New York mayoral candidates rally voters ahead of Election Day
Zoran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa are making a last-ditch effort to connect with voters ahead of Election Day in New York City.
On November 4, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the senior senator from New York, declined to say who he voted for in the closely watched New York mayoral race.
Asked at a press conference at the Capitol whether he would vote for Democratic candidate Zoran Mamdani or former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, Schumer simply said he had.
“Look, I voted, and I look forward to working with the next mayor to help New York City,” he told reporters at a weekly news conference to discuss the ongoing government shutdown.
Schumer’s comments came on Election Day, when a record number of New Yorkers turned out to vote in a historic election.
Some moderate Democrats were slow to rally behind Mr. Mamdani, a 34-year-old Democratic Socialist and state lawmaker after his stunning victory in the June primary. Mamdani defeated a field of experienced candidates, including Cuomo, a former three-term New York governor who has been trying to revive his political career after resigning in disgrace.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) made a last-minute endorsement of Mamdani in October. Mr. Schumer told reporters last week that he had a “good relationship” with Mr. Mamdani, but also declined to publicly endorse the candidate.
If Mamdani, who is leading in opinion polls, wins, he will become the country’s largest city’s first Muslim mayor and first Asian American mayor.
Some Republicans have placed Mamdani on the offensive amid criticism of Jeffries and Schumer, seeking to break an impasse against pressure from the left wing of the Democratic Party.
Contributed by: Eduardo Cuevas, USA TOD
