The latest poll shows that in the final sprint phase of the New York City mayoral election, independent candidate Andrew Cuomo is catching up with the socialist Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani, while some anti-socialist voters are supporting Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
In this tense situation, on Wednesday (October 29), several Republican lawmakers told the media that they had to make a bipartisan sacrifice by switching their support to Cuomo.
On Wednesday, both Cuomo and Sliwa coincidentally went to “red” Staten Island, where many Republican voters reside, to campaign. Sliwa criticized Cuomo for being opportunistic.
“I think the residents of Staten Island know that he and Mamdani are here for votes,” Sliwa said on ABC7, “but they’ve never been here before, and I guarantee they won’t come back after the election.”
Although Staten Island is a stronghold for Sliwa, Cuomo told Fox News, “This year is different.”
“They used to call me a ‘liberal,’ but now I’ve become a ‘moderate’ because the entire party has changed. That’s the significance of this election; it’s a civil war,” Cuomo said. “I believe the far-left forces will destroy the Democratic Party. I believe if the far-left forces take control, they will destroy the Democratic Party nationwide.”
On Wednesday, New York State Republican Congressman Mike Lawler told 77 WABC morning news that although he had previously criticized Cuomo multiple times, compared to Mamdani, it should be a case of choosing the lesser of two evils.
“Between Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo? There is simply no comparison,” he said. “This mayoral election is the toughest choice I’ve seen in many years – this is not something to take lightly.”
Lawler had previously called Cuomo “full of lies” for his nursing home policies during the 2020 pandemic, but he believes Mamdani’s platform, including cutting police funding, legalizing prostitution, criticizing Israel, and planning to increase taxes by billions of dollars, is more frightening, “These statements are extremely reckless enough to disqualify him from running.”
“In the end, this has nothing to do with party affiliation,” Lawler added. “New Yorkers face a choice – either let a Marxist, socialist mayor who is indifferent to Jews and believes the 9/11 attacks were just for self-victimization, or choose another option.”
Coincidentally, before Lawler’s statement, Ukrainian-born Brooklyn City Councilor Inna Vernikov also voiced support for Cuomo. She withdrew her endorsement for “loyal friend” Sliwa and supported Cuomo’s mayoral campaign to stop Mamdani, “I thank him for everything he has done for this city and the Jewish community.”
Vernikov told the New York Post on Tuesday, “As much as I hate to say this, voting for Sliwa is like voting for Mamdani.”
Vernikov’s district, the 48th, includes a large number of Jewish residents who are against Mamdani, including communities such as Gravesend, Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Midwood, Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, and Gerritsen Beach.
“This transcends party lines—it’s about our future,” Vernikov said. “(Cuomo), the person we may not like, is the ‘only chance’ to defeat Mamdani, who is ‘anti-America, anti-Israel, anti-police.'”
Cuomo expressed gratitude and appreciation for the support of Republicans on X platform on Wednesday.
“I thank the bipartisan leaders for their support; we share a common goal: to restore unity and strength to New York City,” Cuomo wrote. “This election is not about left or right, but about the power of New Yorkers.”