NYC's Red Shift Could Cause Cuomo to Run for Mayor as Moderate

The primary election for the New York City mayoral race may be next year, but President-elect Donald Trump's strong showing across the five boroughs — he won 30% of the vote — will undoubtedly impact the contest and could potentially prompt former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to run as a moderate in a bid to appeal to a redder electorate.

Political observers say that the rightward turn will push the candidates to rethink their outreach to voters on a number of issues and creates opportunity for a moderate challenger to pitch a centrist message amid a field of progressives.

Mark Levine, the Democrat borough president of Manhattan, told Jewish Insider that the presidential election results were "a shift in the tectonic plates of New York City politics" that "will reverberate throughout New York City and state politics."

"It can't be ignored," Levine said.

Democrat strategist Jon Reinish agreed and said that mayoral candidates "have to throw a bunch of assumptions out the window" in the wake of Trump's resounding victory and focus more on "bedrock kitchen-table issues," like housing, school choice and economics, among others.

"Black, Hispanic and Asian communities are more up for grabs," he told Jewish Insider. "All evidence from earlier in November shows we need to take another look."

Despite his previous scandals, some strategists and Jewish leaders say that Cuomo, who has reportedly been mulling a political comeback, could mount a viable primary challenge to recently-indicted New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Three people familiar with the matter who were granted anonymity by Jewish Insider to speak candidly said Cuomo is gearing up to launch a mayoral bid soon.

"It's happening," one of the sources said.

This person told the outlet that Cuomo's team is working to set up an independent expenditure group and is reaching out to several Orthodox Jewish leaders to combat lingering resentment within the community over his COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

"He's really trying to pitch the moderates now," the person said.

According to early polling, Cuomo would be a front-runner in the mayoral primary race along with New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is reportedly also considering challenging Adams.

If he does end up running, Cuomo's staunch record of support for Israel would distinguish him from other contenders, who have drawn backlash from the Jewish community for their flip-flopping on the issue.

One of Cuomo's Jewish allies who spoke on condition of anonymity told Jewish Insider that many Jewish leaders are now privately urging the former governor to run because they are worried that anti-Israel candidates could gather momentum in the race.

As Cuomo remains on the sidelines, Wall Street investor Whitney Tilson threw his hat in the ring late Monday night, filing paperwork to run in the city's mayoral race and vowing to cut crime by 50%, handle the migrant crisis and clean up corruption, according to the New York Post.

The outlet reported that Tilson decided to launch his bid after Vice President Kamala Harris' loss on Nov. 5, which he attributed in part to radical progressives within his party that he says are destroying it.

Michael Blake, a former state lawmaker who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2020, also joined the primary field last week. After presenting himself as a supporter of Israel, Jewish Insider reported that Blake is facing criticism for anti-Israel remarks on social media after Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks.

State Sen. Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, announced his bid last month and has reportedly raised concerns among Jewish leaders for his vocal criticism of Israel and support of boycotts aimed at the Jewish state. In recent days, he has been promoting policies like rent freezes and free childcare, as well as making an effort to reach out to Trump supporters.

City Comptroller Brad Lander, a Jewish Democrat, launched his campaign over the summer but has faced scrutiny from the Jewish community for reportedly supporting anti-Israel activists whose views he has disavowed.

Similarly, former Comptroller Scott Stringer, who is also a Jewish Democrat, is positioning himself as a centrist as he seeks to reenter politics. According to Jewish Insider, Stringer ran unsuccessfully for mayor last election cycle and was criticized by Jewish leaders for seeking support from state lawmakers who supported Israel boycotts.

Additionally, Democrat state Sens. Jessica Ramos and Zellnor Myrie have both reportedly joined the current mayoral primary field.