{"id":23932,"date":"2025-10-31T12:11:36","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T12:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/23932\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T12:11:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T12:11:36","slug":"mamdani-targets-senior-voters-as-he-seeks-to-blunt-cuomo-edge-with-older-nyers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/23932\/","title":{"rendered":"Mamdani targets senior voters as he seeks to blunt Cuomo edge with older NYers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seeking to curry favor with a constituency that has been somewhat skeptical of him, Democratic mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani<\/a> participated in a watercolor painting class with older New Yorkers at a senior center in Brooklyn on Thursday.<\/p>\n

His outreach effort received a mixed response.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe sounds very impressive, but it\u2019s like I\u2019m saying I just learned about him \u2026 It\u2019s just all of a sudden he\u2019s running for mayor, and I\u2019m like, \u2018Who is he? What did he do before?\u2019 I don\u2019t know any of that,\u201d Denise Lipscomb, a 67-year-old retired city government worker, told the Daily News after listening to Mamdani deliver remarks to her and other seniors participating in the painting class at the Fort Greene Council<\/a> in Bedstuy.<\/p>\n

\"NewDemocratic mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani participated in a watercolor painting class with older New Yorkers at a senior center in Brooklyn on Thursday. (Theodore Parisienne \/ New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

Lipscomb, who used to work for the city\u2019s Human Resources Administration, said she will vote in Tuesday\u2019s mayoral election, but remains unsure about who to back between Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo, his chief rival<\/a> in the race.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Cuomo] was there before, what much did he do?\u201d she said, a reference to his time as governor. \u201cI\u2019m like just thinking on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mamdani, a Queens Assembly member who at 34 would become the youngest mayor in modern city history, is polling as the favorite to win<\/a> next week\u2019s election, consistently holding a double digit edge over Cuomo in survey after survey.<\/p>\n

Yet, one of Mamdani\u2019s weak spots is older generations of New Yorkers.<\/p>\n

Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid sexual and professional misconduct accusations he denies, has in the polls been beating Mamdani with older voters, some of whom are uneasy about Mamdani\u2019s level of executive experience and unabashed left-wing politics.<\/p>\n

Early voting started Saturday, and voters over 55, as of Wednesday night, made up a slim majority of those showing up at polling sites, a trend<\/a> that could benefit Cuomo.<\/p>\n

\"NewNew York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani holds a rally at 966 Fulton St. in Brooklyn on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (Theodore Parisienne \/ New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

Against that backdrop, Mamdani showed up at the senior center in Bedstuy on Thursday. He spent about 30 minutes working on a water color painting of a forest landscape while chatting with seniors about his campaign and their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to warn you I am not very good at painting,\u201d Mamdani told them at one point.<\/p>\n

In remarks, Mamdani told the room he has been vexed by his agenda being portrayed as a platform only for young people. His campaign has been centered on pledges to increase taxes on the wealthy<\/a> in order to provide expanded social services for low-income New Yorkers, like free public buses and rent freezes for stabilized\u00a0tenants, and Mamdani argued those are policies that benefit all New Yorkers.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes I\u2019ve been frustrated by the way in which people think cost of living is a young person\u2019s\u00a0issue, because what I\u2019ve actually found time and again is that cost of living is affecting every single New Yorker, no matter their age,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

That part of Mamdani\u2019s message went over well with some of the seniors in the room.<\/p>\n

A woman who only identified herself as Cenie offered Mamdani a rose as a jokeful reference to the \u201cGolden Bachelor\u201d TV show, which the mayoral candidate\u2019s campaign recently spoofed in a television ad<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"NewDemocratic mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani receives a red rose at a senior center in Brooklyn on Thursday. (Theodore Parisienne \/ New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you accept a rose to represent us?\u201d Cenie said to applause from the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, thank you,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

While she remained undecided on how to vote, Lipscomb, the retired city worker, voiced agreement with the central theme of Mamdani\u2019s campaign message.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey cut everything for the poor people. When are you going to cut for the rich who already have, who can afford it?\u201d she said when asked what she\u2019s looking for in a mayoral candidate. \u201cIt\u2019s like there\u2019s always the attack on the less fortunate, and that\u2019s what gets me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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