Former Gov. David Paterson and chair of the New York County Democratic Party Keith Wright endorsed on Wednesday former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who now holds a tight lead in the Democratic primary race for mayor.
Paterson and Wright, introduced by Harlem Pastor Renee Washington Garner, announced their endorsements and gave remarks at a Wednesday event at Harlem soul food staple Amy Ruth’s.
Wright began by mentioning the death of longtime US Rep. Charles Rangel, who died in May at the age of 94. Wednesday would have been Rangel’s 95th birthday.
“What better way to say, ‘Happy Birthday,’ than to be here for Andrew Cuomo?” Wright said.
Wright said that though he and Cuomo have had their disagreements, he trusts him to follow through on his plan to build 500,000 units of affordable housing.
“We built airports, we built bridges, housing should be nothing, should be very simple, and as much as we need housing in this city, I tend to believe Andrew Cuomo,” Wright said. “I’m ranking him number one because he’s the leader that we need in this city at this time.”
Cuomo has argued that he is the best candidate to bring more affordable housing to New York City given his track record with massive infrastructure projects on the state level. At Wednesday’s event, Cuomo spoke to this experience and said that “housing isn’t that hard.”
Wright introduced Paterson, with whom Wright worked closely in the New York State Senate.
Paterson opened with a jab at recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids across New York City, saying he was “happy to join with you on this really exciting day, and especially to be in a building where there are no ICE agents outside.” He then expressed the need to call for action rather than make promises “we can’t keep.”
“I ask of you all today, are we going to engage in absurd extremes, making promises we can’t keep, pledging hopes we can’t fulfill, are we going to do that, like a number of people are doing around this city? Or are we going to act? And if we’re going to act, we’re gonna have to find the candidates that have the workable, sensible types of programs and the type of leadership that this city needs, and certainly this neighborhood needs” Paterson said. “I can’t think of anyone more capable than doing it than the one who did it before, from 2010 to 2021, when he was governor, and I’m talking about Gov. Andrew Cuomo.”
Cuomo’s campaign has increasingly focused on what it perceives as unrealistic promises made by competing primary campaigns, particularly that of Queens Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, who is trailing Cuomo in the polls as the early voting period approaches.
Paterson emphasized Cuomo’s experience as governor and track record with infrastructure and housing as reasons why he is the strongest choice for mayor.
Cuomo thanked Wright and Paterson for their support and focused his remarks on his experience in Albany and his willingness to stand up to President Donald Trump. Cuomo said of Paterson that he “benefitted as governor from many of the precedents that he set.”
“There is nothing easy about governing New York City, there is nothing easy about governing New York State, I promise you that,” Cuomo said. “Today, more than ever, New York City is in trouble. We have real issues that we have to deal with.”
Cuomo said the city had a long way to go in building more affordable housing, building trust between the New York Police Department and the community, and defending New York against Trump.
“These things are hard, and you have to know what you’re doing to do it,” Cuomo said.
Cuomo earned a key endorsement from former Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday. After Wednesday’s event in Harlem, Cuomo told reporters he was proud to have Bloomberg’s endorsement, which Cuomo said is “very significant.”
“We haven’t had a mayor who really knew what he was doing for 12 years, and that’s kind of shocking when you think about it, but its true,” Cuomo said, praising Bloomberg’s work as mayor. Cuomo said that there’s “always a tension between a governor and a mayor” but that he and Bloomberg had a “good working relationship” in their respective roles during the 2010s.
Those in attendance at Amy Ruth’s included former Assemblymember Inez Dickens, local restaurant owner Melba Wilson, and Reverends Shon Adkins, Lisa Jenkins Brown, and Kevin Johnson.
Regarding endorsements from Paterson and Wright, Cuomo said it “means a lot to me personally.”
