,
with Sliwa at 18% and Adams close behind at 17%—once again pointing to a
fractured field and a modest ceiling for progressive candidates.
Across most tested general
election matchups, about 27% of voters remain undecided. But when Cuomo and
Mamdani go head-to-head, uncertainty drops to just 11%—a sign that the
electorate is polarized and locked in. Notably, 73% of Mamdani voters say
they’re unsure how they’d vote in a Cuomo-led general, and 44% of Cuomo voters
say the same about a Mamdani-led race—evidence of a base-versus-base primary
dynamic that could shift by November.
Public sector union endorsements
could also move the needle. Public sector union members and members of union
households comprise 27% of the electorate, with 53% of union members and
members of union households saying that they are somewhat or very likely to
vote for the candidate that their union endorses—14% of the overall general
election electorate.
Favorability
Among all voters, Speaker Adams
and Comptroller Lander hold the highest net favorability (Figure 8), with 44% viewing
them favorably and 28% unfavorably (net +15 with rounding). Cuomo, by contrast,
is the most well-known: 50% view him favorably, and 47% unfavorably (net +3).
Mamdani sits at 42% favorable, 36% unfavorable (net +5 with rounding).
The starkest divide emerges among
independents. Cuomo posts a narrow +5 margin with this group (48% favorable,
43% unfavorable), while Mamdani falls deeply underwater—just 24% favorable to
47% unfavorable (net –23).
Figure 8: Adrienne Adams and Brad
Lander top the favorability stakes, Elon Musk at the bottom
Click for larger view
As for other political figures,
Governor Kathy Hochul is only narrowly favored by city voters—47% favorable to
46% unfavorable—with particularly weak numbers among independents (35%
favorable, 55% unfavorable). Even among Democrats, her standing is relatively
weak: 54% favorable, 42% unfavorable.
President Donald Trump and Elon
Musk post nearly identical numbers in the city: Trump is viewed favorably by
26% and unfavorably by 71%; Musk by 24% and 70%, respectively. Trump’s
strongest support comes from men (33%), voters aged 35–64 (29%), Queens
residents (30%), and Staten Islanders (45%).
City Direction and Mayoral
Approval
New Yorkers remain pessimistic
about the city’s direction. Some 62% say the city is on the wrong track, with
only 20% believing it’s headed in the right direction. That mood is broadly d
across party lines: 68% of Republicans, 62% of independents, and 61% of
Democrats agree the city is on the wrong track.
Accordingly, Mayor Adams’s
approval rating sits at just 27%, with 7% strongly approving and 20% somewhat
approving. A full 70% disapprove—including 48% who say they strongly
disapprove. Despite being elected as a Democrat, Adams receives slightly higher
marks from Republicans (36%) and independents (34%) than from Democrats
themselves (24%). No major group in the city views his tenure positively.
Top Issue
The two most important issues to
New York City voters are crime and public safety (26%) and housing costs (25%).
This is followed by jobs, taxes and the economy (18%). No other issue cracks
10%, with migrants and immigration a top concern for only 7% and public
transportation a top priority for 3% (Figure 9).
Figure 9: Crime and housing costs
top the issue agenda
Click for larger view
There is a sharp age gradient on
the top issue, with older New Yorkers rating crime most highly, while
18–34-year-olds overwhelmingly pick housing as their top issue (45%). Brooklynites
are more likely to be concerned about housing, while people in Queens and
Staten Island rate crime as a bigger concern. Independents are more concerned
by crime (31%) than they are housing (17%) and rate the economy more highly
than housing (21%).
Policing
A majority (54%) of New York City
voters say they want to see more police officers across New York (Figure 10).
Only 17% say they want to see fewer, while 21% say they want to keep the
current number as it is.
Figure 10: A NYC majority for more
policing
Click for larger view
A plurality of every demographic
in NYC wants to see more police officers, including Republicans (85%),
independents (64%) and Democrats (47%). Voters in Staten Island are some of the
most likely to want more police officers, with 91% saying so. Black voters also
back more police, with 47% saying so and only 19% of black voters wanting to
see fewer.
Education
In recent years, chronic
absenteeism has risen sharply in NYC schools. After putting this to voters, 79%
said they were very or somewhat concerned by this, with only 16% saying they
were not very concerned or not concerned at all. Concern levels are high across
every group, including 86% of Democrats.
Migration
Concerns about the city’s migrant
influx cut across party and demographic lines. Some 63% of voters say they are
either very (37%) or somewhat (26%) concerned about the number of migrants
arriving in New York over the past four years. Just 14% say they’re not
concerned at all. The concern is broad: 59% of Democrats, 67% of
first-generation immigrants, and 66% of second-generation immigrants it. The one outlier is voters under 35—only
44% of 18–34-year-olds express concern.
Mamdani voters stand out sharply
from the rest of the electorate. Just 26% are concerned about the migrant
surge; 74% say they are not—almost a mirror image of citywide opinion.
When it comes to solutions, New
Yorkers are split three ways:
32% support deporting all or most
illegal immigrants;
27% support granting work
authorization without a path to citizenship;
32% support a pathway to
citizenship.
Even among Democrats, only 37%
back a full citizenship pathway. Among first-generation immigrants, support
drops to 23% (with 35% favoring deportation and 32% opting for work
authorization only).
Once again, Mamdani voters
diverge: 68% support a pathway to citizenship, and just 2% back deportation.
Voters are also divided on how the
city is handling the issue overall: 35% say officials have been too soft, 28%
say the approach has been about right, and 20% say it’s been too harsh. Just
25% of Democrats think enforcement has gone too far. Among Mamdani voters,
however, 49% say the city has been too harsh—yet another reminder that their
views are out of step with the broader electorate.
Housing
Voters see a dual remedy for
affordability: 46% say the city should both streamline approvals for new homes
and expand subsidies for renters and buyers. Among those who picked just one
approach, 21% favor deregulation, while 15% prefer subsidies.
Asked directly, the electorate
marginally favors streamlined regulations and making it easier to build new
housing (46%) over prioritizing community input when building new housing that
may slow the process (44%). These results are shown in Figure 11. There are
clear sub-patterns:
Men favor streamlining by +11
points; women favor community input by +6;
Younger voters (18–34) lean toward
faster approvals (52%);
Manhattanites are the most YIMBY,
50%–41% for streamlining.
New Yorkers are divided on
solutions to the housing crisis, but a plurality support streamlining
regulations and making it easier to build over prioritizing community input
Mandatory Composting
Voters are split on the city’s
mandatory composting policy: 45% call it a smart environmental move, while 46%
say it’s a waste of time and taxpayer money. But beneath the topline, the
policy is clearly polarizing:
Independents oppose it by a near
30-point margin (59% waste vs. 31% smart policy);
Republicans oppose it 64%–29%,
while Democrats support it 51%–40%;
Support is stronger among college
graduates (51%–43%); voters without a college degree lean negative (41%–48%).
In short: composting is a
culture-war marker. Democrats and college grads are onboard, but swing voters
and working-class New Yorkers are not.
Homelessness and Mental Health
Voters support compassionate
interventions—up to a point. Some 60% back converting vacant retail spaces in
subway stations into 24/7 drop-in centers for homeless individuals experiencing
mental health crises; 29% oppose. Support is especially high among
18–34-year-olds (82%) and Democrats (65%), while Republicans are split (44%
support, 44% oppose). And when asked to choose between focusing on outreach and
psychiatric services or prioritizing system safety, 63% opt for outreach, while
30% favor a safety-first approach. Republicans are the only group split evenly
(45% to 44%).
But this is not a rejection of
enforcement. Voters express a strong desire for both compassion and control,
with 76% supporting expanding NYPD authority to remove individuals who are
sleeping, using drugs, or behaving dangerously in the subway system (Figure
12). That includes 86% of Republicans, 84% of independents, and 72% of
Democrats; indeed only one group registers net opposition: Mamdani primary
voters (63% oppose).
Strong support for basic
enforcement on public transportation
Support for basic enforcement
remains broad. Some 59% of voters agree that cracking down on minor
offenses—like vandalism, public drug use, and fare evasion—is a practical way
to keep neighborhoods safe. Only 33% say this kind of enforcement is overly
aggressive. Even a majority of Democrats (53%) agree. Once again, Mamdani
voters break sharply from the rest of the electorate: 75% oppose enforcement of
minor offenses, with just 18% in support.
A37 X72 FROM MARIST
. Santiago/Getty Images News via Getty Images
June 18, 2025
NYC Mayoralty, June 2025
Cuomo Breaks 50% in
7th Round of Ranked Choice Voting
Andrew Cuomo leads the Democratic primary race for New York City
Mayor, but the contest has tightened. Cuomo is the first-choice candidate of
nearly four in ten likely Democratic primary voters, including those who are
undecided yet leaning toward a candidate. Zohran Mamdani places second with
more than a quarter of the vote. The remaining field receives support in single
digits. Last month, Cuomo outpaced Mamdani as voters’ first choice by 19
points, down now to 11. When calculating ranked choice voting round-by-round
estimates, Cuomo’s support rounds up to 50% in the sixth round. He crosses the
50% threshold in Round 7 with 55%. However, there are still votes on the table
that could be critical in determining the eventual winner of the primary. 11%
of likely Democratic primary voters are undecided on their first choice, and
another 11% do not choose Cuomo or Mamdani as one of their candidate selections
at any point.
Cuomo Crosses Threshold Round Seven of
Ranked Choice Voting
Marist Poll NYC Likely Democratic Primary Voters June 2025
·
In
the Democratic primary for New York City Mayor, Cuomo is the first-choice
candidate of 38% of likely Democratic primary voters. Mamdani comes in second
with 27%, up from 18% last month. Brad Lander and Adrienne Adams follow. Each
receives 7% of the vote. Scott Stringer garners 4% while Zellnor Myrie and
Michael Blake receive 2% each. Whitney Tilson has 1% of the likely Democratic
primary vote while Jessica Ramos, Selma Bartholomew, and Paperboy Love Prince
receive less than one percent each. 11% are undecided, a decrease from 17% in
May.
·
Cuomo
continues to do best in the Bronx where he receives 49%, similar to his support
in May. Cuomo also leads in Queens/Staten Island where he receives 44%. Cuomo's
support in Manhattan has increased (41% from 32% in May), while Mamdani's
backing is little changed in the borough. Mamdani's best borough is Brooklyn
where he has 36%, an 11-point increase from last month. Cuomo garners 26% in
Kings County, comparable to the 25% he received last month.
·
Mamdani
has made inroads among likely Democratic primary voters who are Latino.
Mamdani's support has more than doubled among this voting group (41% from 20%),
and he now leads the field among Latinos. Cuomo's support among Latino voters
has declined (36% from 41% in May).
·
44%
of likely Democratic primary voters say they plan to vote in-person on primary
day. Cuomo (40%) bests Mamdani (25%) as the first-choice candidate among those
who plan to vote on primary day. 43% of likely Democratic primary voters say
they plan to vote early at a voting location. The contest tightens among these
voters. Cuomo (37%) edges Mamdani (32%) by five points. 11% of likely
Democratic primary voters report they will vote by mail or by absentee ballot.
Cuomo (40%) has a double-digit lead against Mamdani (22%) among these voters.
·
When
calculating ranked choice voting round-by-round estimates, Cuomo receives 43%
to 31% for Mamdani in the first round among likely Democratic primary voters
(excluding undecided voters). Lander follows with 8%. Adams has 7%, while
Stringer receives 4%. Myrie (2%), Blake (2%), and Tilson (1%) each receives
support in the low single digits. Less than 1% support Ramos, Bartholomew, or
Prince.
·
In
the 7th round of voting, Cuomo crosses the 50% threshold and receives 55% of
likely Democratic primary voters (excluding undecideds). Mamdani places second
with 45%, Of note, Cuomo's support in the sixth round rounds up to 50%, but he
does not receive majority support until Round 7. In May, Cuomo received majority
support in the fifth round.
·
Many Primary Voters Following
Campaign
Are voters following the campaign? Three in four likely
Democratic primary voters say they are following the mayoralty campaign closely
(43%) or very closely (32%), up from about two-thirds last month. About one in
four are not following the contest closely (20%) or are not following it at all
(4%).
Take on Trump, Say More than
Seven in Ten NYC Dem Voters
72% of likely Democratic primary voters want the Democratic
candidate for mayor to oppose President Donald Trump. 26% want the Democrat on
the ballot to compromise with the President to find solutions.
Dem Primary Voters Say NYC is
Off Course
77% of likely Democratic primary voters think the city is moving
in the wrong direction. 21% say it is moving in the right one.
·
New York Times
A38X73 FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES
New York City Mayoral Primary 2025: Latest Polls
Updated June 21, 2025
Democratic primary
polls
These are the latest polls of the New York City mayoral primary
including simulated ranked-choice results for the first and final rounds of
voting. Polls from “select pollsters” meet certain criteria for
reliability and are shown with a diamond.
All pollsters
Select pollsters
Ranked choice: 1st roundFinal round*
Pollster
Sponsor
Margin
Andrew Cuomo
Zohran Mamdani
Brad Lander
Adrienne Adams
poll from
Manhattan Institute
conducted June 11 to 16
June 11-16
Cuomo +13
43%
30%
6%
7%
poll from
Center for Strategic Politics
conducted June 13 to 16
June 13-16
Don’t Rank Evil Andrew for Mayor (DREAM)
Cuomo +8
38%
30%
9%
9%
poll from
Marist College
conducted June 9 to 12
June 9-12
Cuomo +12
43%
31%
8%
7%
poll from
Honan Strategy Group
conducted June 5 to 9
June 5-9
Destination Tomorrow
Cuomo +17
42%
25%
14%
11%
poll from
Expedition Strategies
conducted June 3 to 7
June 3-7
Fix the City
,Democratic
sponsor
Cuomo +12
42%
30%
7%
6%
poll from
Public Policy Polling
conducted June 6 to 7
June 6-7
Justin Brannan
,Democratic
sponsor
Mamdani +5
30%
35%
9%
4%
poll from
Data for Progress
conducted May 30 to June 4
May 30 - June 4
New Yorkers for Lower Costs
,Democratic
sponsor
Cuomo +7
40%
33%
8%
6%
poll from
Emerson College
conducted May 23 to 26
May 23-26
Nexstar
Cuomo +12
35%
23%
11%
8%
poll from
Workbench Strategies
conducted May 14 to 18
May 14-18
Zohran Mamdani
,Democratic
sponsor
Cuomo +13
40%
27%
8%
7%
poll from
Honan Strategy Group
conducted May 15 to 18
May 15-18
Jewish Voters Action Network
Cuomo +21
47%
26%
12%
8%
poll from
SurveyUSA
conducted May 14 to 17
May 14-17
Cuomo +32
43%
11%
8%
6%
poll from
Marist College
conducted May 1 to 8
May 1-8
Cuomo +22
44%
22%
10%
11%
poll from
Honan Strategy Group
conducted April 16 to 17
April 16-17
Cuomo +28
53%
25%
9%
4%
poll from
Siena College
conducted April 7 to 10
April 7-10
AARP
Cuomo +18
34%
16%
6%
6%
poll from
Data for Progress
conducted March 17 to 24
March 17-24
Cuomo +30
47%
17%
10%
6%
‹ Previous
1 to 15 of 29 polls
Next ›
*The pollster’s simulation of ranked choice results are shown when
available.
Ruth
IgielnikStaff editor, polling
Polls of the New
York City Democratic primary for mayor show Andrew Cuomo with a lead over his opponents
in the hypothetical first round of voting. But few polls have him immediately
clearing the 50 percent threshold needed to win
without the race going to ranked choice voting. Zohran Mamdani has been
gaining, particularly when taking voters’ second preferences into account, but
in surveys that simulate the ranked choice balloting process, Cuomo clears the
50 percent threshold in the final rounds of voting.
About the data
Source: Polls collected by The New York Times.
Pollsters that meet at least two of the three criteria below are
considered “select pollsters” by The Times, as long as they are conducting
polls for nonpartisan sponsors. Has a track record of accuracy in recent elections Is a member of a professional polling
organization Conducts probability-based
sampling
Polls that were conducted by or for partisan organizations are
labeled, as they often release results that are favorable only to their causes.
Margins are calculated using unrounded vote s when available.
Credits
By Irineo Cabreros, Annie Daniel, Jon Huang, Ruth Igielnik,
Jasmine C. Lee, Alex Lemonides, Ilana Marcus, Dan Simmons-Ritchie, Jonah Smith,
Albert Sun and Rumsey Taylor. Additional work by Andrew Chavez and Isaac White.
See more on: Andrew Cuomo, Scott Stringer, Brad Lander, Eric Adams
·
full article
·
·
More on the N.Y.C.
Mayor’s Race
Candidates Interviewed by The
Times
·
Zellnor
Myrie: The
progressive state senator from Brooklyn has received some attention for
his proposal to create one
million homes and for his sincere, thoughtful demeanor.
·
Scott
Stringer: The former New
York City comptroller has tried to win over voters by centering his campaign on
improving life for families and opposing President Trump.
·
Brad
Lander: The city
comptroller, who has run as an earnest
technocrat with a stack of progressive plans, spoke about being
targeted by Mayor Eric Adams, universal prekindergarten and how he seriously
considered becoming a rabbi.
·
Zohran
Mamdani: The state
lawmaker from Queens, who is also a democratic socialist, has emerged as one of the
front-runners in the race by focusing on affordability, pledging to make
buses free and to freeze the rent on rent-stabilized apartments.
·
Michael
Blake: He emerged
from the debate as a scene-stealer for his attacks on Cuomo. He spoke about his
push to eliminate credit scores
on rent and homeownership applications and whether
it’s OK to put ketchup on a cinnamon raisin bagel.
·
Whitney
Tilson: The former
hedge fund executive, who has portrayed himself as an alternative to the
left-leaning candidates in the race, touched on his
love for cycling and his escalating criticism of Mamdani.
·
Adrienne
Adams: The speaker of
the New York City Council is running on a message of “no drama, no scandal —
just competence and integrity.” She spoke about her
experience and her middle-class upbringing in her interview.
·
Andrew
Cuomo: In his interview, the former
governor and front-runner in the race said he regretted his decision to
resign as governor of the state in 2021 while he was facing
sexual harassment allegations.
News and Analysis
·
Mamdani
Faces New Attacks: After a poll showed that
Cuomo maintained a modest but diminished lead over Mumdani, Cuomo criticized
the state lawmaker over comments he made on
a podcast about the phrase “globalize the intifada.”
·
Lander
Arrested: The city
comptroller and mayoral candidate was detained at an
immigration courthouse as he tried to escort a migrant whom ICE agents sought to
arrest. He received widespread support following the incident, but it was unclear how it
would affect his third-place campaign.
·
Mayor
Eric Adams: The
mayor has appeared regularly on Fox News and with other conservative
outlets. He participated in an interview with Sneako,
a conservative online content creator who has faced
bans from YouTube and Twitch for spreading misinformation and comments deemed
as antisemitic.
·
Cross-Endorsements: Mamdani and Lander, the two leading progressive candidates
in the race, have cross-endorsed each
other. Mamdani also announced a second
cross-endorsement for Blake.
·
Cuomo
Endorsements: Housing for
All, a super PAC representing landlords’ interests, announced plans to spend
$2.5 million on campaign ads to promote
Cuomo. Jessica Ramos, the state senator
from Queens, former Mayor Michael
Bloomberg, who donated $5 million to a pro-Cuomo
super PAC, and former Gov. David
Paterson have also endorsed him.
·
Mamdani
Endorsements: Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont
backed Mamdani, joining Representative
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in endorsing the front-runner of progressives.
·
The
Sprint for City Hall: Here’s
our limited-run series on the
critical Democratic primary race for mayor.
Related Content
A39 FROM CBS
Mamdani, Lander using buddy system against
Cuomo
By cross-endorsing each other, Zohran Mamdani
and Brad Lander are attempting to use ranked choice voting as a tool
against Andrew Cuomo. On Tuesday, Mamdani and Lander campaigned together and
asked voters to leave Cuomo off the ballot.
"Goal
number one, add our votes together to block Andrew Cuomo," Lander said.
Lander
also started using robocalls by Attorney General Letitia James and Jewish
activist Ruth Messinger to urge voters to leave Cuomo off their ballots.
"So
when you vote today, please rank five candidates for mayor. But do not make
Andrew Cuomo one of them," one call says.
On
the other side, many voters reportedly ranked Cuomo first and left the rest of
their ballots blank.
By
Marcia Kramer
Cross-endorsements could be pivotal
In a strategy to use ranked choice voting to their
advantage, Mamdani and Lander cross-endorsed each other by urging
their biggest supporters to rank the other second.
Mamdani
and Lander believe it can prevent Cuomo from winning and would have blocked
Mayor Adams from winning the primary four years ago. Cuomo has
consistently led in polling since entering the mayor's
race.
"Andrew
Cuomo's campaign is a house of cards. The two strongest progressive campaigns
can topple him, and that's exactly what we're going to do," Mamdani
said.
"I'm
proud to cross-endorse Zohran, because of his strong commitment to a more
affordable New York, and to stop the corrupt, morally bankrupt, unacceptable
Andrew Cuomo from becoming mayor of a city he doesn't even like," Lander
said.
Mamdani
and Blake also have a cross-endorsement.
By
Mark Prussin
A40X76 FROM
Truthout
X76 FROM TRUTHOUT
Poll
Finds Mamdani Winning NYC Mayoral Primary by 4 Points Over Cuomo
A poll released the day before the primary election shows Mamdani
ahead in the final round of voting, 52 to 48.
By Sharon
Zhang , Truthout
Published June 23, 2025
The
final independent poll released before Tuesday’s primary election in New York
City has shown democratic socialist Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani triumphing
over disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo by nearly four points in the last round
of ranked-choice voting.
According
to an Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill poll released Monday, Mamdani receives 51.8 percent of
the vote in the eighth round of a simulated ranked choice ballot, to Cuomo’s
48.2 percent. This is a 3.6-point margin, which is just within the margin of
error of 3 percent for this round of the poll.
The
simulation shows that Mamdani’s support rises substantially with subsequent
rounds of voting, as he splits much of the vote with city Comptroller Brad
Lander and other candidates in earlier rounds. In the first round, Mamdani
trails behind Cuomo, with 34 percent of the vote to Cuomo’s 36 percent.
However,
as other candidates fall off, Mamdani gets more of their split than Cuomo. In
the second-to-last round, for instance, Mamdani gets only 39 percent of the
vote, while Cuomo gets 41 percent and Lander gets 20 percent. But more of
Lander’s breaks off for Mamdani in the
last round, granting the progressive a win.
The
poll was released the day before the primary election on Tuesday, June 24. A Mamdani victory could have
reverberating effects across the country and potentially the world; even if he loses the primary race,
Mamdani’s landmark, upstart grassroots campaign has already had impacts on the way the left thinks about the possibilities of campaigning.
Also
(from various):
A
new poll with a margin of error of 3 points has Zohran Mamdani trailing the
former governor by just 2 percent.
By
Sharon Zhang , June 10, 2025
As
many commentators have noted, the race between the two leading
candidates is serving as a
referendum on the moneyed, old school style of the Democratic Party versus the
progressive wing that rejects many of the party’s entrenched standards pushing
it further to the right.
For
instance, Cuomo’s campaign is backed by numerous
billionaires,
including conservatives, with his PACs and super PACs spending over $24 million
on the race so far on top of the roughly $8 million that candidates are allowed
to spend directly on their races. Outside spending for Cuomo has
represented nearly
half of all outside spending across all New York City primary races this
year, City & State New York reports, with Cuomo PAC Fix the
City representing
the largest PAC in the history of New
York City.
Cuomo has the backing of powerful corporations like DoorDash, one of the top donors to Fix the City. The super PAC landed itself in
hot water earlier this month when a reporter posted a mailer by the group that edited a picture of Mamdani to make his
beard look darker and larger.
“This
is blatant Islamophobia
— the kind of racism that explains why MAGA billionaires support his campaign,”
Mamdani said at the time.
Other
wealthy and powerful people have lined up behind Cuomo, who resigned from his position as
governor in 2021 after nearly a dozen women accused him of sexual harassment.
Former President Bill Clinton, who has been accused of sexual assault and
harassment by numerous women, endorsed Cuomo on Sunday.
Meanwhile,
over the weekend, Mamdani was sharing
clips of
a walk he took from the top to the bottom of Manhattan on Friday. The
progressive has repeatedly
criticized Cuomo for not even living
in the city and only recently changing
his residency to his daughter’s apartment from his previous home address in
Westchester County, north of the city.
“On
Friday night, we walked the length of Manhattan, from Inwood Hill to Battery
Park,” Mamdani said on social media on Monday.
“New Yorkers deserve a Mayor they can see, hear, even yell at. The city is in
the streets.”
A41X74 from THE HILL
Cuomo, Mamdani neck and neck in final NYC mayoral poll
by Brandon Conradis -
06/23/25 6:00 AM ET
New York Assembly member Zohran
Mamdani has effectively drawn even with former New York Gov. Andrew
Cuomo (D) in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor and surpasses
him in the final round of a ranked-choice simulation, according to a new poll
released Monday.
In a final survey of the race from
Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill, Cuomo led Mamdani 35 percent to 32
percent overall, within the poll’s margin of error. New York City Comptroller
Brad Lander came in at 13 percent, followed by City Council Speaker Adrienne
Adams at 8 percent and former Comptroller Scott Stringer at 3
percent. Four percent of voters were undecided.
But the survey also allowed
respondents to rank their top choices, as the primary uses ranked choice
voting. In the first round, Cuomo led Mamdani 36 percent to 34 percent. In the
eighth round of voting, once all the other candidates were eliminated, Mamdani
came out on top, beating Cuomo 52 percent to 48 percent.
The ranked choice system for New
York City’s mayoral primary allows voters to select their top five candidates
in order of preference. If no candidate surpasses 50 percent in the first round
of voting, the candidate in last place is eliminated, and their votes are
redistributed to the other candidates according to how they ranked their other
choices.
The latest findings point to
continued momentum for Mamdani, a democratic socialist who has emerged as the
leading progressive choice in the Democratic race to succeed embattled
Mayor Eric Adams (D),
who is running as an independent. In the previous Emerson College
Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey, taken in May, Cuomo led Mamdani 35 percent to 23
percent.
“Over five months, Mamdani’s
support has surged from 1% to 32%, while Cuomo finishes near where he began,”
said Spencer Kimball, Emerson College Polling’s executive director. “In the
ranked-choice simulation, Mamdani gains 18 points compared to Cuomo’s 12,
putting him ahead in the final round for the first time in an Emerson poll.”
The survey is the latest to
suggest a close race as voters head to the polls Tuesday. A Marist poll
released last week found Cuomo leading Mamdani in the seventh round of voting,
55 percent to 45 percent.
Cuomo has been the clear favorite
as Democrats look to oust Adams, who was the subject of a federal corruption
case that was eventually dropped by the Justice Department, drawing accusations
that the mayor had sought to curry favor with President Trump.
A win by Cuomo this week would
represent a stunning resurgence for the former governor, who resigned from his
job as the Empire State’s top executive in 2021 amid sexual harassment
allegations and a brewing scandal involving accusations that his administration
concealed nursing home deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cuomo has earned the backing of
notable figures in the Democratic Party, most recently Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.),
the influential Black Congressional Caucus member. And while Mamdani has
emerged as the clear progressive favorite, scoring the endorsements of
Rep. Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.),
he has also drawn criticism from the establishment. Last week, The New York
Times editorial board urged voters not to support Mamdani, despite its previous
pledge not to endorse in local elections.
The Emerson College
Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey was conducted June 18-20 with a sample size of
833 likely voters and a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points. The first
round of ranked choice voting was conducted with a sample size of 800 likely
voters and a margin of error of 3.4 percent. The final round was conducted with
729 voters and had a margin of error of 3.6 percent.
NY
Post
A42X75
FROM THE NEW YORK POST
Shocking poll shows Zohran Mamdani overtaking Andrew Cuomo in NYC’s
ranked choice primary
By Carl Campanile Updated June 23, 2025, 10:28 a.m. ET
Lefty upstart
Zohran Mamdani has leapfrogged over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the city’s
ranked choice Democratic primary for mayor, according to a stunning new poll
released Monday.
In its
hypothetical initial round of voting, Cuomo’s lead shrinks to 3 percentage
points, with 35% of likely Democratic voters supporting him compared to 32% for
Mamdani and 13% for city Comptroller Brad Lander, the Emerson College
Polling/Pix 11/The Hill survey found.
City Council
Speaker Adrienne Adams follows with 8%, Scott Stringer 3% and 5% split between
candidates Zellnor Myrie, Whitney Tilson, Jessica Ramos and Michael Blake, with
another 4% undecided.
But since no
one garners the more than 50% of the vote needed to win outright, the ranked
choice system kicks in. That means that even if a voter’s first choice is
eliminated in successive rounds of calculations, their other picks could still
be in the mix and emerge as the eventual overall winner.
Mamdani
finally surpasses Cuomo in the eighth round of the simulated ranked choice
voting — 51.8% to 48.2% — in the latest poll conducted June 18-20.
“Over five months, Mamdani’s support has surged
from 1% to 32%, while Cuomo finishes near where he began,” said Spencer
Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling.
Mamdani
finally surpasses Cuomo in the eight round of the simulated ranked choice
voting — 51.8% to 48.2% — in the latest poll conducted.Paul Martinka
“In the
ranked-choice simulation, Mamdani gains 18 points compared to Cuomo’s 12,
putting him ahead in the final round for the first time in an Emerson poll.”
Cuomo had led
Mamdani by 12 points in the initial ballot in the Emerson poll last month and still finished up 8 points ahead of
Mamdani in the 10th round of ranked choice voting at the time — 54% to 46%.
Mamdani has
Lander’s voters to thank for his surge in the new poll.
Cuomo has a 1 percentage-point lead — 40.5% to
39.4% in the seventh round — when Lander is eliminated with 20% of the vote.
Most of Lander’s voters then switch to Mamdani
instead of Cuomo in round eight — putting the Democratic socialist Queens
assemblyman up by 3.6 percentage points.
Lander cross-endorsed Mamdani as his preferred candidate if he
himself does not prevail. The left-wing Working Families Party also urged
voters not to rank Cuomo.
Other polls,
including a Marist College Institute for Public Opinion survey released last week, show Cuomo winning but Mamdani
closing ground.
Cuomo has a 1
percentage-point lead — 40.5% to 39.4% in the seventh round — when Lander is
eliminated with 20% of the vote.Paul
Martinka
The Emerson
College poll asked voters if they have already cast their ballots during early
voting or are waiting to vote on primary day, Tuesday.
Voters who
have already cast their ballots during the early voting period have broken for
Mamdani,
who holds a 10-point lead over Cuomo, 41% to 31%.
·
Early voters
in NYC’s Democratic primary question why Zohran Mamdani listed first
on mayoral ballot
·
What is NYC’s
ranked-choice voting system and how does it work?
·
Bernie Sanders makes
unprecedented endorsement in NYC mayoral primary
·
Who are the
candidates running for NYC mayor against Eric Adams?
Cuomo leads
Mamdani 36% to 31% among voters who plan to vote Tuesday.
There are big differences between the men by age
and race.
Voters under 50 back Mamdani by a 2-to-1 margin,
while Cuomo leads among Dems ages 50 to 59 by 63% to 37% and those over age 60
by 56% to 44%.
Black voters favor Cuomo 62% to 38% over Mamdani.
Hispanic voters also support Cuomo 60% to 40%.
But Mamdani leads among white voters 61% to 39%
and among Asian voters 79% to 21%. The Uganda-born Mamdani is Indian-American
or of South Asian descent.
Cuomo leads Mamdani among voters without a
four-year college degree 61% to 39%, while
Mamdani leads Cuomo among college-educated voters 62% to 38%.
Men support Mamdani 56% to 44%, while women lean toward Cuomo 52% to 48%.
The new
ranked choice poll of 729 likely Dem voters has a margin of error of plus or
minus 3.6 percentage points, which means the race is up for grabs.
Emerson
College conducted the survey by contacting voters by text on their mobile
phones and by landline robocalls along with an online panel of voters.
In the last
poll before the 2021 Democratic primary for mayor, the Emerson College poll had Eric Adams leading Kathryn Garcia 52% to 48%. Adams
won by less than 1 percentage point.
1.2K
What do you
think? Post a comment.
The Cuomo camp dismissed the Emerson College survey
as off the mark.
“This is an outlier: Every other credible poll in
this election — including two released last week — has shown Governor Cuomo
with a double digit lead, which is exactly where this election will end
tomorrow,” said Cuomo campaign spokesman Rich Azzopardi.
“Between now
and then we will continue to fight for every vote like he will fight for every
New Yorker as Mayor.”
Meanwhile,
the group Fix The City, a pro-Cuomo Super PAC, released its own poll
claiming the ex-governor easily wins the ranked choice primary, capturing 52%
of the vote in the 7th round to 28% for Mamdani and 20% for Adrienne Adams.
NYT
A43X77
FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES
Times Insider
A Bustling New York
Mayoral Race Reaches a Pivotal Moment
The New York
Times’s City Hall bureau chief preps us for the Democratic primary.
By Terence
McGinley June 23, 2025 Updated 4:23
p.m. ET
Tuesday’s Democratic mayoral
primary is a pivotal marker in the race to lead New York City.
One candidate who is polling well,
former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, 67, would be the oldest elected mayor in the
city’s modern history. Another front-runner, Zohran Mamdani, 33, a state
lawmaker, would be the youngest in a century.
Mr. Cuomo has a long track record laid with a style of governance that rubs
many the wrong way. Mr. Mamdani was unknown to most people before his
media-savvy campaign.
There are other prominent
candidates who are trailing in the polls but who may still affect the outcome
as voters use a ranked-choice ballot system for the second time.
In an interview with Times
Insider, Emma G. Fitzsimmons, the city hall bureau chief for the Metro desk at
The New York Times, explained the contours of the race.
This conversation has been edited.
One of your colleagues
described the final weeks of the race as “chaotic.”
How so?
First, the race is close. Different polls say
different things, but Andrew Cuomo, the former governor, has been
leading for months. Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist lawmaker from
Queens, has been rising in the polls. The current mayor, Eric Adams, decided
not to run in the Democratic primary and is running as an independent in the
November general election.
The race has gotten pretty nasty
in the final weeks. Cuomo is attacking Mamdani; a super PAC that is supporting
Cuomo is running millions of dollars’ worth of advertisements calling Mamdani
radical, and some people believe those advertisements are Islamophobic because
Mamdani is Muslim. Mamdani is hitting Cuomo pretty hard, saying he’s the
candidate of the billionaire class and that he’s a disgraced former politician
who doesn’t deserve a second chance.
A year ago, for different
reasons, it seemed unlikely that Mamdani and Cuomo would be in the positions
they are in today. How did they get here?
Cuomo has made a coalition that
includes a lot of elected officials and union leaders who had called on him to
resign after he was accused of
sexual harassment.
He’s made the case that he has experience, that he’s the sensible
alternative to Mayor Eric Adams, whose first term has been turbulent, and that
he’s the alternative to the left-leaning candidates in the race.
A lot of voters say they have positive memories of Cuomo’s
daily news briefing during the coronavirus pandemic. New York City was
the epicenter, and those briefings comforted them. And the #MeToo movement does not appear to be as central of
an issue for voters as it was in 2021, when Cuomo resigned.
Cuomo has said, I did all of these
things as governor: I opened the Second Avenue subway line; I rebuilt LaGuardia
Airport; I raised the minimum wage; and I’m going to get things done as mayor.
A lot of voters are buying that argument and view him as someone who might
stand up to President Trump.
Trump Administration: Live Updates
· Florida is building an
‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention center for migrants in the Everglades.
· The government can deport
a group of migrants to South Sudan, the justices say.
· Media Matters sues F.T.C.
over advertising investigation.
Mamdani has focused on
affordability. He has populist ideas that have taken off. He wants to make
buses free; freeze the rent on rent-stabilized apartments; make universal child
care a reality; and create subsidized city-owned grocery stores.
This is the second mayoral
election using ranked-choice voting. What have you heard from voters and
candidates preparing to use this system for a second time?
I was out with one of Mamdani’s
canvassing teams while they were door-knocking. Voters still don’t entirely
understand the system. The campaigns are educating voters about the process. I
think it really comes from the lesson of the 2021 race. Mayor Eric Adams ended
up beating the second-place candidate, Kathryn Garcia, the former sanitation
commissioner, by less than 8,000 votes. The takeaway from the campaigns was
that if she and Maya Wiley, the third-place candidate, had cross-endorsed each
other, one of them would have beaten Adams.
Mamdani and Brad Lander, the city
comptroller, did the city’s first ever cross-endorsement under this system.
They’re trying to combine their voters.
In recent elections, whoever
emerged from the Democratic primary was likely to be the city’s next mayor.
This year, that is less certain. Why?
In the November general election,
we could have five major candidates on the ballot. There is no ranked-choice
voting in the general election, so the vote could be split five different ways,
and you could win the race with 30 percent of support.
Mayor Eric Adams is running as an
independent. You’d have the winner of the Democratic primary. Curtis Sliwa is
running again as a Republican. Jim Walden, a prominent lawyer who has raised a
lot of money, is running as an independent. If Cuomo wins the primary and is on
the ballot as a Democrat, there is a chance that the Working Families Party
will list Mamdani or another candidate on their ballot line. If Mamdani wins
the Democratic primary, Cuomo could run as an independent on his own ballot
line.
Talk to me about the Democratic
electorate in this city and the voting groups that will decide the primary.
It’s helpful to look at the 2021
race. There were different coalitions. Eric Adams that year got a lot of
support from Black, Latino and Asian voters. He won a lot of the neighborhoods
outside of Manhattan. Maya Wiley, a civil rights attorney, won many progressive
voters. Then you had Kathryn Garcia, who won voters who were looking for a
candidate who could do the nuts and bolts of governance.\
There are different voting blocs,
and the candidates are vying for them in different ways. Mamdani has risen
recently with Latino voters, which is important. He’s trying to expand his coalition
beyond just progressive voters. He is a Muslim; he’s an immigrant; his parents
are from India, so he’s been reaching out to South Asian voters. Cuomo has been
securing support among Orthodox Jewish leaders, an important voting bloc in New
York City. Black voters are up for grabs. Cuomo is quite popular among women
voters and older voters, so there’s also an age divide.
RESULTS
A44X81
from SPECTRUM NEWS (NY)
Mayoral hopefuls weigh in on Iran strikes as early voting wraps
BY Courtney Gross New York
City
PUBLISHED 8:25 AM ET Jun. 23, 2025
Candidates for mayor crisscrossed
the city Sunday, making last-minute pitches to voters on the final day of early
voting, a day that also saw foreign policy take center stage on the campaign
trail following U.S. military strikes in Iran.
The attack, reportedly targeting
Iranian nuclear sites, prompted swift reaction from the Democratic mayoral
hopefuls, including former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“I think the world is a safer
place without Iran having nuclear weapons, yes,” Cuomo said.
What
You Need To Know
·
U.S. strikes
on Iranian nuclear sites made its way onto the campaign trail on Sunday
·
The
developing international situation may have overshadowed the final hours of
early voting
·
With high turnout
during the nine-day early voting period, questions also remain about how an
ongoing heat wave could affect voter participation on Tuesday
Still, he
criticized the decision-making process behind the attack.
“I do believe [President Donald
Trump] should’ve consulted Congress. I believe this is more of the same. This
is Trump saying, ‘I don’t have to follow the rules,’” he said.
Cuomo appeared to walk a careful
line, questioning the constitutionality of the strike while supporting its
broader objective.
Other candidates took a firmer
stance.
“Unconstitutional. It’s going to escalate the risks of war and violence
and death for Iranians, for Israelis and for Americans,” said New York City
Comptroller Brad Lander while campaigning on the Upper East Side. “The way to protect Israelis and
Americans and Iranians is to reach a diplomatic solution, to make sure that
Iran doesn’t acquire nuclear weapons.”
In a statement, Queens Assemblyman
Zohran Mamdani also condemned the military action.
“Today’s unconstitutional military action represents a new, dark
chapter in his endless series of betrayals that now threaten to plunge the
world deeper into chaos,” Mamdani said. “In a city as global as ours, the
impacts of war are felt deeply
here at home. I am thinking of the New Yorkers with loved ones in harm’s way.”
The developing international
situation may have overshadowed the final hours of early voting, when
candidates were making their last appeals before Tuesday’s primary.
“The weather is not so great, but we can get through that. Please get
out and vote,” said City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.
With high turnout during the
nine-day early voting period, questions remain about how an ongoing heat wave
could affect voter participation on Tuesday.
“I don’t know the extent that the
Adams administration has done the obvious and necessary things that should be
done — cooling centers, precautions, etc. — that any competent administration
would do,” Cuomo said.
Analysts note that Cuomo’s voter base, which skews older, could be
particularly impacted by the extreme heat. Cuomo himself is planning to vote on
Tuesday, encouraging others to do the same.
Meanwhile, the former governor
received another endorsement over the weekend from former President Bill
Clinton.
A45X90
from usa today (ranked choice
NYC won't know mayoral primary results until at least
July 1, but they may have a clue
In
primaries, the city uses ranked choice voting, but first-place results will
offer a hint of who is ahead.
Anna Kaufman AND Ben Adler
USA TODAY
New Yorkers eager to
know whether former Gov. Andrew Cuomo or Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani will
win the June 24 New York City mayoral Democratic primary are going to be
waiting a while.
Unofficial results
likely won't be announced by the city Board of Elections until July 1, and the results
won't be officially certified until July 14.
Since 2021, in primaries
the city uses ranked choice voting, a system that allows residents to vote for up
to five candidates in order from their most preferred to least. If no candidate
gets more than 50% of first-place votes, which seems very likely based on polls of the crowded
mayoral field,
then the least-popular candidate is eliminated and their supporters' votes
redistributed to other candidates based on their lower-ranked preferences.
This process takes
time, meaning voters are very unlikely know the results on election night. In
2021, when current mayor Eric Adams (who is running for re-election this year
as an Independent) secured victory, it took several days to determine just how
close Kathryn Garcia, the runner-up, came to beating him after all the ranked-choice
tabulations.
But voters may have
a clue based on the first-place results: While Cuomo has consistently led among
first-place votes in polls, supporters of the candidates polling in third
through sixth place − City Comptroller Brad Lander, his precedessor Scott
Stringer, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and state Sen. Zelnor Myrie −
appear less likely to rank Cuomo on their ballots than Mamdani. As a result,
the most recent poll, a June 23 Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey, showed Mamdani
beating Cuomo 52% to 48% in the eighth and final round of the instant runoff,
even though Cuomo had 35% of first-place votes, followed by Mamdani at 32%.
Pundits such
as Ross Barkan and City & State's Tom Allon, say that means
Mamdani is very likely to win if he's ahead in first-place votes and he has a
good shot of winning the election if he's losing by fewer than 5 percentage
points for first place. On the other hand, Cuomo is safe if he's winning
first-place votes by about 10 percentage points or more.
A46
FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES
(see HERE for charts and graphs)
New York City Mayoral Primary Election Results
Eleven candidates are vying to win the
Democratic primary for mayor in New York City, the second time that ranked-choice voting will be used in the
mayor’s race. Polls have
shown former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani as the two
front-runners. The incumbent, Eric Adams, will run as an independent in
November.
Democratic
Primary
Latest results from 15m ago
93% of votes in
AP
Candidate |
First round votesVotes |
First round vote sharePct.First round |
Final round votesVotes |
Final round vote sharePct.Final round |
Zohran Mamdani |
432,305 |
+43.5%43.5% |
Ranked-choice tallies
expected next Tuesday. |
|
Andrew M. Cuomo |
361,840 |
+36.4%36.4 |
||
Brad Lander |
112,349 |
+11.3%11.3 |
||
Adrienne Adams |
40,953 |
+4.1%4.1 |
||
Total reported |
993,546 |
|||
+ Show all candidates |
||||
Democratic Primary. Initial results. Ranked-choice tallies
expected next Tuesday. |
Results by
borough
Borough |
Margin |
Votes |
Percent of votes in% In |
Brooklyn |
Mamdani +17 |
358,011 |
94% |
Manhattan |
Mamdani +5 |
292,361 |
91% |
Queens |
Mamdani +7 |
210,669 |
93% |
Bronx |
Cuomo +18 |
104,601 |
92% |
Staten Island |
Cuomo +9 |
27,904 |
>95% |
ManhattanBronxStaten
IslandBrooklynQueensManhattanBronxStaten IslandBrooklynQueens
The Most Detailed Map of the N.Y.C. Mayoral Primary ›
See precinct-level election results from the first round of the mayoral
race.
Results by neighborhood
See how each candidate fared in
the first round of voting based on the latest data from the city’s Board of
Elections.
Neighborhood |
Margin |
Mamdani |
Cuomo |
Total votes |
Upper West Side |
Cuomo +5 |
30% |
34% |
54,820 |
Upper East Side |
Cuomo +16 |
29 |
45 |
46,911 |
Bedford-Stuyvesant |
Mamdani +43 |
64 |
21 |
31,931 |
Crown Heights |
Mamdani +26 |
55 |
29 |
28,056 |
Astoria |
Mamdani +52 |
68 |
17 |
26,101 |
Williamsburg |
Mamdani +27 |
56 |
28 |
24,109 |
Park Slope |
Mamdani +11 |
45 |
13 |
21,228 |
Washington Heights |
Mamdani +17 |
49 |
32 |
21,174 |
Harlem |
Mamdani +18 |
48 |
30 |
20,050 |
Flatbush |
Mamdani +16 |
50 |
35 |
18,291 |
Republican
Primary
Latest results from 9:00 PM ET
Republican
Primary race called
Curtis Sliwa Uncontested |
Sources:
Election results and race calls are from The Associated Press; mayoral precinct
results are from the New York City Board of Elections; neighborhood shapes by
The New York Times.
The Most Detailed Map of the N.Y.C. Mayoral Primary ›
See precinct-level election results from the first round of the mayoral
race.
Results by neighborhood
See how each candidate fared in the
first round of voting based on the latest data from the city’s Board of
Elections.
A47
FROM CBS
In NYC primary, Zohran Mamdani says "I will be your Democratic
nominee." Here are the election results so far.
What to know
about the 2025 NYC mayor's race and Democratic primary
·
Former New
York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani to congratulate him in
the New York City Democratic primary for mayor on Tuesday.
·
Cuomo
told his supporters that Mamdani won and that his campaign was "going to take
a look and make some decisions."
·
Mamdani,
a 33-year-old Democratic socialist, was ahead with an estimated 92% of the vote
in. He told his supporters, "I will be your Democratic nominee for the
mayor of New York City."
·
The
race will be officially decided by ranked choice voting after no
candidate received 50% in the first round of counting.
54m ago
Adams, Sliwa and
other stakeholders react
Mamdani's
apparent upset, similar to Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez's shocking win over longtime Congressman Joe Crowley in 2018, has left many
in the political establishment scrambling to figure out what exactly
happened.
Incumbent Mayor
Eric Adams, who is expected to announce his run for reelection Thursday, wasted little time
getting after the assemblyman.
"He will say and do anything
to get elected. Think about this for a moment: He wants to raise taxes on 1% of
New Yorkers, high-income earners. As the mayor, you don't have the authority to
do that. You know who has the authority to that? An assemblyman, which he
is," Adams said Wednesday.
Curtis Sliwa, the Republican
candidate for mayor, also weighed in.
"Nobody wants to go backwards
to Adams or Cuomo. They want to move forward. And if you don't get millennials
on board, who are going through exactly what baby boomers are going through,
you will lose this election," Sliwa said.
Meanwhile, the
results were championed by transit riders eager for Mamdani's promise of free bus
service.
"Bus riders make New York
possible. In Zohran, we finally have a mayoral nominee who sees us, values our
time, and is ready to govern as our rider-in-chief," said Betsy Plum,
director of the Riders Alliance.
On the other
hand, some Jewish groups say they're worried about Mamdani's positions on Israel, Gaza and
intifada.
"It is time for Mr. Mamdani
to move from disturbance to responsibility and to unambiguously reject and
reign (sic) in these actors with whom he has been strongly associated,"
said Rabbi Moshe Hauer, of the Orthodox Union.
By Marcia Kramer
2:03 PM
Cuomo
weighing his options for Nov. general election
Sources tell CBS News New York's
political reporter Marcia Kramer that donors have been calling the former
governor, urging him to stay in the race.
Cuomo previously
announced that he would run on both the
Democratic and independent tickets so he could be on the
ballot for the November general election, whether he won the Democratic primary
or not.
In an exclusive interview
Wednesday,
Cuomo said the primary is "not, necessarily, representative of the city at
large."
"That's why I qualified for an
independent line in November, I did that several months ago, because in the
general election, more people come out to vote. It's a broader pool, if you
will, of New Yorkers, more representative pool of New Yorkers," he
said.
Cuomo said his team is taking it
"one step at a time."
"I can tell you, there are a
lot of people who have a lot of concerns. They're concerned about the way the
city is running, in general," he told Kramer.
When asked who he would vote for,
if not himself, in November, he replied, "Let's see who runs."
"That is not an enticing
field of candidates to choose from, for me," he added.
By Renee Anderson
12:37 AM
Mamdani
claims victory
Mamdani claimed victory in the NYC Democratic
primary for mayor in a speech early Wednesday morning at his campaign
headquarters in Queens.
"Tonight, we made history. In
the words of Nelson Mandela, 'It always seems impossible until it is done.' My
friends, we have done it. I will be your Democratic nominee for the mayor of
New York City," Mamdani said. Zohran Mamdani addresses supporters at his
campaign headquarters after taking a commanding lead in the NYC Democratic
primary for mayor. June 25, 2025. CBS News New York
He spoke after getting a
congratulatory call from former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, his main rival in the
primary, and pulling ahead in the first round of ranked choice voting.
"Together, we have shown the
power of the politics of the future, one of partnership and of sincerity,"
he added.
By Mark Prussin
12:08 AM
Mamdani
addresses supporters
Zohran Mamdani addressed
supporters at his campaign watch party in Long Island City, Queens.
His remarks were
livestreamed on CBS News New York.
By Mark Prussin Updated 11:47 PM
Who is Zohran
Mamdani?
Zohran Mamdani, a State
Assemblyman from Queens, has a commanding lead in the NYC Democratic primary.
His mayoral campaign
is based on lowering the cost of living. His signature promises are a rent freeze on stabilized units, free city buses
and child care, creating city-owned grocery stores and building 200,000
affordable units of housing.
Mamdani is
endorsed in the race by U.S. Sen. Bernie
Sanders and Congresswoman
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He and Lander also
cross-endorsed each other in a bid to prevent Cuomo from winning.
His state assembly district
includes Astoria and Long Island City.
CLICK HERE to watch Mamdani's
interview with CBS News New York in March.
11:22 PM
Statement
from Cuomo
The Cuomo campaign released the
following statement from the former governor:
"I called Assemblyman Mamdani
to congratulate him on tonight's victory. I also thank my team, which did a
great job during this campaign. I want to look at all the numbers as they come
in and analyze the rank choice voting. I will then consult with my colleagues
on what is the best path for me to help the City of New York, as I have already
qualified to run for mayor on an independent line in November."
By Mark Prussin
Updated 11:20 PM
Mamdani camp
"exhilarated" after Cuomo's call
Shortly after Cuomo called Mamdani
to congratulate him, a Mamdani staffer said to CBS News New York, "The
vibes are good" at the campaign's watch party in Long Island City.
Mamdani was nowhere to be found
because he was off crafting the speech of his lifetime, one of his staffers
said. He is expected to address the crowd at some point.
The campaign said as soon as the
results started coming in there was a sense that Mamdani was overperforming,
especially in parts of Queens, like Flushing and Corona, where the assemblyman
did a lot of outreach to South Asian and Muslim communities.
By Ali Bauman
Updated 10:41 PM
Cuomo calls
Mamdani to congratulate him
Andrew Cuomo said he called Zohran
Mamdani and congratulated him in the Democratic primary for mayor.
"Tonight was not our night.
Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani's night, and he put together a great
campaign," Cuomo said to his supporters about 90 minutes after polls
closed. "He touched young people and he inspired them and moved them, and
got them to come out and vote. And he really ran a highly impactful campaign. I
called him. I congratulated him. I applaud him sincerely for his effort."
"I want to look at all the
numbers as they come in and this ranked choice voting and what the numbers
actually say and do," Cuomo continued. "There's no doubt there are
important issues that are facing this city."
No candidate received 50% of the
votes in the first round of counting and the race will be decided by ranked
choice voting.
By Mark Prussin
Updated 5:50 PM / June 24, 2025
How does
ranked choice voting work?
Ranked choice
voting, also called instant runoff voting, allows voters
to rank candidates from their first choice to their fifth. Advocates of ranked
choice voting say it gives more diverse candidates a chance in competitive
races.
Voters can rank up to five
candidates, but they're not required to. Ranking just one, two, three or four
candidates is fine.
When votes are tabulated, all
first-choice votes are counted initially. If a candidate receives more than 50%
of the votes, they win. If no candidate receives more than 50%, the counting
continues in rounds until there is a winner.
At the end of each round without a
winner, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Anyone who voted for
that candidate will have their next choice counted in the following round. That
means your second choice is only counted if your first is eliminated. If your
first and second choices get eliminated, your third choice is counted, and so
on.
This process can continue until
only two candidates are left. At that point, the one with the most votes
wins.
This is the city's second mayoral
primary election with ranked choice voting. Mayor Adams won the 2021 Democratic
primary after
several rounds.
Ranked choice will not be used in
the November general election, where a simple majority is needed to win.
By Mark Prussin
10:15 PM
NYC mayoral
primary heading to ranked choice voting
With the first round of vote
counting mostly complete, CBS News projects no candidate is on track to hit 50%
in the Democratic primary for mayor and the race will turn to ranked choice
voting.
By Mark Prussin
10:01 PM
Adrienne
Adams: "I'm not out. I'm exhilarated"
City Council Speaker Adrienne
Adams addressed her supporters on Tuesday night. She was joined by New York
Attorney General Letitia James, who endorsed her in the mayor's race.
"You all know why I got into
this race. For you, for us. For everyday New Yorkers who see exactly what we
see and knew there had to be a change," Adams said. "We had to get in
this race."
She thanked James, her supporters
and her family.
"We are strong and we are
history-makers," Adams continued . "We stand on that strength
tonight."
"We've got a race to run.
Some people are ready for us to hang it up, but these are the same folks that
voted for ranked choice voting. This is why we're still in this, and we're
going to keep on going and see what the end is going to be ... I'm not down.
I'm not out. I'm exhilarated," she said.
By Jesse Zanger
9:56 PM
Bragg wins primary
in Manhattan DA race
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin
Bragg, who prosecuted President Trump's
hush-money case,
has won the Democratic primary in his bid for reelection, The Associated Press
reports.
In 2024, a jury
found Mr. Trump guilty of 34 felonies accusing him of falsifying business
records to cover up a $130,000 payment to adult
film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
Bragg was first elected Manhattan
DA in 2021.
CLICK HERE to see more
key race results.
By Mark Prussin
9:35 PM
Results
indicate high voter turnout
The first Democratic primary
results to come in are from early voting, which was available from June 14-22.
Polling suggested early voting
would favor Mamdani, and the results back that up, CBS News Executive Director
of Elections and Surveys Anthony Salvanto reported.
About 20 minutes after polls closed,
Mamdani was leading with 43.1% of the vote, Cuomo was in second with 34.5% and
Lander was in third with 12.9%. Ranked choice voting is used if no candidate
earns 50% of the vote.
CBS News estimates the total voter
turnout will approach 1.1 million, mostly in person on Election Day. That is
more than one third of the city's registered Democrats and noticeably more than
turnout for 2021's mayoral primary.
By Mark Prussin Updated
9:19 PM
What else is
on the ballot?
In addition to the mayoral race, the
New York City public advocate and comptroller offices are on the ballot.
Incumbent Public Advocate Jumaane
Williams is running for reelection against Democratic challengers Marty Dolan
and Jenifer Rajkumar.
The Democratic primary for
comptroller includes Justin Brannan, Mark Levine, Kevin Parker and Ismael
Perez. The Republican primary includes Peter Kefalas and Danniel Maio.
These elections also use ranked
choice voting.
CLICK HERE to see more key race
results.
By Mark Prussin
Polls close
in NYC primary
Polls closed in the New York City
primary at 9 p.m.
As of the NYC Board of Elections' 7:30
p.m. update, voter turnout was 930,721. Here's the breakdown by borough:
·
Manhattan:
272,884
·
Bronx:
97,632
·
Brooklyn:
336,387
·
Queens:
193,881
·
Staten
Island: 29,721
By Mark Prussin
Updated 8:43 PM
Lander
energized, optimistic despite polls
New York City Comptroller Brad
Lander is among 11 candidates vying to win the Democratic mayoral primary. He's
holding his watch party Tuesday night in Brooklyn.
Lander gained national attention
earlier this month when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested him while he was escorting
immigrations leaving hearings at federal immigration court.
Lander voted early last week at
John Jay High School and has been campaigning across the five boroughs. On
Election Day, he didn't seem to be worried about the latest polls placing him a
distant third.
Lander said one
reason why he and Mamdani endorsed
each other is
because they don't want to let Cuomo near City Hall.
"I mean, I'm doing great. It
is hot out here but the energy and the hope people have for a better city is
really palpable. You could feel it," Lander said. "There is something
about the nature of the cross endorsement and people seeing politics as a team
sport for making the city better."
New York City Public Advocate
Jumaane Williams' camp told CBS News New York he would join Lander on Tuesday night.
By Jennifer Bisram
Updated 8:22 PM
Mamdani's
momentum spearheaded by young voters
Queens
Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani was spending Tuesday night at a roof-top bar in
Long Island City, a fitting venue for the millennial progressive candidate
who has energized younger Democrats.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic
socialist, was once considered a dark horse in this race. He has since been
climbing the polls, with at least one showing him neck and neck with
former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
His campaign promise is to lower
the cost of living by freezing rent for stabilized tenants, making city buses
and child care free, building 200,000 affordable housing units, and creating
city-owned grocery stores.
Mamdani says he plans to pay for
it by raising the corporate tax and taxing top earners a flat 2%.
"What we offer is a vision to
keep New Yorkers in the place that they call home, and an antidote to the Trump
administration and the hatred and the division that it spews," Mamdani
said. "We are showing people that hope is not something that is naive. It
is, in fact, righteous when it is built upon a plan and a vision. We are
showing New York City that a better day is possible, and today is the first of
many of them."
Mamdani is endorsed by Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and the Working
Families Party. Democrats around the country are watching this race and this
candidate in particular, because if Mamdani succeeds in one of the first
elections since Donald Trump returned to office, it could signal to the party
what type of candidate Democratic voters are hungry for.
By Ali Bauman
Updated 8:04 PM
Cuomo closely
monitoring Bronx voter turnout
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been
the frontrunner in New York City's mayoral primary since announcing his
run back on March 1.
But what looked like a relatively easy path to the nomination has hit some road
bumps, thanks to a surge by
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani and a feisty challenge from progressive
Brad Lander.
On Tuesday night, Cuomo was
closely monitoring turnout with his supporters in the West Village, keeping a
particular eye on the Bronx. A good night for his campaign would mean at least
50% of the primary vote cast in the borough.
Cuomo needs to run up big
margins in
the Bronx. The borough is so important, the campaign sent his long-time top
aide Melissa DeRosa to Co-Op city to engage voters.
Volunteer Sarah Danzig said she
was happy to hear more than 200,000 voters went to polling places citywide
before noon.
"People are going to work
today. People don't stay home because it's hot. A lot of people voted early
this morning. There were lines everywhere that we saw this morning. I do think
that people will vote after 4 p.m., but voters like to vote, and Cuomo voters,
in particular, like to vote, so we're feeling pretty good about it,"
Danzig said.
Cuomo and his team would love to
finish Tuesday night with close to 40% of the overall vote, which would set him
up nicely for the next phase of ranked choice voting.
The software company AdImpact says this primary saw $37 million in ad spending,
with Cuomo spending $20 million, or more than all the other candidates
combined.
By Tony Aiello
Mamdani,
Lander using buddy system against Cuomo
By cross-endorsing each
other,
Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander are attempting to use ranked choice voting as a tool
against Andrew Cuomo. On Tuesday, Mamdani and Lander campaigned together and
asked voters to leave Cuomo off the ballot.
"Goal number one, add our
votes together to block Andrew Cuomo," Lander said.
Lander also started using
robocalls by Attorney General Letitia James and Jewish activist Ruth Messinger
to urge voters to leave Cuomo off their ballots.
"So when you vote today,
please rank five candidates for mayor. But do not make Andrew Cuomo one of
them," one call says.
On the other side, many voters reportedly
ranked Cuomo first and left the rest of their ballots blank.
By Marcia Kramer
Cross-endorsements
could be pivotal
In a strategy to
use ranked choice voting to their
advantage, Mamdani and Lander cross-endorsed each
other by
urging their biggest supporters to rank the other second.
Mamdani and Lander believe it can
prevent Cuomo from winning and would have blocked Mayor Adams from winning the
primary four years ago. Cuomo has consistently led in polling since entering the mayor's
race.
"Andrew Cuomo's campaign is a
house of cards. The two strongest progressive campaigns can topple him, and
that's exactly what we're going to do," Mamdani said.
"I'm proud to cross-endorse
Zohran, because of his strong commitment to a more affordable New York, and to
stop the corrupt, morally bankrupt, unacceptable Andrew Cuomo from becoming
mayor of a city he doesn't even like," Lander said.
Mamdani and Blake also have a
cross-endorsement.
By Mark Prussin
A48
FROM FOX (SAN ANTONIO)
NYC Mayor Adams calls general election foe Mamdani 'snake oil salesman'
by RAY LEWIS | The National
News Desk Wed, June 25th 2025 at 1:01
PM Updated Wed, June 25th 2025 at
1:24 PM
NEW YORK CITY (TNND) — New
York City Mayor Eric Adams called Democratic Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani of
District 36, who is the party’s candidate in the city’s mayoral election, a
snake oil salesman Wednesday.
Fox News host Lawrence Jones, who was co-interviewing Adams on Fox and
Friends, asked Adams how anybody could vote for Assm. Mamdani in the November
election. The assemblymember promises to freeze rents, create a $30 minimum
wage, eliminate bus fares and operate city-owned grocery stores, Jones noted.
“He’s a snake oil salesman. He will say and do anything to get
elected,” Adams replied.
The mayor pointed to some of Assm. Mamdani’s pledges, like eliminating bus
fares and taxing residents earning at least $1 million annually, as examples of
promises the assemblymember won’t be able to fulfill. State representatives,
rather than the mayor, have the ability to fulfill those goals, according to
Adams. The National News Desk could not verify the mayor’s claims, though.
“He doesn’t understand the power
of government and how you must making sure you improve your economy, raise the
standard of living,” Adams explained.
Assm. Mamdani has at times
described the primary election as a race between “establishment” politicians
and fresher candidates. He said during an appearance on Monday’s edition of The
Late Show with Stephen Colbert that the election represents a question of how
the Democratic Party progresses.
“Do we move forward with the same
politicians of the past, the same policies of the past that delivered us this
present, or do we move forward with a new generation of leadership, one that is
actually looking to serve the people?” Assm. Mamdani said.
Adams, who is running as an
independent candidate for the general election, claimed during the Fox and
Friends interview that Mamdani doesn’t have any “record.” The mayor pointed to
his accomplishments since assuming office in 2022 in contrast.
“I delivered for this city, and
we’re not going backwards. We’re not going into a place where we wanna defund
the police, don’t invest in jobs, where we believe we can make broken promises
that we can’t deliver,” Adams said. “I delivered on every promise I gave to this
city.”
Assm. Mamdani has promised to
create a “Department of Community Safety” to prevent violence and prioritize
“solutions” “shown to improve safety.” He has also pledged to raise the
corporate tax rate to pay for cost-of-living initiatives, an action he said
would earn the city $5 billion.
A49 FROM AXIOS
Why
the NYC mayoral election may be a five-way race in November
By
Jason Lalljee
Zohran
Mamdani's stunning mayoral primary win in New York City on Tuesday night is a
major step for the state assemblyman, but the race isn't over yet.
Why
it matters: In the general election, Mamdani, a democratic socialist, will face
off Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent. There's also still a
chance that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who conceded the Democratic nomination,
runs as an independent as well.
State
of play: For the past three mayoral cycles, a Democratic primary win has
fast-tracked a win in the November general election, due to the party's
majority of registered voters and limited competition from Republican and
independent candidates. This year, however, could be shaping up to be a
five-way race.
Here's
the rest of the timeline for the mayoral election:
The
Democratic primary still has to dot its i's and cross its t's.
• This is New York City's second election
cycle with ranked-choice voting, meaning that if no candidate secures more than
50% of the vote, the election transitions into elimination rounds.
• Mamdani came close with 43.5% of round
one votes, but didn't quite clear the bar.
• The city's Board of Elections will complete the
ranked-choice tally on Tuesday, July 1, until a candidate notches more than
50%.
How
it works: With ranked choice, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated
first.
• Voters who ranked the eliminated
candidate first have their second choice counted. If a voter's first and second
choices are eliminated, their vote is counted for their next choice, and so on.
• That process continues until a candidate
secures 50% of votes.
Yes
But: Despite his concession, Cuomo may be back for the general election.
• Cuomo left the door open to running as
an independent, saying in his concession speech that he will be giving
"some thought" to what comes next.
• He has registered to run on the "Fight and Deliver"
ballot line.
Adams
is running for reelection as well.
• Following a fraud and bribery scandal –
with a federal judge dismissing the charges against him – Adams aligned himself
politically with the Trump White House and pledged to aid its immigration
crackdown.
• Adams has said that he'll run on one of
two ballot lines: "EndAntiSemitism"
or "Safe&Affordable."
The
other side Cuomo, Adams, and Mamdani will also face competition from two
lesser-known candidates on November 4.
• The Republican nominee, Guardian Angels
founder Curtis Sliwa is running on the GOP ballot line. Sliwa has previously
run against Adams in the 2021 election.
• Former federal prosecutor Jim Walden, a
defense attorney, is running a centrist platform on another independent line.
A50 FROM THE ECONOMIST
The meaning of Zohran
Mamdani’s win in New York
America’s biggest city takes a strange turn
Jun 25th 2025
LOOKING a bit shell-shocked, Andrew Cuomo, New York’s
former governor, conceded to Zohran Mamdani in New York City’s Democratic
mayoral primary on June 24th. Until recently, even the most enthusiastic
Mamdani supporter could not have imagined that the 33-year-old Democratic
Socialist, who until a few months ago was little known outside the
neighbourhood in Queens that he represents as a legislator in Albany, would
topple one of the biggest names in New York politics. Confirmation of the
result will come once all ranked-choices votes have been counted, which will
take until mid-July. The debate over what the result means, for the city and
the Democratic Party, won’t wait.
One way of interpreting this result is as a battle
between left and centre, in which the centre could not hold. Mr Cuomo is a
business-friendly centrist. The people and the money behind him reflect this.
He won endorsements from ageing Democratic heavyweights such as Jim Clyburn, a
congressman, and Bill Clinton. His donors included Bill Ackman, a hedge-funder
who also supported Donald Trump, and Mike Bloomberg, a former mayor (who
donated $8.3m to Mr Cuomo’s Super PAC).
On the other side is Mr Mamdani, a fan of
“solidarity” and free buses. He wishes to put city-run supermarkets in areas
without them. He wants to tax the rich. He is a vocal critic of Israel’s war in
Gaza, which endears him to some New Yorkers and alienates others, but which
says little of his ability to oversee the city’s 10,000 sanitation workers,
36,000 cops or battle its innumerable rats. He has been ambivalent about
whether the intifada should be globalised. Support from the Working Families
Party, a small progressive party, was useful too.
A second way
to interpret the result is less about ideology than campaigning. Mr Mamdani is
good at it, both online and off. Mr Cuomo ran like someone who first campaigned
in 1982, which in fact he did. Days before the election Mr Mamdani walked the
length of Manhattan: 21km (13 miles), from the top of Inwood, down to
Washington Heights, a largely Dominican immigrant enclave, through the Upper
West Side, with its dutiful progressive voters, across Times Square, and
finally to Battery Park, grabbing slices of pizza as he strolled. Mr Mamdani said he had 46,000
volunteers who blanketed the city.
Mr Cuomo rarely campaigned outside orchestrated
rallies in union halls or black churches. He coasted on his name recognition
(that 1982 campaign was for his father’s gubernatorial race). This may possibly
have reflected some complacency. He led polls even before entering the race,
despite having resigned as governor because of allegations of sexual harassment
(which he denies) and of undercounting the number of elderly New Yorkers who
died in care-homes during the covid-19 pandemic.
Perhaps this
race was not about campaigning or ideology, though. Mr Clinton and Mr Clyburn
were both born in the 1940s. Mr
Cuomo is twice his opponent’s age, but by the standards of many centrist
Democrats is a sprightly 67. Democratic primary voters are to the left of the
electorate as a whole, even in New York. But they are also fed up with the
generation of leaders that has lost to Donald Trump twice and yet clings on.
This election was about that too. Precinct-level results show Mr Mamdani did
best in areas with the highest share of millennials.
The contest
is not over yet. Having fallen for Mr Mamdani, the Democratic Party could find
that the prize of running America’s biggest city slips out of its hands. In
November’s election he could face Mr Cuomo, running as an independent, and the
incumbent, Eric Adams, who won as a Democrat but is one no longer. Mr Mamdani
would start that race with an advantage. But the rest of New York City might
not agree with Democratic primary voters about the wisdom of handing an annual
budget of $116bn to someone who is great on TikTok. At least one prominent New York Republican will be
delighted, though. “President Donald Trump might not mind having a pro-intifada, socialist, 33-year-old radical governing New
York City as his foil for the next three years,” says Jesse Arm of the
Manhattan Institute, a think-tank.
(See
NYC Board of Elections; NYC Open Data or The Economist for charts, maps and graphs)
A51 FROM GUK
Will the Democrats
learn from Zohran Mamdani’s victory?
By Bernie Sanders 25 Jun 2025 19.30 EDT
Too many
Democratic party leaders would rather be the captains on a sinking Titanic than
change course
The
Democratic party is at a crossroads.
It can
continue to push policies that maintain a broken and rigged economic and
political system and ignore the pain of the 60% of Americans who live paycheck
to paycheck. It can turn its back on the dreams of a younger generation which,
if we don’t change that system, will likely be worse off than their parents.
It can
continue to depend upon billionaire donors and out-of-touch campaign
consultants and spend huge amounts of money on dumb 30-second ads that fewer
and fewer people respond to.
It can ignore
the tragic reality that tens of millions of Americans are giving up on
democracy because they don’t see their government understanding their struggles
and the realities of their lives or doing anything about it.
Why
establishment Democrats still can’t stomach progressive candidates like Zohran
Mamdani
Or it can
learn the lesson that the Zohran Mamdani campaign
taught us on Tuesday.
And that is:
Have the
courage to address the real economic and moral issues that face the majority of
our people, take on the greed and power of the oligarchy and fight for an
agenda that can improve life for working families.
Some may claim that Mamdani’s victory was just
about style and the fact that he is a charismatic candidate. Yes. He is. But
you don’t get a Mamdani victory without the extraordinary grassroots movement that rallied around him. And you don’t
get that movement and thousands of enthusiastic people knocking on doors
without an economic agenda that speaks to the needs of working people. The
people of New York and all Americans understand that, in the richest country on
earth, they should not have to struggle every day just to put food on the
table, pay their rent or pay their medical bills. These are the people the
Democratic consultants don’t know exist.
Mamdani has
been criticized for his “radical” and “unrealistic” economic policies:
Demanding
that, at a time of unprecedented income and wealth inequality, the rich and
large corporations start paying their fair share of taxes.
Demanding
that, when many New Yorkers are no longer able to find affordable housing,
there should be a freeze on rent hikes.
Demanding
that, when commuting to a job takes a big toll out of a worker’s paycheck,
public transportation should be free.
Demanding
that, when many low-income and working people are unable to access good-quality
food for themselves and their kids, publicly owned neighborhood grocery stores
should be created.
These ideas, and more, are not radical. They may
not be what billionaires, wealthy campaign contributors and real estate speculators
want, but they are what working people want. And maybe, just maybe, it’s time
to listen to them.
Mamdani’s
victory was not about “star power”. It was very much about people power, about
revitalizing democracy and opening the door for ordinary people to gain control
over the decisions that impact their lives.
Importantly, he did not run away from the moral
issue that is troubling millions in New York and around the country: the need
to end US military support for a rightwing extremist Benjamin Netanyahu
government in Israel that is obliterating the people of Gaza and starving their
children. Mamdani understands that antisemitism is a disgusting and dangerous
ideology, but that it is not antisemitic to be critical of the inhumane
policies of the Netanyahu government.
The lesson of
Mamdani’s campaign is that it is not good enough just to be critical of Trump
and his destructive policies. We have to bring forth a positive vision and an analysis of why things
are the way they are. It is not good enough to maintain a status quo that is
failing most Americans. At a time when hope is in increasingly short
supply, people must have the sense that if we work together, if we have the
courage to take on powerful special interests, we can create a better world – a
world of economic, social, racial and environmental justice.
Will the current Democratic party leadership learn
the lessons of the Mamdani campaign? Probably not. Too many of them would
rather be the captains on a sinking Titanic, rather than change course.
Then again,
it doesn’t matter what they think. The establishment threw everything they had
against Mamdani – millions in Super Pac money, endorsements from “important
people”, a hostile media – and they still lost.
The future of
the Democratic party will not be determined by its current leadership. It will
be decided by the working class of this country. Increasingly, people
understand that our political system is corrupt and that billionaires should
not be able to buy elections. They understand that we should not have an
unprecedented level of income and wealth inequality; that we should not be the
only wealthy country not to guarantee healthcare for all; that we should not
deny young people the right to a higher education because of their income; that
we should not have a major crisis in affordable housing; that we should not
have a minimum wage that is a starvation wage; that we should not allow
corporations to illegally prevent union organization – and much, much more.
The American people are beginning to stand up and
fight back. We have seen that in the many Fighting Oligarchy events that we’ve
done around the country that have drawn huge turnouts. We have seen that in the
millions of people who came out for the No Kings rallies that took place this month
in almost every state. And yesterday, we saw that in the Democratic primary in
New York City.
We’re going forward. And no one is going to stop
us.