Former Gov. and mayoral hopeful Andrew Cuomo.
Picture by Lloyd Mitchell
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo appeared on Tuesday to attribute Gov. Kathy Hochul’s endorsement, and Meeting Speaker Carl Heastie’s anticipated backing, of Zohran Mamdani to a rising “socialist faction” inside the Democratic Social gathering.
Cuomo, a Democrat working as an unbiased after shedding the first to the democratic socialist Mamdani, appeared eager on dismissing the worth of each Hochul’s and Heastie’s assist for the nominee as being a part of a left-wing wave taking on the celebration.
Neither Hochul, who’s a reasonable, nor Heastie, a progressive, identifies as a socialist.
The New York Publish and New York Instances reported Heastie’s anticipated endorsement of Mamdani on Tuesday. Spokespeople for each Mamdani and Heastie didn’t instantly affirm the reviews to New York News.
Cuomo additional argued that whereas Hochul, Heastie, and different institution Democrats who’ve endorsed Mamdani might not be socialists themselves, they’re endorsing the celebration nominee out of worry of political retribution from the left.
“Might some politicians be afraid of the socialists in their backyard and/or in their district, and therefore want to be on the side of socialists? Yes,” Cuomo mentioned. “That’s their political decision. But I’m a Democrat.”
The previous governor additionally cited different centrist Democrats — together with U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Queens/Lengthy Island) — who’ve introduced they’d not be endorsing Mamdani.
“You also have Democrats saying the exact opposite, right?” Cuomo mentioned. “You have Democrats saying, ‘I would never endorse him, he’s a socialist.”
Suozzi made the pronouncement in a Monday social media put up as he’s set to vie for reelection subsequent 12 months in his purple district, the place supporting a democratic socialist might be a political legal responsibility within the 2026 midterms.
Each Hochul’s backing and Heastie’s seemingly assist sign that high New York Democrats are lastly coalescing round Mamdani after holding their powder over the summer season. They comply with different institution figures, similar to Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat (Manhattan/Bronx), who obtained behind Mamdani within the weeks after the first.
But U.S. Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer and Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries each seem to nonetheless be on the fence about supporting Mamdani, regardless that they’ve individually met with and spoken to him a number of instances since June.
Even with out the across-the-board institution assist that the majority Democratic nominees take pleasure in, Mamdani has maintained a commanding lead within the polls. The vote towards him has been cut up amongst Cuomo, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, and GOP candidate Curtis Sliwa.
A lot of those self same polls present that even when the sector narrowed to a one-on-one race between Mamdani and Cuomo, the Democratic nominee continues to be forward by a big margin.
