US President Donald Trump urged New Yorkers to cast their votes to former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the mayoral election on Tuesday, bypassing the Republican candidate in an effort to defeat the frontrunner — Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani.
Cuomo is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary election in June. Polls show Mamdani ahead of both Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Silwa.
“Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
He threatened to cut federal funds to NYC if Mamdani wins the election, saying it was “highly unlikely” he would release federal funds “other than the very minimum required.”
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He added that a vote for Silwa would only help Mamdani and urged his supporters to back Cuomo, a point made frequently by theformer New York state governor.
Democrats eye Zohran Mamdani’s rise in New York mayoral race
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Cuomo resigned from his governor’s post in 2021 after multiple sexual harrassment allegations, which he denies.
The race for NYC
The race for the position of New York’s mayor is now in its last leg with early voting and the campaigning window closed.
Over 735,000 votes were cast in the nine days of early, in-person voting. That’s four times more than the number of people who cast early votes in 2021.
Some voting booths, including one in Brooklyn, saw a rush of voters standing over an hour in line to cast their votes.
All candidates spent Monday crisscrossing across the five boroughs on the last day of campaigning and the eve of election day.
New York City is set to elect a new mayor on November 4Image: Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency/IMAGO
Why is the election important?
New York City has the potential to be the next battleground for internal US politics if Mamdani wins. Trump has ordered the deployment of national troops in several Democrat stronghold ctities, like Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC, Memphis and Portland, under the guise of curbing crime.
He threatened to do the same with several other cities, including NYC.
With a population of nearly 8.5 million and nearly 65 million visitors each year, New York City is a major global cultural and financial hub, with significant challenges around housing, transport and public finances.
The mayoral gig comes with a budget of about $116 billion (€100.8 billion) and has a wide remit — from schools to the police.
Should Mamdani win, his vocal brawling with Trump, a New Yorker himself, is also likely to become an ongoing talking point.
Trump has referred to Mamdani as a “communist lunatic”and a “disaster waiting to happen.”
The mayoral candidate, for his part, has said he will try to work with President Trump for the sake of the city but will not be cowed either.
Key US state races test Democrats’ bid to regain momentum
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Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru
