NYC Mayor’s Race: In final push, progressive Democrats rally in Brooklyn to mount united campaign against Cuomo

Top Democratic lawmakers and leaders from across New York convened to support four progressive mayoral candidates in a Sunday rally in Brooklyn aimed at uniting them against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

State Attorney General Letitia James headlined the event — which drew over 450 supporters — alongside City Council Member Chi Ossé (D-36) as representatives of the Working Families Party (WFP), a progressive political group that endorsed a slate of four candidates: Queens Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, City Comptroller Brad Lander, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie. Mamdani, Lander and Adams were at the June 22 rally.

The dozens of speakers slammed Cuomo’s ties to Republican donors and billionaires, sexual harassment scandals and alleged corruption.

James’ appearance was one of the most high-profile in the mayoral campaign, signaling a final effort against Cuomo’s momentum. The attorney general, whose office was the first to investigate and report on the sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo (which he denies to this day), told supporters that Cuomo is a threat to New York City.

“We cannot have an individual who wants to dismiss the past, someone who wants to ignore the pleas of women, someone who wants to objectify women, and someone who has made money as a result of this scandal,” James said. “We cannot engage in amnesia.”

The three WFP-endorsed mayoral candidates in attendance encouraged supporters to vote for each other — and not Cuomo — in New York City’s ranked choice system.

The crowd cheered loudest for Mamdani, the Democratic socialist who has been closing ground on Cuomo in recent polls, as he repeated his calls to make New York City more affordable, including free buses, free schools, universal healthcare and a rent freeze.

“What we have built in eight months, with so many in this room and so many of the incredible elected officials that are here, is something that is changing this city,” Mamdani said. “Eight months after being at 1% we now stand just a few points away from toppling a political dynasty.”

According to a June 23 Emerson College poll, 32% of voters support Mamdani, nearing Cuomo 35%. However, in a ranked-choice voting simulation, the Emerson poll has Mamdani besting Cuomo in the end, 52%-48%.

Seeking solidarity

The speakers pitched solidarity as a way to defeat moderate and conservative policies, including the unique politics of cross-endorsements in the crowded primary field.

Lander said the candidates’ shared commitments to affordability and building a better future overshadow their differences.

“We don’t agree on every platform, but we know every single family in the city needs a home they can afford, a neighbor they love and feel safe with, a great school for their kids and the childcare all working families need,” Lander said.

Lander also highlighted the diversity of the WFP’s slate, including Christian, Jewish and Muslim candidates.

“Jewish New Yorkers and Muslim New Yorkers are not going to be divided against each other,” Lander said. “Our safety, our freedoms, our thriving are bound up together.”

Maurice Mitchell, WFP national director, said the campaign was a time for “class solidarity,” noting how billionaires were united around Cuomo despite ideological differences.

“They aren’t afraid that our ideas will fail,” Mitchell said, referring to progressive policies aimed at supporting working-class New Yorkers. “They are deathly afraid that our ideas will work.”

Progressive candidates have become increasingly desperate as Cuomo secures high-profile endorsements, including former president Bill Clinton, and millions of dollars in the final stretch of the campaign. But the latest Emerson College poll predicts a slim victory for Mamdani over Cuomo in the eighth round of vote tabulations, which is sure to build on the momentum of Sunday’s rally.

Each of the speakers encouraged rallygoers to canvass, hoping to cover ground across the city encouraging people to vote on Election Day even in sweltering heat.

Adams said the election is a chance to ensure City Hall is scandal-free and actually represents New Yorkers.

“It is the people’s house that City Hall stands on,” Adams said. “It is the people that we stand on. We don’t stand on the power, we stand on empowering the people.”