Andrew Cuomo racks up Democratic power player Rep. Jim Clyburn's endorsement in NYC mayoral race
Democratic kingmaker Rep. Jim Clyburn endorsed Andrew Cuomo in the Big Apple's mayoral primary Friday — as surging socialist contender Zohran Mamdani's campaign garnered a mix of fresh condemnation and support.
Clyburn, the 84-year-old South Carolina congressman, cast Cuomo as a bulwark against President Trump and asserted the former governor and accused sex pest has the 'experiences, credentials and character to not just serve New York, but also save the nation.'
'The mayor of New York is uniquely positioned to play an important role in the future of the national Democratic Party,' Clyburn said in a statement.
3 Rep. James Clyburn on Friday endorsed Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary.
AP
3 Cuomo is the mayoral frontrunner in the polls.
Stephen Yang
Cuomo, 67, has vigorously denied the sexual harassment accusations against him. He responded to Clyburn's endorsement with a backhanded jab at the 33-year-old Mamdani's arguably pie-in-the-sky campaign promises.
'(Clyburn) has always been on the right side of history, and he has spent a lifetime prioritizing making real change over headlines, of action over words, and results over performative politics,' Cuomo wrote on X.
Clyburn is widely credited with rescuing Joe Biden's then-flailing presidential bid in 2020.
His endorsement of Cuomo, first reported by The New York Times, could help the thrice-elected Democrat further solidify the support of black New Yorkers.
According to a recent poll, nearly half of black voters backed the governor in the June 24 Democratic mayoral primary, comparted to 11% support for Mamdani and 12% for City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.
But Mamdani arguably got a half-hearted boost from Adams, as the black lawmaker from southeast Queens on Friday endorsed the Working Families Party slate of candidates.
The progressive party's slate picked Mamdani first in their ranked-choice endorsements, followed by City Comptroller Brad Lander, Adams and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie.
The moderate Adams, however, conspicuously avoided naming Mamdani and explicitly said she wouldn't cross-endorse any candidates. She instead argued Cuomo should not be mayor.
'That's why, in addition to ranking me number one, I encourage New Yorkers to rank the full slate of Working Families Party candidates. We don't agree on everything – and if we did, I wouldn't be running. But I believe they care deeply about this city and its future. They have principles.'
3 Zohran Mamdani received the implicit backing of rival Adrienne Adams in the ranked-choice primary.
Paul Martinka
Mamdani, a state Assemblyman from Queens, also recently wracked up the endorsement of outspoken progressive former Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou.
But another of Mamdani's Albany colleagues — state Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx) — strongly urged voters not to rank the socialist firebrand, alleging his 'fanatical hatred of Israel' is disqualifying to lead a city with a large Jewish population.
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