Zohran Mamdani with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
By Dan Murphy
Former Westchester resident Andrew Cuomo was denied a Comeback Kid label when he lost the Democratic primary for NYC Mayor to Zohran Mamdani on June 24.
Cuomo was a heavy favorite three months ago, but Mamdani “caught fire,” as one Westchester Democrat explained, and pulled within the margin of error in a few polls just before the primary.
In an 11-candidate field, Mandami got 43%, to 36% for Cuomo. Brad Lander finished third at 11%.
We wondered aloud three months ago if Cuomo could survive and win a democratic primary and asked,
How could Cuomo overcome the backlash from the families of seniors who died in nursing homes during COVID-19?
How Could Cuomo over the report by NYS Attorney General Letitia James, which confirmed that he sexually harassed 13 women?
How would Cuomo interact with Governor Kathy Hochul, State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and other NY Democrats who called for him to step down as Governor in 2021?
It never made sense to us, and Cuomo’s supporters were already going around teasing the idea of Mayor Cuomo running for President in 2028.
Westchester democrats stayed as far away from Cuomo and the democratic primary in NYC as possible. We spoke to a few prominent Democrats off the record in March, and most were lukewarm about Cuomo or thought another candidate would gain popularity.
Cuomo performed well with Black and Hispanic voters in NYC. He has a third-party line he created that he can run on in November if he wants to.
But the question that many are asking is, was Cuomo a bad candidate, or was Mamdani a great candidate? A little of both.
One Westchester Democrat we spoke to said, “Mamdani expanded the universe of voters. 200,000 more voters came out, and most of them voted for Mamdani.
“I don’t think Cuomo had the best plan; I just have the best name recognition and the money, and I don’t have to do that much.”
“Cuomo got outplayed, and Mamdani got young people involved. Mamdani already beat Cuomo with several other candidates in the race, so it doesn’t make sense for him to run again,” said a Sound Shore Democrat.
Cuomo also had to deal with several groups working against his election, including a group called the Cuomo COVID Orphans, who reminded voters about Cuomo’s decisions to allow COVID-positive seniors into nursing homes.
Cuomo’s bullying tactics, which may have been the reason so many Westchester democrats stayed quiet instead of coming out against him, don’t endear him to most voters. “Andrew Cuomo ruled like a king and left New York in ruins. Now, he wants a second chance and acts like none of it was his fault. We don’t need a king,” said Curtis Sliwa, the republican candidate for NYC Mayor.
Did Mamdani win because he is a political star on the rise –like AOC?
One video clip we watched featured Mamdani taking apart Cuomo during one of the debates.
“I have never had to resign in disgrace. I have never cut Medicaid. I have never stolen hundreds of millions of dollars from the MTA. I never hounded the 13 women who credibly accused me of sexual harassment. I have never sued for their gynecological records. I am not you, Mr. Cuomo,” said Mamdani.
The Mamdani campaign had 27,000 volunteers and raised $8 million through small donations.
Some have pointed to the fact that as the democratic party contemplates its next course of action, some have called for a return to moderate policies.
Mandami takes the party further to the left, proposing a $30 per hour minimum wage, rent freezes on stabilized apartments, free bus service, and city-owned grocery stores. And he would pay for it by taxing the wealthy and corporations.
Rachel Hurley posted, “The coalition he built, spanning young progressives, Muslim and South Asian communities, rent-stabilized tenants, Gaza solidarity activists – that’s not some impossible alliance. That’s the future of urban politics. He pulled 60% of the vote among voters under 34 and 79% among Asian voters in ranked-choice simulations because he was addressing their actual material conditions.
“NYC has over 500,000 Muslims and massive South Asian populations, but neither community has ever elected a mayor. Mamdani’s victory represents the political coming-of-age of these rapidly growing communities,” writes Read Rachel Hurley on substack https://rachelandthecity.substack.com, a great read to learn about Mamdani and the progressive movement.
The negative Fox News narrative on Mamdani is already underway -but what all of us should be asking is, how did he do it?
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, AOC, tweeted, “Congratulations, Zohran Kwame Mamdani! Your dedication to an affordable, welcoming, and safe New York City where working families can have a shot has inspired people across the city. Billionaires and lobbyists poured millions against you and our public finance system. And you won.”
