Former Gov. and mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo speaks to reporters earlier than voting within the Democratic major. Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
Photograph By Dean Moses
Impartial mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo on Monday contended that Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is dreaming an unattainable dream.
The previous governor says the Queens meeting member’s plan to get Albany on board with elevating taxes on companies and millionaires is an “impossibility” as a result of lawmakers outdoors New York Metropolis won’t help tax hikes solely benefiting the 5 boroughs.
Cuomo, who served as governor for 11 years, sought to tear aside Mamdani’s core proposed mechanism for funding his affordability-focused platform throughout a July 28 interview with WNYC’s Brian Lehrer. He argued that representatives for elements of the state outdoors the Massive Apple wouldn’t help elevating taxes statewide if their constituents wouldn’t profit from it.
“A Buffalo assemblyman or a Long Island senator is not going to raise taxes on their corporations to give the money to New York City,” Cuomo advised Lehrer. “That is not going to happen. Otherwise, it would be a former assemblyman from Buffalo and a former senator from Long Island. … It is an impossibility that a state legislature would raise statewide corporate taxes dedicated to only New York City.”
Cuomo additional charged that Mamdani’s plan is useless on arrival, provided that Gov. Kathy Hochul — who’s working for reelection subsequent yr — has mentioned she has no urge for food to boost taxes, even on companies and the rich.
Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani.Photograph by Lloyd Mitchell
Monday was hardly the primary time that Cuomo and Mamdani’s different opponents have tried to poke holes in his proposal to spice up the state’s company tax fee to 11.5% and hike revenue taxes on these making over $1 million yearly by 2%.
The democratic socialist has floated the will increase because the central technique to fund his key marketing campaign guarantees, reminiscent of making metropolis buses free and faster-moving, and implementing common sponsored little one care.
Cuomo ‘stood in the way’ of progress, Mamdani aide says
Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec argued Cuomo “stood in the way” when Mamdani and different state lawmakers pushed to boost taxes on the rich in 2021, though the previous governor in the end signed the hike into regulation.
“Don’t get it twisted: Andrew Cuomo will stop at nothing to protect the billionaires and corporations making life more expensive for New Yorkers,” Pekec mentioned.
Cuomo, who resigned in 2021 amid sexual harassment claims that he denies, is mounting an underdog normal election run in opposition to Mamdani after dropping to the democratic socialist Meeting member by a large margin in final month’s major. Additionally working in opposition to Mamdani are incumbent Mayor Eric Adams — who can be on an impartial line, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, and Jim Walden — an lawyer additionally working as an impartial.
Cuomo argues that whereas Mamdani’s proposals sound good on paper, they won’t work in apply.
“The reason it’s dangerous is because none of it happens, none of it works,” the previous governor mentioned of Mamdani’s proposals. “Then you just disillusion the public, and more importantly, you made no progress; nothing will have happened.”
Along with extra aggressively attempting to discredit Mamdani’s platform, Cuomo has revamped his normal election marketing campaign by hitting the streets and urgent the flesh way more typically. He has additionally been making extra of the vertical social media movies that helped propel Mamdani’s marketing campaign.
Political consultants have advised New York News that these efforts are probably in useless.
