It is a choice, she said, between the “gerontocracy” represented by the 67-year-old former Gov.
Andrew Cuomo and the change represented by Mamdani, a 33-year-old assemblymember.
She also specifically urged voters not to rank Cuomo on the ballot, becoming the highest-profile supporter of the movement dubbed DREAM: “Don’t Rank Evil Andrew for Mayor.” “Not ranking Andrew Cuomo is the right thing to do in solidarity with survivors of sexual harassment,” she said on stage.
Cuomo resigned as governor in 2021 after a report from Attorney General Letitia James’ office determined he sexually harassed 11 women, allegations Cuomo denies.
Trump would go through Mr. Mamdani like a hot knife through butter,” Cuomo said.
NEW YORK — Representative… At a rally for candidate Zohran Mamdani on Saturday night, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez escalated the stakes in the race for mayor of New York City by portraying the election as a referendum on the Democratic Party’s national future.
The 67-year-old former governor’s “gerontocracy” is one option, she said. The 33-year-old assemblymember Mamdani represented Andrew Cuomo and the change.
Ocasio-Cortez, 35, stated at Mamdani’s Manhattan event that “when I say that this is not just about New York City, but that this is about the United States, I mean that literally because Andrew Cuomo has made it clear that if he wins this race, he wants to run for president of the United States.”.
Although Cuomo has not declared publicly that he will run for mayor in 2028, he told POLITICO in May that he hopes to unite Democrats nationwide in his role as mayor.
“It is unconscionable to send Andrew Cuomo to Gracie Mansion,” she continued, alluding to the mayoral residence in New York City, “in a world and a nation that is crying to end the gerontocracy of our leadership, that wants to see a new day, that wants to see a new generation ascend.”.
In the city’s ranked-choice voting system, Mamdani was Ocasio-Cortez’s top pick after she endorsed a group of five candidates in the Democratic primary earlier this month. She said on Saturday that Brad Lander and Mamdani had recently crossed-endorsed, with both urging supporters to place their respective ally second. Along with praising Zellnor Myrie and Scott Stringer, two other candidates she has endorsed, Ocasio-Cortez did not address Adrienne Adams, the candidate she ranked second for. The movement called DREAM: “Don’t Rank Evil Andrew for Mayor” gained prominence when she specifically urged voters not to put Cuomo on the ballot. “”.
“In support of survivors of sexual harassment, it is right to not rank Andrew Cuomo,” she declared on stage. After an Attorney General Letitia James’ office report found that Cuomo had sexually harassed eleven women—a charge Cuomo refutes—he resigned as governor in 2021.
An attempt to reach Cuomo’s campaign for comment on Saturday night was not immediately answered.
Recent attacks on Mamdani’s inexperience have been sharpened by the former governor, who claimed in a recent debate that the Queens lawmaker would be unprepared to oppose President Donald Trump and his policies.
“Mister… Cuomo claimed that Trump would cut through Mr. Mamdani like a hot knife cuts through butter. Trump would be thrilled with him. “.”.
Ocasio-Cortez presented an entirely different viewpoint. She stated that it “is the right thing to do to turn the page on the future of a Democratic party that does not continue to repeat the mistakes that have landed us here” to eliminate Cuomo from the electoral race. If we keep choosing the same candidates and making the same choices that brought us to this point, we will never be able to overcome Donald Trump. “”.
The west side of Manhattan’s Terminal 5 concert hall was packed with over 2,500 people. The rally concluded the first day of the primary’s early voting on June 24. The leaders of the New York Working Families Party, state senators, and John Samuelsen, president of the Transport Workers Union International, were among the other speakers. John Liu. The event was emceed by Bronx media personality The Kid Mero.
Additionally, according to Mamdani, the race has ramifications that go well beyond the local issues facing New Yorkers.
He declared from the stage, “We are about to achieve a triumph that will be felt throughout the nation and the world.”. “This win will be historic, and not just because I am a proud democratic socialist and Muslim immigrant. However, we will work to make this city accessible to all. “.”.
Despite Mamdani being within striking distance, Cuomo has been consistently ranked first in the race’s polls.
His rising popularity has sparked a wave of anti-government spending, mostly from real estate and business groups that disagree with his left-leaning views. According to POLITICO, the group began airing advertisements accusing Mamdani of wishing to defund the police and relocate homeless people into subway stations after former Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed Cuomo and gave $5 million to a super PAC supporting his candidacy.
In order to combat the messaging, Mamdani and his supporters were asked to volunteer.
“Whether or not billionaires and large corporations can easily buy our elections is not just about the future of our city; it’s about the future of our democracy,” he stated. However, we are aware that this movement has more clout than their financial resources. “.”.
