Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo spent the final day of his independent New York City mayoral campaign crisscrossing the five boroughs on Monday in a white Ford Bronco, making a last-minute appeal to voters.
The independent candidate focused on his three main talking points of the campaign: public safety, education, and a promise to stand up to both President Donald Trump and what he called the “radical left,” which he said is causing a “quiet civil war” within the Democratic Party.
“This is the most important election of my lifetime,” Cuomo said during a stop at the Chinatown Senior Center on Gold Street, joined by his daughters, Michaela and Mariah. “It’s not between two parties, Democrat and Republican. It’s between two very different philosophies.”
The former governor rejected suggestions that Trump’s recent remarks on “60 Minutes” amounted to an endorsement, insisting instead that the former president “called me a bad Democrat.”
During the CBS interview on Sunday, Trump stated that while he is not a “fan” of Cuomo, he prefers him over Mamdani. Trump also repeated threats to withhold federal funding from New York if Mamdani is elected, falsely labeling him a communist.
“It’s going to be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York. Because if you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there,” Trump said. “I’m not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other, but if it’s gonna be between a bad Democrat and a Communist, I’m gonna pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you.”
On Monday afternoon, Trump went a step further and officially endorsed Cuomo in a Truth social post.
Responding on Monday, Cuomo said that the label of “bad Democrat was an unfair one, saying, “I happen to be a good Democrat and a proud Democrat. We need a mayor who can stand up to Donald Trump and get the funding the city deserves.”
“Trump did not endorse me,” Cuomo contended. “I said repeatedly, I would not accept Donald Trump’s endorsement.”
Cuomo pointed to his record of clashing with Trump during his time as governor. “I know how to stop President Trump from doing bad things to New York, and I will,” he said.
Cuomo’s last warning about Mamdani
In his remarks at the Chinatown Senior Center, Cuomo warned voters that frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee and a democratic socialist, would turn New York City into a “socialist city,” saying socialism “has not worked anywhere on the globe — not in Venezuela, not in Cuba — and it’s not going to work in New York City.”
Cuomo and other opponents of the Queens Assembly Member have argued throughout the campaign that his affordability proposals — including free city buses and a pilot program for city-owned grocery stores — are irresponsible and unrealistic.
The former governor continued his attack on Mamdani, 34, who handily defeated him in the June Democratic primary, saying he was unqualified to run the city because of his limited time in the state legislature.
“Mayor of New York City would be his first real job, and New York City mayor is too big a job, too important a job,” he said.
Mamdani ‘not the future of the party’
Speaking to reporters, Cuomo argued that the race reflected what he called a “quiet civil war” within the Democratic Party, citing Mamdani’s affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America.
“You have moderate Democrats, such as myself,” Cuomo said. “I used to be a crazy liberal Democrat, right? My father was a crazy liberal Democrat. I didn’t change, but the party shifted, so now they call me a moderate. And you have an extreme radical left, which are socialists.”
He continued: “I don’t believe New York City thrives as a socialist city. I don’t think the Democratic Party thrives as a socialist party. I don’t believe Americans will accept the Democratic Party as a socialist party that supports a socialist economy that is anti–law and order.”
His remarks came a day after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he does not view Mamdani as the future of the Democratic Party, despite offering a late endorsement following his criticism of the DSA.
Back inside the senior center, Cuomo closed by urging supporters to turn out to vote. “Everybody has to vote, because the future of the city of New York rides on this election,” he said. “We can make this city better than ever before. We can make the Big Apple shine brighter than ever before, but I need you to vote for me.”
Focusing on public safety, Cuomo promised to hire 5,000 additional police officers, including 1,500 for the subway system, and to halt the borough-based jail project. He also said he would expand the city’s gifted and talented education programs and “double the number of specialized high schools.”
Cuomo’s final campaign day included stops in the Bronx, Washington Heights, Flushing, Staten Island, and Brooklyn.
Before leaving for his next stop in Brownsville on Monday afternoon, reporters noted that Cuomo’s white Ford Bronco resembled the model made infamous by O.J. Simpson’s 1994 slow-speed police chase after he was charged with murdering his wife.
“I’m going to drive very slow,” Cuomo quipped of the classic car he bought back in 2013.
Later Monday evening, Cuomo took to social media to clarify that he is not the owner of the “OJ Bronco.” Cuomo said his “good luck truck” is a 1996 XLT model, which features a different interior from the 1993 white Ford Bronco XLT, as well as black and gold striping along the sides.
