From AOC to Bloomberg, here are some key endorsements in the NYC mayoral Democratic primary election
New York City's mayoral primary election is well underway with early voting, and the leading Democratic candidates have picked up some key endorsements in the final stretch of the race.
CBS News New York's Political Reporter Marcia Kramer sat down with J.C. Polanco, assistant professor at the University of Mount Saint Vincent, and political consultant O'Brien Murray to discuss why these endorsements matter.
Bloomberg endorses Cuomo
The biggest endorsement, to date, appears to be the decision by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to endorse former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
"Huge endorsement for former Gov. Cuomo. Why? Because [former] Mayor Bloomberg talks to a specific type of voter -- down the Upper East Side corridor, down the Upper West Side corridor, up to Park Slope and Brooklyn. He talks to voters that come out in large propensities that are Democrats, that will cross over to vote Republican," Polanco said. "By endorsing former Gov. Cuomo, he gives them the green light -- you can support this guy, forget about the baggage you've heard about, he's the guy that I trust -- and they trust Bloomberg, this is going to be great for Cuomo."
"There are three things that [former] Mayor Bloomberg brings: Money, money and money. With that comes ... polling, it will help him in the polling, number one. Number two, it will help him with fundraising. Number three, it will help him with voters on Election Day," said Murray. "But at the end of the day, Bloomberg's people were donating to this campaign before and donating to the Super PAC, according to published reports. If that continues, you could see Bloomberg money go to a Super PAC and Bloomberg donors go to a Cuomo campaign."
In his announcement, Bloomberg did not mention Cuomo's sexual harassment or nursing home scandals. Bloomberg said there are no perfect candidates, and while Cuomo may not be a perfect choice, he is the best choice.
"I think it's perfect, I think we all know the baggage that former Gov. Cuomo has, he doesn't have to remind people of it, it's baked into former Gov. Cuomo's candidacy. And again, it gives the green light to Democrats that are Bloomberg Democrats -- these are independent democrats that really loved his mayoralty -- and this endorsement reminds them of those good 12 years that they enjoyed, and he's giving them the green light," Polanco said.
"I was lucky enough to work in a race with Mayor Koch about 10 years ago and this reminds me of the Mayor Koch quote: 'If you agree with me 10 out of 10 times, you're crazy. If you agree with me 8 out of 10 times, please vote for me.' Because that's Michael Bloomberg's quote, basically what he's saying there is no New Yorker is going to agree with any candidate across the board and if they do, they are crazy," said Murray. "But right now, [former] Mayor Bloomberg is most important for this. It adds credibility, it adds money and it adds stability at a time when we see New York's future uncertain."
Polanco again called it a "huge endorsement," adding, "If you ask New Yorkers in the street, like you do, 'What do you think of [former] Mayor Bloomberg?' you're going to hear positive, rave reviews. This is someone who won three consecutive terms as mayor of New York City."
"Progressives never supported Cuomo, they never supported Bloomberg. Everyone else that's not a progressive will come out in droves as much as they can and the energy they have, because they want New York to be what Bloomberg had and not what [Bill] de Blasio had and not what the future could be under anything that progressive," Murray added.
Fellow Democratic candidate State Sen. Jessica Ramos made the shocking move to endorse Cuomo, telling her supporters to rank him number one. Ramos had been a harsh critic of the former governor but said she now believes he's the best person to take on President Trump.
Cuomo also received endorsements from his predecessor, former New York Gov. David Paterson, and from Jewish community groups, including Ahronim, the Bobov community in Borough Park, Crown Heights PAC, Crown Jewish United and the Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance. CLICK HERE for more from his campaign.
AOC & Sanders endorse Mamdani
Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani received a high-profile endorsement from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the race.
"I think most New Yorkers recognize that there was no other candidate for AOC to support. He is the socialist candidate, AOC is socialist. I think viewers would be as surprised as finding out I'm Latino, they know I'm Latino, they know that AOC was going to support the socialist," said Polanco. "It doesn't bring any new voters, because all those voters and endorsements that Mamdani brought to the table, it was already baked in."
"I disagree and here's why: Because it didn't go to [Brad] Lander, and Lander needed it. Not only did he not get it, Adrienne Adams was ranked higher," Murray said, referring to Ocasio-Cortez's full ranked choice voting list. "At this point, when you have a situation where you have an opportunity for Adrienne Adams to get some wind in her sails and AOC behind her, after Mamdani, that is something that hurt Brad Lander like you wouldn't believe."
Mamdani later received another endorsement from Sen. Bernie Sanders, and the Queens socialist has taken advantage of ranked choice voting to align himself with fellow candidates Comptroller Brad Lander and former state Assemblyman Michael Blake, in part, to unite against Cuomo in the polls.
"Four years ago, we wound up with one of the worst mayors in our history, largely because the two top alternatives in the race did not come together and join forces to cross-endorse each other. We can't afford to make that mistake again," Lander said when they announced their cross-endorsement.
Polanco said it's all about addition.
"Being ranked on that sheet matters," he said. "It's important for each candidate to get as much support as possible from their fellow candidates on each side, because as they drop off the count, the idea is that their supporters will now have their entire support moving forward. And that matters at a game in which a few votes may decide who's going to be the winner."
Mamdani has also received an endorsement from state Sen. John Liu, who represents Queens and made history as the first Asian American to win citywide office. CLICK HERE for more from Mamdani's campaign.
NYT sounds off on Lander, Mamdani
While not, technically, an endorsement, a panel of New York Times opinion experts picked Lander as the best overall choice to run the city.
"In the end, a veteran civic leader and elected official, Brad Lander, the city comptroller, emerged as the top overall choice among the panelists, including four who recently shifted away from Mr. Cuomo, Mr. Mamdani and other candidates," the piece read. "Mr. Lander was also cited as best on education, the economy and leadership. Those who favored him cited his experience in city government and his ability to work with others — but, truth be told, he also benefited from lacking the heavy baggage of Mr. Cuomo and the democratic socialist image of Mr. Mamdani."
While the newspaper's Editorial Board no longer does endorsements, the story could still have a major impact on the race. The board's 2021 endorsement of Kathryn Garcia provided a significant boost to her campaign.
CLICK HERE for more from Lander's campaign.
The board has since come out against Mamdani, writing, "We do not believe that Mr. Mamdani deserves a spot on New Yorkers' ballots. His experience is too thin and his agenda reads like a turbocharged version of Mr. de Blasio's dismaying mayoralty," in reference to former Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Mamdani shrugged off the criticism.
"These are the opinions of about a dozen New Yorkers, and a democracy will be decided by close to a million New Yorkers. They certainly have the right to their opinions, and New Yorkers have the right to their votes," he said.
AG James for Speaker Adams
Meanwhile, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams received endorsements from state Attorney General Letitia James and DC37, the city's largest municipal employee union.
"Adrienne Adams is a fearless leader who puts people over politics. She has repeatedly stood up for New Yorkers and won, keeping libraries open and protecting childcare for families. She is leading the City's fight against the Trump administration, including keeping ICE out of Rikers. I'm proud to endorse Adrienne as my number one choice for Mayor and look forward to having her in the fight to protect New York City," James said in a statement.
Murray noted that while James endorsed Adams, it was Mamdani who helped the speaker raise enough money to access the city's matching funds.
"That's the most amazing thing here. The Upstart did more for her to raise money and get her on the map than Tish James did," said Murray.
"And it was all about social media," Polanco added.
CLICK HERE for more from Adams' campaign.
Other Democratic candidates
Use the following links for a closer look at each candidate's endorsements:
Police unions holding out until general election
Murray also pointed out the city's police unions are not making an endorsement in the race.
"I think what they're trying to do is figure out what they have to or can do for Mayor Adams. They do not want to go against the incumbent right now, and they don't have to in the primary," he explained. "Because once they go for somebody in this primary, they're stuck with that person in the general. This gives them a full boat to wait until deciding what to do after the summer."
contributed to this report.
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