A former top aide to New York Mayor Eric Adams is now raising money for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the city's mayoral race, the New York Post reported Thursday.
Lorraine Grillo, the formerly first deputy mayor who left Adams' administration in January 2023, held a fundraiser for Cuomo on Wednesday at her United Nations Plaza home, her husband, Stephen Aiello, told the Post.
Grillo follows former Adams allies Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn and Frank Seddio, who have also thrown their support behind Cuomo, according to the report.
"There are countless fundraisers happening across the city for candidates of all backgrounds — this is America, and everyone has the right to support whomever they choose," Adams' reelection campaign spokesman, Todd Shapiro, told the Post.
Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 due to allegations of sexual misconduct that he continues to deny, announced his campaign to replace Adams on March 1 and quickly stood out as the leading candidate among the crowded field of Democrats in polls.
A Honan Strategy Group poll of Democratic primary voters released this week found Cuomo leading Adams 41% to 6% among the field of 11 Democrats. Adams was in fourth place behind Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani (18%) and Comptroller Brad Lander (8%), according to the survey.
A Quinnipiac University poll released earlier this month showed Adams with just 11% support in the upcoming race, with Cuomo leading with 31% of the vote. No other candidate garnered more than 10% of the vote.
The Democratic primary is June 24. The general election will be on Nov. 4.