A slew of Queens elected officials has formally endorsed former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s mayoral bid, following the backing of the Democratic Organization of Queens County and its chairman, U.S. Rep. Gregory W. Meeks.
State senators Joseph P. Addabbo and Toby Ann Stavisky, Assembly Members David Weprin and Edward Braunstein, and Council Member Lynn Schulman all officially endorsed Cuomo’s mayoral bid Tuesday. They cited the former governor’s record during the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. They also touted Cuomo’s performance on issues such as marriage equality, abortion rights, and public safety.
Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 after several women accused him of sexual harassment, has been the clear frontrunner since announcing his bid for mayor and had already secured a number of endorsements from elected Democrats in Queens, with Meeks and the Democratic Organization of Queens County announcing their endorsement at the organization’s headquarters in Forest Hills on Sunday. Cuomo has consistently denied all allegations against him.
Assembly Members Stacey Pheffer Amato, Vivian Cook and Sam Berger have also officially endorsed Cuomo, while a coalition of black elected officials including State Sen. James Sanders has urged voters to rank Cuomo first and Council Member Adrienne Adams second in the upcoming vote.
The slew of endorsements hand a major boost to Cuomo’s campaign and a blow to his other Queens-based competitors, including Adams, Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani and State Sen. Jessica Ramos.
Adams and Mamdani did, however, pick up an endorsement from the Working Families Party on Sunday alongside City Comptroller Brad Lander and State Sen. Zellnor Myrie. State Sen. Leroy Comrie, meanwhile, dissented from the black coalition’s endorsement of Cuomo and threw his support behind Adams. Assembly Member Khaleel Anderson and Council Member Nantasha Williams also broke with the coalition to support Adams.
Cuomo, a self-described “Queens boy,” secured the most recent five Queens endorsements on April 1 due to his record in public service.
Stavisky, for example, touted Cuomo’s efforts to promote marriage equality, codify Roe v. Wade into law, and pass the Dream Act during his governorship. The Dream Act gives undocumented and other students access to New York State‐administered student financial aid to support their higher education costs.
“I will support Andrew Cuomo when I vote for Mayor because New Yorkers can count on him to tackle crime, support our public schools, and create affordable housing,” Stavisky said in a statement explaining her endorsement.
Addabbo, on the other hand, said Cuomo’s experience is required to help “turn this city around.”
“He navigated us through the COVID pandemic and helped us locally in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, and he dealt with President Trump during his first term. It is that kind of experience that we need right now to witness better days ahead for our city,” Addabbo said in a statement Tuesday.
Weprin said Cuomo had helped facilitate progress that New Yorkers have “seen and felt,” while Braunstein described the former governor as the “proven leader we need.”
Schulman, meanwhile, said Cuomo had a “proven track record” of standout achievements in public office, including his work advocating for older adult housing while serving as HUD Secretary and fighting for equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community while serving as governor.
“Having grown up around my district, Andrew Cuomo also understands the unique challenges my constituents face and will fight to ensure they get the services they need,” Schulman said.
Cuomo’s opponents had previously accused the former governor of shying away from criticizing President Donald Trump since announcing his candidacy for mayor in February, but the former governor delivered a decidedly anti-Trump speech when accepting the endorsement of the Democratic Organization of Queens County Sunday. Cuomo told the audience that Queens must be the place to “stand up” to the President and pledged that the “counter revolution starts here,” according to a report in the Queens Daily Eagle.
