AOC backs rising progressive candidate in NYC Dem primary in push to defeat frontrunner Cuomo

Cuomo attacked during debate by fellow Dems for lying to Congress about COVID nursing home scandal

Former NY Gov. Cuomo dismissed accusations in NYC mayoral debate about lying to Congress over his role in a report that undercounted the amount of nursing home deaths during COVID. (Credit: WNBC/WNJU)

Progressive champion Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is weighing in on New York City's Democratic mayoral race, with a long-expected endorsement coming less than three weeks before the city's June 24th primary.

Ocasio-Cortez, the four-term lawmaker who represents a congressional district in The Bronx and Queens and New York City's most prominent leader on the left, backed state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani for mayor on Thursday.

"Assemblymember Mamdani has demonstrated a real ability on the ground to put together a coalition of working-class New Yorkers that is strongest to lead the pack," Ocasio-Cortez said a statement to The New York Times, which was first to report the news. "In the final stretch of the race, we need to get very real about that."

CUOMO DINGED BY FELLOW DEOMCRATS AT NYC MAYORAL PRIMARY DEBATE

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, seen speaking at a town hall gathering on May 2, 2025 in New York City, on Thursday made an endorsement in the upcoming New York City Democratic mayoral primary.  (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Mamdani has been rising in the most recent public opinion polls and is now a clear second to frontrunner and former New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the latest surveys.

With multiple progressive candidates in the primary race, the endorsement of Mamdani by Ocasio-Cortez is seen as a move to unite fractured progressive voters towards a single candidate in an attempt to block the more moderate Cuomo from returning to power. 

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The now-35-year-old Ocasio-Cortez made history in 2018 with her defeat of a longtime House Democrat and then grabbed national attention in the ensuing years as the most-visible member of a small but growing group of younger, diverse, progressive House members known as "The Squad."

Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, a New York State assemblyman, speaks at a rally on May 10, 2025.  He was endorsed on Thursday by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. (REUTERS/Bing Guan) (REUTERS/Bing Guan)

And her endorsement of Mamdani seems to fit her mold. The 33-year-old assembly member from Queens is a person of color and a democratic socialist who is originally from Uganda.

"Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a once-in-a-generation leader who has led the fight for working people in Congress. In 2018, she shocked the world and transformed our politics," Mamdani said in a social media post after news of the endorsement.

And he predicted, "On June 24, with @AOC’s support and this movement behind us, we will do the same."

Mamdani says he wants to make riding on city buses free, freeze increases in rent on rent-stabilized apartments and open city-run grocery stores. He would pay for his platform by implementing a $10 billion tax hike on businesses and the ultra-wealthy.

Four years ago, New York City's progressives failed to unite behind a single candidate, which allowed now-Mayor Eric Adams, a moderate Democrat, to win the primary and eventually the general election.

With his poll numbers plummeting, Adams announced in early April that he would run for re-election as an independent candidate rather than seek the Democratic Party nomination.

Ocasio-Cortez's endorsement came nine days before early voting in the primary kicks off on June 14, and the morning after the first of two Democratic mayoral primary debates was held.

Democratic mayoral candidates Andrew Cuomo, far left, and Zohran Mamdani, second from right, present arguments as Whitney Tilson, second from left, and Michael Blake look on during a Democratic mayoral primary debate, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool) (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)

Mamdani and many of his rivals for the nomination took aim at Cuomo during Wednesday night's combustible debate.

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Cuomo pushed back at Mamdani, characterizing him as too far to the left and inexperienced.

Cuomo, a former three-term governor who resigned from office in 2021 amid multiple scandals, is aiming for political redemption as he works to pull off a campaign comeback.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."