Two of the city’s most influential unions endorsed presumptive Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani on Friday, breaking with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whom they had supported before Tuesday’s primary of the 2025 New York City mayor’s race.
The unions, 32BJ SEIU and the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council (HTC), representing building service and hospitality workers, respectively, are the latest former Cuomo backers to shift their support to Mamdani.
Following his primary victory, the Queens Assembly member has received a wave of fresh endorsements in his campaign for mayor, among them U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, a former Scott Stringer supporter, and Brooklyn Democratic leader Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, who had previously backed Cuomo.
Friday also brought an endorsement from the New York State Nurses Association, which represents over 42,000 registered nurses statewide.
“This is a campaign for the working people of this city who deserve dignity on the job and neighborhoods they can afford,” Mamdani said in a statement. “That’s exactly who HTC, 32BJ and NYSNA fights and delivers for every single day, and I am honored to have their support as the Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York. Together, we will win a new day for the New Yorkers who keep this city running every single day.”
This is a campaign for the working people of our city who deserve dignity on the job and neighborhoods they can afford.
That’s exactly who @NYHTC and @32BJSEIU fights and delivers for every single day, and I am honored to have their support as the Democratic nominee for Mayor. pic.twitter.com/AgsJZKkhRJ
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) June 27, 2025
The unions’ switch-ups are a major blow to Cuomo campaign which is already on shaky ground as he faces a significant loss in the Democratic primary. According to campaign sources, he plans to keep his independent ballot line for the general election but has not yet decided whether to continue his campaign, awaiting the final ranked-choice voting results, which the city Board of Elections will release on July 1.
Spokesperson for the Cuomo campaign, Rich Azzopardi, told amNY, “We appreciated and valued their support during the primary.”
In a statement turning their support to Mamdani, 32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich praised his campaign’s focus on affordable housing, family-supporting wages, and improved transportation.
Pastreich said Mamdani “has united and inspired New Yorkers with a hopeful vision for an affordable city” and is ready to stand up to attacks from the Trump administration. He said the unions’ some 85,000 members are ready to put boots on the ground and “join the Zohran coalition working to build a better city.”
HTC President Rich Maroko echoed those views, saying Mamdani’s priorities align with the needs of the union’s 40,000 members.
Maroko added that Mamdani’s commitment to enhancing affordability and quality of life for working New Yorkers reflects the union’s goals and expressed confidence that Mamdani would stand with hospitality workers in any struggle.
Both 32BJ SEIU and HTC supported Mayor Eric Adams in his 2021 campaign but initially threw their support behind Cuomo in April as Hizzoner pursues reelection on an independent line.
