Cuomo, Pelosi Urge Defeat Of New York's GOP Congress

ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi say New York's eight Republican members of Congress must be defeated in 2018.

Pelosi and the Democratic governor told hundreds of union members during a rally at the Jacob K. Javits Center Tuesday that New Yorkers can play a key role in returning the House of Representatives to Democratic control.

Pelosi urged union members to vote out the GOP in 2018.

"Are we ready to take back the House?" Pelosi said. "We are fighting not for nothing less than the future of our families and the soul of our nation."

Cuomo said New York's Republican Congress members don't represent the state's interests. He called them "political pawns to the ultra-conservative puppet masters in Washington.''

"This is New York. And they don't know who they are messing with when they mess with New York," Cuomo said. "We need a movement to fight back and the movement starts in New York because New York is always the first."

At the rally, actor Steve Buscemi called out the president by name saying he wants to see Mr. Trump's birth certificate.

"I mean these things could be faked. He doesn't seem like a real New Yorker. Maybe he wasn't born here. Maybe he was born in Moscow? We don't know," Buscemi said.

While it's not uncommon for Democrats to criticize Republicans, Cuomo's remarks come amid speculation that he may seek the White House in 2020.

State Republican Chairman Ed Cox, who's a son-in-law of former President Richard Nixon, says Cuomo only cares about his national ambitions.

Cuomo says he'll seek a third term.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

• Andrew Cuomo
• Peter Haskell
• Nancy Pelosi