With the city\u2019s mayoral election racing into the home stretch, Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani and Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo on Sunday held rallies in Queens to make pitches to voters ahead of the November general election \u2014 each making a case for their strength and their opponent\u2019s weakness.<\/p>\n
Cuomo, a former New York governor, held a \u201crally to support the Jewish state of Israel\u201d in Kew Gardens,<\/a> appealing to the neighborhood\u2019s large Jewish community. About 300 people attended the rally, held at the Kew Gardens Hills Library on Vleigh Place.<\/p>\n Cuomo\u2019s message to the crowd was simple \u2014 that he stands with the Jewish people of New York and that Mamdani, if elected, will present a threat to Jewish New Yorkers.<\/p>\n \u201cWe fundamentally resent the idea that a mayor of New York would be a divisive force. What [Mamdani] has done, the offense he has shown to the Jewish community, he should be ashamed of himself,\u201d Cuomo said to the crowd.<\/p>\n Cuomo zeroed in on the Democratic candidate\u2019s youth and comparative lack of experience \u2014 a stance he\u2019s taken throughout the race.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need a mayor who knows how to make government work, and I have done that all my life,\u201d he said, distinguishing himself from Mamdani, \u201cwho\u2019s never worked a real job in his life.\u201d<\/p>\n Cuomo also addressed the city\u2019s affordability and housing crises, and reiterated his plan to hire 5,000 more police officers.<\/p>\n