Clinton backs Cuomo in NYC mayoral race, boosting scandal-scarred frontrunner
Ahead of Tuesday's Democratic Party primary for mayor in heavily blue New York City, frontrunner Andrew Cuomo landed another high-profile endorsement.
Cuomo, who resigned in 2021 during his third term as New York State governor amid multiple scandals, was endorsed by former President Bill Clinton. Cuomo served as Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary during the Clinton administration.
"As President, I chose Andrew to be my Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and he never let me down—but more importantly, he didn't let the nation down. He built public housing all across the country," Clinton said in a statement on Sunday.
Cuomo, who is aiming for a campaign comeback and political redemption, has seen his once-large lead over the rest of the Democrats in the 11-candidate field shrink.
Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist state assemblyman from Queens, has narrowed the gap with Cuomo the past couple of months in the Democratic mayoral primary, which is conducted using a ranked-choice voting system in which voters rank candidates by preference on their ballots.
Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York City's most prominent leader on the left, endorsed Mamdani earlier this month. Last week, longtime progressive champion and two-time Democratic presidential nominee runner-up Sen. Bernie Sanders backed Mamdani, who is originally from Uganda.
With multiple candidates on the left running in the primary, the endorsements by Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders aimed to consolidate the support of progressive voters behind Mamdani.
In a distant third place in the most recent polls is New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.
Lander made headlines last week after his arrest by Department of Homeland Security agents in Manhattan after allegedly assaulting a federal officer as Lander tried to escort a defendant out of an immigration court.
Cuomo, his campaign and allied groups in recent weeks have been questioning Mamdani's experience in leading a city of more than 8 million people.
"Zohran Mamdani's a 33-year-old dangerously inexperienced legislator who's passed just three bills with a staff you can fit inside a New York elevator," the narrator in a Cuomo campaign ad blitz said. "We need someone ready to roll. Andrew Cuomo managed a state and managed crises, from COVID to Trump."
Additionally, Clinton spotlighted Cuomo's experience in his endorsement statement.
"New York City is facing major challenges. There is a desperate need for affordable housing, homelessness is at a crisis level, and public safety must be restored. It is imperative that New York chooses a mayor who has the ability, talent, and experience to do the job," the former president said.
Clinton told New York City voters to "not underestimate the complexity of meaningful challenges and the necessity that the next mayor has the qualifications to do the job. New Yorkers should choose competence for a change. I am confident Andrew can turn New York around."
Cuomo was also recently endorsed by former three-term New York City mayor, billionaire entrepreneur and media magnate Michael Bloomberg.
The 67-year-old Cuomo has spent the past four years fighting to clear his name after 11 sexual harassment accusations – which he has repeatedly denied – forced his resignation. He was also under investigation at the time for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic amid allegations his administration vastly understated COVID-related deaths at state nursing homes.
Last month, the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into Cuomo after Republicans accused him of lying to Congress about the decisions he made as governor during the coronavirus pandemic.
While the primary is not until Tuesday, more than 384,000 Democrats cast ballots in early voting, which ended on Sunday.
The winner of the Democratic Party primary is traditionally seen as the overwhelming frontrunner in the November general election in the Democrat-dominated city.
However, this year, the general election campaign may be a bit more unpredictable.
Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, a moderate Democrat elected in 2021, is running for re-election as an Independent. Adams earlier this year dropped his Democratic primary bid as his approval ratings sank to historic lows.
Adams' poll numbers were sinking even before he was indicted last year on five counts, which accused the mayor of bribery and fraud as part of an alleged "long-running" scheme to personally profit from contacts with foreign officials.
The mayor made repeated overtures to President Donald Trump, and the Justice Department earlier this year dismissed the corruption charges, so Adams could seemingly work with the Trump administration on its illegal immigration crackdown.
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