NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams endorsed former governor Andrew Cuomo’s mayoral candidacy on Thursday, citing what he said was extremism by frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, including Mamdani’s defense of the phrase, “Globalize the Intifada.”
Both Adams and Cuomo are pro-Israel centrists, while the far-left Mamdani has long made anti-Israel activism central to his politics.
Adams has low approval ratings as mayor and was polling poorly in the mayoral race before he dropped out last month. The endorsement of Cuomo marked an about-face for Adams, who had called Cuomo a “snake and a liar” weeks before quitting the race.
Mamdani mocked Adams’s endorsement on X, calling the agreement “The art of the deal,” in an apparent reference to US President Donald Trump’s book of the same name. Adams has drawn fire for his dealings with the Trump administration.
Both Cuomo and Mamdani have pitched themselves as the candidates best suited to oppose Trump, who is unpopular in New York and has pilloried Mamdani as a “communist lunatic.”
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Adams and Cuomo share a similar base of moderates, Black voters, and religious Jews.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist, won a stunning upset over Cuomo in the primary earlier this year to secure the Democratic Party nomination for the general election. Cuomo is running as an independent in the election, and Adams is a Democrat. The Republican party candidate, Curtis Sliwa, is in polling in third place and has refused to drop out, despite heavy pressure.
Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani participates in the second New York City mayoral debate with Independent candidate former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens, New York, on October 22, 2025. (Hiroko Masuike/Pool/AFP)
Adams announced his plan to endorse Cuomo in a Thursday interview with The New York Times.
Adams said he would campaign with Cuomo in areas where Adams is popular. Adams’s office and Cuomo’s team did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether this would include Jewish areas.
Adams told The New York Times that he aimed to “wake up Black and brown communities” about the race, and that Mamdani’s policies were too extreme, citing, among other issues, a “mayor that won’t denounce ‘Globalize the Intifada.’”
Mamdani defended the phrase, seen by many Jews as a call to antisemitic violence, in a podcast interview earlier this year. After coming under massive fire, Mamdani recanted, saying he would “discourage” the use of the phrase, without condemning it.
Mamdani has also refused to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, repeatedly accused Israel of genocide, and vowed to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York City while Mamdani is mayor, although legal experts say the mayor would not have the authority to make such an arrest.
Mamdani has said he got his start in politics by organizing pro-Palestinian activism and that the Palestinian cause is “central to my identity.” Before becoming mayor, he identified as an anti-Zionist and voiced support for the so-called Holy Land Five, activists who are in prison for funding Hamas.
Illustrative: Anti-Israel protesters in New York City, August 16, 2025. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)
As a state assemblyman representing part of Queens, Mamdani introduced legislation that targeted charities linked to settlements. Critics said the legislation would demonize Jewish charities writ large because some philanthropies, such as medical services, provide services in settlements, without advancing settlement activities.
His expected win in the race has alarmed Jewish leaders. More than 850 rabbis, including prominent figures in New York City, signed an open letter this week opposing Mamdani and the “political normalization” of anti-Zionism. A leading Conservative rabbi in the city, Elliot Cosgrove, warned this week that Mamdani poses “a danger to the security of the New York Jewish community.”
It’s unclear whether Adams’s endorsement will boost Cuomo. Cuomo already saw a bump in the polls after Adams dropped out of the race.
Mamdani has usually been the favored candidate among Jews who are drawn to his progressive policies, and some Jewish leftists have canvassed in support of his campaign. At the same time, a July survey found that around half of Jewish New Yorkers believed Mamdani was antisemitic and a majority thought the city would be less safe for Jews with Mamdani as mayor.
Former New York State governor Andrew Cuomo at Israel Day on 5th, May 18, 2025. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)
A poll that Fox News carried out after Adams quit the race found that Cuomo was the favored candidate for Jews at 42%, compared to 38% for Mamdani, although the survey had a 9-point margin of error for Jews.
Adams is popular with Orthodox Jewish communities, particularly in Brooklyn, where he forged ties with Jewish leaders as a police officer and local elected representative in the borough before becoming mayor. As mayor, he rolled out a series of initiatives supporting Israel and the mainstream Jewish community, and as the Gaza war roiled the Democratic party, he maintained his steadfast support for Israel, as Cuomo voiced some mild criticism of the war, while generally maintaining his pro-Israel line.
Cuomo infuriated many Orthodox Jews while serving as governor by enacting COVID restrictions that Jews felt targeted their communities. Cuomo made amends during his campaign, and after Adams dropped out of the race, Orthodox groups lined up behind Cuomo.
Cuomo and Adams first appeared to have mended ties when they sat together at a New York Knicks basketball game on Wednesday night. Cuomo rushed over to the game after a mayoral debate.
Great win for the Knicks. We need to win for the city. Can’t go backwards. pic.twitter.com/U8iOv6EiMQ
— Eric Adams (@ericadamsfornyc) October 23, 2025
The event, like previous debates, saw the candidates spar over Israel and antisemitism.
Mamdani was asked about Jews who are alarmed by his anti-Israel rhetoric, and said, “I look forward to being mayor for every single person that calls this city home.”
“That includes Jewish New Yorkers who may have concerns or opposition to the positions I shared about Israel and Palestine,” he said. “I will be the mayor who doesn’t just protect Jewish New Yorkers but also celebrates and cherishes them.”
Cuomo mocked Mamdani for his response.
“Not everything is a TikTok video. You’re the savior of the Jewish people? You won’t denounce ‘Globalize the Intifada,’ which means ‘Kill Jews.’ There’s unprecedented fear in New York,” Cuomo said.
Early voting starts on Saturday and the general election is on November 4.
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