New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a socialist, and City Comptroller Brad Lander endorsed each other on Friday, the day after the final debate for the New York City mayoral Democratic primary, in hopes that they can beat front-runner former Gov. Andrew Cuomo together.
Mamdani and Lander are considered the No. 2 and No. 3 candidates in the race, respectively.
Mamdani has found greater momentum in his pursuit of city hall, drawing a progressive movement behind his promises for free buses and child care. Lander had been stagnant in the race but recently received the endorsement of a New York Times opinion panel.
Lander and Mamdani spent much of their time on Thursday night attacking Cuomo on his record, his sexual harassment allegations, and his COVID-19 nursing home scandal.
“As Brad and I exposed the ex-Governor’s record of corruption and scandal on last night’s debate stage, New Yorkers could see Cuomo for what he really is: a relic of the broken politics of the past,” Mamdani said in a joint statement shared by Lander’s campaign with the Washington Examiner. “His campaign has always been a house of cards, and with Brad and I cross-endorsing on the eve of early voting, we will topple it together. I am proud to rank our principled and progressive Comptroller #2 on my ballot because we are both fighting for a city every New Yorker can afford.“
The city’s ranked choice voting system means that either candidate can benefit from a No. 2 ranked choice endorsement while maintaining their supporters should rank them No. 1. If Lander or Mamdani move on with the other eliminated, whoever is ranked second on their ballots will receive their support, and so on. The pair also urged people not to rank Cuomo at all.
Lander said they didn’t want to repeat the mistakes candidates made by not co-endorsing each other against Mayor Eric Adams in the 2021 election.
“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. I’m proud to cross-endorse Zohran, because of his strong commitment to a more affordable New York, and to stop the corrupt, morally bankrupt, unacceptable Andrew Cuomo from becoming mayor of a city he doesn’t even like,” Lander said.
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi told the Washington Examiner that the cross-endorsement won’t “move the needle.”
“No surprise here — the two have been attached at the hip for months, but it won’t move the needle,” he said. “The public is clamoring for leadership to take real action to make the city safer and more affordable and to protect New Yorkers from Trump. They know Andrew Cuomo is the only one with the experience and the record to get the city back on the right track.”
Early voting in the race starts on Saturday and runs until election day on June 24. Most candidates in the race have been united against Cuomo and have rarely attacked each other. Whitney Tilson is the exception, as he has gone after Mamdani for his anti-Israel views. Tilson endorsed Cuomo as his second-ranked choice at Thursday night’s debate. Cuomo has also earned the endorsement of mayoral candidate state Sen. Jessica Ramos.
New York-based Democratic strategist Max Burns told the Washington Examiner that Cuomo will likely win still but that the move could legitimize Mamdani’s campaign among the Democratic establishment.
“Lander’s endorsement matters because it shows NYC’s Democratic establishment warming up to Mamdani, which makes it that much harder for Cuomo to question Mamdani’s Democratic bona fides,” he said.
The endorsement of Lander, a self-professed Zionist, could help Mamdani with New York’s Jewish population as he faces questions about his anti-Israel views and support of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement. Lander is more left-leaning than some Zionists on Israel, but he has been more centrist than Mamdani on the issue.
The last “select pollster,” a title from the New York Times indicating the quality of a pollster, to survey the race was Emerson College from May 23 to May 26. In that poll, Lander was eliminated in the ninth round with 22.2% support, with Cuomo going on to beat Mamdani in the 10th round, 54.4% to 45.6%.
The most recent poll, by a non-select pollster in the Honan Strategy Group, was conducted from June 5 to 9 and saw Cuomo win in the seventh round over Mamdani, 56% to 44%. Lander was eliminated in the sixth round with 25% support.
Mamdani and Cuomo took swings at each other at the final Democratic primary debate in the race on Thursday. Cuomo suggested Mamdani’s inexperience is “dangerous,” and Mamdani responded with a fiery retort.
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“To Mr. Cuomo, I’ve never had to resign in disgrace,” Mamdani said. “I’ve never cut Medicaid. I’ve never stolen hundreds of millions of dollars from the MTA. I’ve never hounded the 13 women who credibly accused me of sexual harassment. I have never sued for their gynecological records, and I have never done those things because I am not you, Mr. Cuomo.”
“The name is Mamdani, M-A-M-D-A-N-I,” he said, correcting Cuomo’s pronunciation of his last name.