Tech billionaire and former White House adviser Elon Musk slammed the New York City mayoral ballot Tuesday over the positioning of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo, calling it a "scam."
At issue: Mamdani and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa appear twice, while Eric Adams remains on the ballot despite dropping out, bumping Cuomo down to the second line beside Jim Walden and Joseph Hernandez.
Under New York's fusion voting system, Mamdani is listed twice because he holds the nomination of both the Democratic Party and the Working Families Party. Sliwa appears twice because he's listed on the Republican line and also on a separate Protect Animals ballot line.
That placement pushes Cuomo — the independent candidate endorsed by Musk on Monday — down the list, next to Walden, who has dropped out, and Hernandez, who didn't appear in most polls.
"The New York City ballot form is a scam! No ID is required. Other mayoral candidates appear twice. Cuomo's name is last in bottom right," Musk said in a post to X.
In a separate post, Musk wrote of Mamdani, "Given that he's on the ballot twice, maybe he can win twice too."
Musk joined President Donald Trump in calling for Sliwa to drop out to bolster Cuomo's chances, arguing that the Republican's candidacy would split the vote in Mamdani's favor.
"Bear in mind that a vote for Curtis is really a vote for Mumdumi or whatever his name is. VOTE CUOMO!" Musk said in a post to X on Monday.
Wrote Trump on Truth Social, "A vote for Curtis Sliwa (who looks much better without the beret!) is a vote for Mamdani.
"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!"
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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