Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) lent former Gov. Andrew Cuomo his endorsement Wednesday in the closing days of the New York City mayoral race, citing Zohran Mamdani’s socialist brand for his refusal to back the Democratic nominee.
Suozzi said he couldn’t stomach endorsing a “socialist with a thin resume to run the most complex city in America.”
“We need leaders who will fight crime, not undermine the police. Who will create jobs, not harm the economy? Who will keep taxes down, not make it more expensive for middle-class families to live here?” he added in a post on X.
Suozzi mostly represents Long Island’s Nassau County and a portion of Queens. He backed Cuomo in the Democratic primary earlier this year.
The independent candidate, Cuomo, is trailing Mamdani in the polls. He’s hoping Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa will drop out and help him close the gap with the socialist.
The former governor accepted Suozzi’s endorsement, noting that he’s known him for a long time.
“I’m grateful to have Congressman Tom Suozzi’s support as we head into early voting. I’ve known Tom for many years — he’s smart, results-driven, and a true public servant who delivers for the people he represents,” Cuomo said in a statement shared with the Washington Examiner. “His kind of common-sense leadership is exactly what New York needs, and I look forward to partnering with him to make our city safer, stronger, and more livable.”
Suozzi has consistently opposed Mamdani, noting last month that he would not endorse the 34-year-old socialist with plans to freeze the rent, institute fast and free buses, and make childcare free.
“I fundamentally disagree with his proposed solutions. Like the voters I represent, I believe socialism has consistently failed to deliver real, sustainable progress,” he wrote on X. He noted that he could not advise Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) on her backing of Mamdani because she beat him “soundly” in the New York gubernatorial primary in 2022.
Suozzi is among the increasingly fewer Democrats who have not backed Mamdani, which includes Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY). House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has backed Mamdani, along with other former Cuomo allies like Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY).
Cuomo received support from Rep. George Latimer (D-NY) in the primary, but the congressman has yet to back the former governor. The Cuomo campaign would not comment on whether there have been conversations.
But with some fear concerning a Mamdani win, Republicans have started shifting to Cuomo. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) noted Cuomo was the “lesser” of two evils, and New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov urged voters to cast their ballots for the former governor outright despite her support of Sliwa.
Sliwa has refused to drop out of the race despite his allies’ urges.
Suozzi’s endorsement won’t change the face of the race, given his limited elected power in New York City. He only represents eight out of dozens of Queens neighborhoods.
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Mamdani’s campaign mocked Suozzi’s endorsement of Cuomo in a comment to the Washington Examiner.
“It’s nice that Andrew Cuomo is surging in Long Island and the Hamptons,” Jeffrey Lerner, Mamdani’s communications director, told the Washington Examiner.
