Mamdani got Queens’ support on election day – can he now get it from his Queens colleagues?

Several Queens elected officials who had supported former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic Primary, like Assemblymember David Weprin, are unsure about or unwilling to endorse Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee. Eagle file photo by Jacob Kaye

By Ryan Schwach

Queens Assemblymember and Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani may have convinced the majority of voting New Yorkers to back him in the primary elections – but convincing his fellow Queens electeds to back him has proven a different story.

Several of Queens’ electeds, many of whom backed former Governor Andrew Cuomo, told the Eagle they are either hesitant or completely opposed to endorsing the 33-year-old, even as a number of powerful Democrats and unions have gotten behind the party’s nominee or otherwise demanded that Cuomo remain on the sidelines in November’s general election.

Most of the 17 Queens elected officials who backed Cuomo in the primary have stayed mum since Mamdani’s dominant victory last month. Some, however, have been outspoken, defiant in their opposition to the democratic socialist who has represented Astoria in the State Assembly since 2020.

None have said they’d rally behind their party’s nominee.

Of the Cuomo-supporting electeds, Congressman and Queens Democratic Party Chair Greg Meeks, State Senators Jessica Ramos, Toby Ann Stavisky, Assemblymembers Ed Braunstein, Vivian Cook, Larinda Hooks, Stacey Pheffer Amato, Clyde Vanel and Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers have not commented publicly on who they plan to endorse in the general election.

None responded to the Eagle’s request for comment.

The elected officials’ lack of public comment falls in line with Cuomo’s reaction to the primary. The former governor who grew up in Queens has not said whether he will actively campaign for the mayor’s office in November – Cuomo will appear on the general election ballot on an independent party line that he secured prior to the primary.

State Senator Joe Addabbo, a one-time Cuomo backer, told Eagle he is “not making any endorsements yet on the general election candidates.”

State Assemblymember David Weprin, who actively campaigned against Mamdani but still saw the socialist Astoria representative win his district, said he would announce his endorsement decision next week.

State Senators Roxanne Persaud and James Sanders, the latter of whom ranked Mamdani second on their ballot, said they have not made a decision.

Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman said that although Cuomo won her district handedly, Mamdani is a colleague and she supported Mayor Eric Adams during his first mayoral run in 2021.

“I'm not doing anything just yet, I'm going to wait a bit,” she said. “I think I have to weigh the needs of the constituency and make a really informed decision on who I endorse and if I endorse.”

The wait-and-see strategy might be a smart one, according to one political commentator.

“Time is on their side, there's still a way to go,” said Brian Browne, a political analyst. “There's a lifetime between now and November.”

Browne said that many of the electeds may not have relationships with Mamdani, and are waiting to see if Cuomo decides to run a real race, or if Adams, who is also running on an independent party line, becomes a viable candidate.

“I think there's probably some getting to know you involved, but I think until things settle a little, I think they have the benefit of time,” he said. “People are still processing numbers and the holiday and all that, they could sit back a little and see, see how the game unfolds.”

But others have begun to stake out their positions.

Councilmember Lynn Schulman, who weighed in on the primary election by endorsing Cuomo, said she would not be weighing in on the general election. When pressed on her position, Schulman said she had to focus on her own November election. Schulman is facing a challenge from Republican John David Rinaldi, a perennial candidate who has gained a reputation for harassing his political opponents.

Queens officials like Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers, backed Andrew Cuomo in the primary and have yet to say if they’ll back Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani in the general. Photo via Cuomo campaign

Two of Queens’ more moderate Democrats, Congressman Tom Suozzi and Assemblymember Sam Berger, didn’t say they would keep their support with Cuomo, but said it wouldn’t go to Mamdani.

“I will not endorse a socialist,” said Berger, the assembly’s youngest member who represents a large Orthodox Jewish electorate.

Suozzi simply told the Eagle “no” when asked if he made any decisions about whether he would endorse the nominee.

The Long Island and Queens rep recently penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that applauded Mamdani’s campaigning and ability to connect with New Yorkers on affordability, but made it clear he disagreed with Mamdani’s socialist policies.

“Mr. Mamdani’s campaign made lofty, utopian promises: free public transit, free college tuition, more public housing, sweeping debt cancellation and massive overhauls of systems far beyond his authority, all paid for by huge tax increases,” Suozzi wrote. “The last thing New York and other blue jurisdictions need is higher taxes.”

On the other side of the coin, several Queens electeds have maintained their support for Mamdani, and others have joined them.

Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Nydia Velasquez, State Senators John Liu, Julia Salazar Kristen Gonzalez, Assemblymembers Khaleel Anderson, Claire Valdez, Jessica Gonazález-Rojas and Councilmembers Tiffany Caban, Julie Won and Jennifer Gutierrez all backed Mamdani in the primary.

City Council Speaker and former mayoral candidate Adrienne Adams said this week she would support the nominee.

With the general election still unclear, all of the elected officials find themselves in a unique situation, figuring out whether to back their party’s nominee, the opponent they beat in the primary, or the party’s incumbent mayor.

“This is uncharted territory,” Browne said.

Mamdani’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday, but in a conversation with the Eagle earlier in the week, Mamdani said he has plans to campaign and expand his coalition into Queens’ more moderate communities.

“I'm looking to be a mayor for more than just the people who voted for me,” Mamdani said. “I'm looking to be a mayor for all eight and a half million people who call this city their home.”

He added he had recently spoken with Queens party chairman Greg Meeks, and looks forward to sitting down with the longtime Southeast Queens representative.

Cuomo’s campaign referred the Eagle to an earlier comment where the Queens-born former governor thanked his primary supporters and stressed he has not made any decision on running in November.

“We are incredibly proud of the campaign we ran and the broad coalition that we built, including nearly every labor union, our elected endorsers, and everyday working class New Yorkers who supported our vision to get the city back on track,” said spokesperson Rich Azzopardi.