NYC mayoral candidates fight for position following deadly Midtown office shooting
Monday's deadly office shooting in Midtown Manhattan happened against the backdrop of a hotly contested New York City mayor's race.
Public safety and voters' perceptions about whether they can safely walk the streets has now been catapulted, again, into the top spot on the campaign trail.
Adams uses action to state he's best suited to run NYC
Extra police in high-profile locations -- stationed there by a mayor seeking reelection -- were a visible reminder Tuesday that the Park Avenue rampage could have a major effect on who gets to run the city.
The shocking attack had many of the mayoral contenders stating they are the best person to keep New Yorkers safe.
Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams took the added precaution of making sure there were more officers at key locations.
"You're going to see our critical response teams at our large shopping locations to make sure we protect the people of this city," Adams said.
Cuomo, Sliwa blast Mamdani's social media posts on NYC shooting
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo played up his handling of the COVID-19 crisis to prove his public safety bona fides. He slammed Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, and his raft of social media posts showing a lack of sympathy for the NYPD.
"This political defund the police far left movement has gotten it wrong," Cuomo said.
Republican Curtis Sliwa also slammed Mamdani, who was rushing back to New York City from a marriage celebration in Uganda.
"I'm the law and order candidate," Sliwa said. "He's the guy who wants to have social workers instead of cops and defund the police."
Being out of the country, Mamdani used social media posts to praise the officer who was killed, saying he wanted to "honor the legacy of service and sacrifice he leaves behind."
Mamdani has "some work to do," pundit says
J.C. Polanco, a law professor at the University of Mount Saint Vincent in the Bronx, told CBS News New York, for a variety of reasons, Adams, Cuomo and Sliwa are positioned to pick up support from voters worried about feeling safe, and Mamdani will have some work to do.
"It's an important time for him to come in and show that he can lead, say that he's going to support the NYPD, focus on safety, you know, ask for forgiveness for all of the awful tweets in existence about defunding them and calling them awful names," Polanco said.