NYC Mayor’s Race: Democratic frontrunner Cuomo nabs support from former Mayor Mike Bloomberg

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced on Tuesday that he is backing ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in NYC’s Democratic mayoral primary, despite past differences between the two when they were both in office.

Bloomberg, whose 2002 to 2013 tenure overlapped with Cuomo’s, said in a Tuesday statement that the former governor is the only Democrat in the crowded primary field with the experience to effectively lead the city at this moment in time. He said that he continues to “care deeply” about the city and has had difficulty watching its “struggles,” especially since the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In sizing up the field in the race for mayor, there is one candidate whose management experience and government know-how stand above the others: Andrew Cuomo,” he said.

Bloomberg is also an ally of current Mayor Eric Adams and backed him in the 2021 mayor’s race. Adams is not participating in this year’s Democratic primary after vying to instead run in the general election as an independent.

The former mayor cited what he described as Cuomo’s success in executing massive infrastructure projects, such as the redevelopment of LaGuardia Airport and the construction of the Second Avenue Subway, during his 11 years as the state’s top executive.

“I served with four New York governors and had differences with all of them, including Cuomo,” Bloomberg said. “But I also know his strengths as a leader and manager. Of all the candidates, Andrew has the skills our city needs to lead us forward. He has decades of experience navigating state and federal governments. He has governed as a pragmatist, focused on solving problems rather than engaging in ideological or partisan warfare.”

Cuomo is attempting to make a political comeback after resigning in 2021 amid roughly a dozen allegations of sexual misconduct that he denies. He is the frontrunner in the race, having consistently led in the polls and attracted the majority of support from institutional politicos and labor unions.

The former governor, in turn, praised Bloomberg for ushering the city through its recovery from the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, transforming its budget deficit into a surplus, and fighting for gun safety regulations.

“Under his steady hand and with his strong management, New York City was the best-run city in the country, and his leadership has been sorely missed every day since,” Cuomo said in a statement.

Bloomberg’s move could give Cuomo a boost in the final stretch of the campaign, as Democratic socialist Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani (Queens) appears to be closing the polling gap between himself and the former governor. 

In a statement, Mamdani’s campaign blasted the support from Bloomberg, who is a multi-billionaire, for Cuomo as yet another sign that the ex-governor is the wealthy’s preferred candidate.

“The billionaires are consolidating around Andrew Cuomo because they know he will preserve the broken status quo,” it said. “New Yorkers are rallying behind Zohran Mamdani because they are ready for a new generation of leadership that puts working people first. On June 24, we will shock the political establishment and win a city we can all actually afford.”