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On Sunday, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (I) voiced strong criticism of Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani (D), labeling him “the most divisive candidate I have ever experienced in New York.”
During an appearance on the “Cats Roundtable” radio show on WABC 770 AM, hosted by John Catsimatidis, Cuomo expressed his concerns, stating, “He alienated the Jewish community, alienated the Italian community, and offended the LGBTQ community. He called the New York Police Department ‘racist, wicked, and corrupt,’ and referred to Barack Obama as ‘evil and a liar.’ Moreover, his stance on decriminalizing prostitution is considered haram according to the Quran. He has managed to offend everyone.”
Throughout the interview, Cuomo continued to criticize Mamdani, suggesting that “this Zohran has frightened a lot of people with his policies and his rhetoric.” He also took issue with some of Mamdani’s key proposals, such as free public transportation and freezing rent costs.
“As you age, you gain the understanding that nothing comes without a cost, and the policies he’s advocating for are nonsense. His complete lack of qualifications is actually quite concerning,” Cuomo remarked.
Discussing the potential outcome of Tuesday’s election, the former governor ominously predicted that “people will die” if the city faces a hurricane, health crisis, or other emergencies under Mamdani’s leadership.
An Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill poll released on Thursday showed Cuomo 25 points behind Mamdani, who received 50 percent of support from respondents. Republican Curtis Sliwa, whom Cuomo has sought to portray as a spoiler for Mamdani, trailed behind at 21 percent.
“Mamdani appears to have built a coalition across key demographics, increasing his margin among Black voters since last month, from 50% to 71%, whereas Cuomo dropped ten points among Black voters since September,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a statement.
Despite endorsements from incumbent New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg (D) for Cuomo, Mamdani is widely expected to win the mayoral race on Election Day on Nov. 4, even as moderate Democrats and some Republicans coalesce around the former governor. While former President Obama has not endorsed Mamdani, he reportedly called the Democratic mayoral nominee on Saturday and complimented his campaign, according to The New York Times.
In April, the Department of Justice (DOJ) opened an investigation into Cuomo’s handling of nursing homes during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This came after a House Republican panel in late 2024 called on former Attorney General Merrick Garland to prosecute Cuomo for allegedly lying to the panel about how he handled nursing homes during the pandemic.
In 2021, Cuomo accepted some fault for his decisions the year before. New York health officials reported there were 15,000 COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.