State Sen. and mayoral candidate Jessica Ramos made the shocking move on Friday of endorsing frontrunner Andrew Cuomo for Mayor.
Ramos has been a harsh critic of the former Governor up until very recently, in the June 4 Mayoral debate.
Ramos, a progressive lawmaker representing District 13, which encompasses the neighborhoods of Corona, Elmhurst, East Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights, announced the move to the New York Times on June 6. While she told the Times that she would still remain in the race, in which she has failed to gain the money or endorsements to run a competitive campaign, her support of Cuomo was effectively an acknowledgement that he has a strong chance of winning.
The senator told The New York Times that Cuomo is “the one best positioned right now to protect this city” from President Trump.
“With Trump threatening to bulldoze New York and take us backward, we need someone in City Hall who knows how to hold the line and deliver under pressure,” she told the Times.
Cuomo and Ramos will formally unveil the alliance on Friday morning at an event at the District Council of Carpenters’ lower Manhattan headquarters.
The endorsement is a surprising about-face, given that Ramos, less than three months ago, charged that “Andrew Cuomo can’t fight Donald Trump because he’s just like him.” She also blasted Cuomo for accepting contributions from donors who have given to Trump, accused him of disowning parts of his record as governor, and alleged he is running for mayor simply to redeem himself politically.
“If you’re looking for a champion in Cuomo, because you think of him as a bully who could stand up to Trump, that man is gone,” she said during a March 27 news conference. “New Yorkers need a mayor, not a has-been on a comeback tour.”
During that same news conference, Ramos alleged — without evidence — that his mental acuity is “diminished” and that “we can’t afford another Joe Biden moment.” She was referring to the diminished mental condition of former President Biden that was apparent on the campaign trail during the 2024 presidential election.
Ramos also repeated the claims during an April interview with the New York Post Editorial Board.
She was also one of many lawmakers who called on Cuomo to resign in 2021 following him being hit with nearly a dozen accusations of sexual misconduct that he denies. Therefore, her backing could help sway some women voters reluctant to support him over the scandal that brought down his administration.
The senator’s decision to back Cuomo comes after she failed to gain any meaningful support among the city’s labor unions and progressive groups. Most of the big unions have backed Cuomo, and the New York Working Families Party did not initially include Ramos in the slate of candidates it unveiled in April and only added her to its ranked list in fifth place last week.
In a Friday statement, the WFP said, “We are sad and disappointed that State Sen. Jessica Ramos has decided to endorse the candidate favored by Trump’s billionaire donors. But we won’t be distracted by this desperate move.”
However, a spokesperson declined to say whether it would rescind its fifth-place ranking for Ramos.
The alliance also explains why Ramos appeared to be laying off Cuomo in the first debate of the race on Wednesday night.
During the two-hour event, Ramos focused her attacks more on Queens Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, who is polling second in the race, and other progressives instead of Cuomo.
