Mayoral candidates Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo cast their ballots on Election Day on Nov. 4, 2025, in New York City. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
"I think if the far-left socialists were to win, I think long-term, it would be very detrimental to the future of the Democratic Party," Cuomo said. "This country is not a socialist country. This city is not a socialist city. The state is not a socialist state. Socialism has never worked anywhere on the globe. Not Venezuela, not Cuba. It's not going to work in New York City."
CUOMO SAYS TRUMP WILL DEPLOY NATIONAL GUARD, SLASH NYC FUNDS IF MAMDANI WINS MAYOR’S RACE
But when Mamdani was asked during his own media availability Tuesday morning what his success in New York City would signal for the future of the Democratic Party, he said, "My ambitions are squarely within these five boroughs."
In his closing pitch, Mamdani said his campaign ends where it began, as one "that looks to transform the most expensive city in the United States of America into one that's affordable for each and every person that calls it home."
Andrew Cuomo, ballot in hand, walks to a voting booth in New York, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Trump urged New Yorkers to vote for Cuomo in a Truth Social post Monday night.
"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. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!" Trump said.
In response, Cuomo told reporters Tuesday that Trump is "nothing if not pragmatic," while reiterating his belief that a "vote for Sliwa is a vote for Mamdani."
"My record with President Trump is 100% clear," Cuomo said. "I was governor. He was president. No one fought for New York more forcefully against President Trump than I did. We had battle royales. Many of them. And if there's anyone who can protect New York against President Trump, it's me. If Zohran Mamdani were mayor, Trump would go through him like a hot knife through butter. He would just step over him."
Zohran Mamdani votes at a voting site on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in New York City. (AP Photo/Olga Fedorova)
While Trump has threatened to cut federal funding to New York City if Mamdani is elected, the democratic socialist has committed to fighting back against Trump.
"President Trump also encouraged every New Yorker to vote for Andrew Cuomo," Mamdani said Tuesday. "There are many things that he will say and that he will do that will not actually bear out in the results within our own city. I will treat his threats as they deserve to be treated, which are the words of a president, and not necessarily the law of the land."
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Mamdani said it's time the city has a "mayor who stands up for New Yorkers each and every day, not one who's willing to sacrifice those New Yorkers, so that they can stand up for themselves."
"I will not be intimidated by this president," Mamdani said.
Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cuomo-warns-dem-civil-war-nyc-mayoral-rivals-cast-votes-election-day