NYC mayoral candidates Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo step up attacks as they look to woo Eric Adams voters
New York City mayoral candidates Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo intensified their attacks on each other Tuesday.
With just 35 days to go until Election Day, Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, and Cuomo, a moderate Democrat running as an independent, are looking to win over supporters of Mayor Eric Adams, who dropped out of the race over the weekend.
Cuomo has Trump donors as friends, Mamdani says
Mamdani had rock star moment as he walked along Central Park South, as people passing by demanded selfies with the young Queens assemblyman, who is looking to become the city's first Muslim mayor.
"While I'm fighting for Eric Adams' voters, Andrew Cuomo is fighting for Eric Adams' donors," Mamdani said.
Mamdani was on Central Park South to dramatize his charge that Cuomo has many rich friends, the so-called "billionaire class," including supporters of President Trump, who donate to Cuomo's campaign and super PACs supporting him.
"Andrew Cuomo has received $500,000 from a Trump-supporting billionaire, oil executive John Hess; $750,000 from Ronald Lauder, the man who's inspired Donald Trump's desire to purchase the land of Greenland," Mamdani said.
Cuomo responds in kind
Cuomo called Mamdani a hypocrite. He alleged Mamdani's super PAC accepts contributions from billionaires, shady tech company execs and Hamas sympathizers.
"He takes dirty money. His PAC took $100,000 from the Council on Islamic American Relations' Unity & Justice Fund, an organization whose leader said he was 'happy about October 7th,'" Cuomo said.
Cuomo held his event near police headquarters to dramatize his commitment to public safety and adding thousands of officers to the NYPD. Mamdani's plan is to keep the head count stagnant.
"I don't believe that my opponent has any understanding whatsoever about public safety, how important it is, and how important the NYPD is to New York City," Cuomo said.
Sliwa attacks land use proposals on the November ballot
Meanwhile, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa joined elected officials Tuesday in announcing a lawsuit against land use proposals on the ballot this November. They said the ballot measures take away community input on zoning issues.
"And I say vote 'no' on all the charter revision questions, all of them, to save our city, to improve, not to move," Sliwa said.
A previous suit by the City Council to keep the proposals off the ballot was blocked by the courts.