{"id":24407,"date":"2025-10-31T18:41:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T18:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/24407\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T18:41:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T18:41:11","slug":"nyc-influencers-are-divided-over-mamdani-vs-cuomo-for-mayor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/24407\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC Influencers Are Divided Over Mamdani vs. Cuomo for Mayor"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images\n <\/p>\n

As early voting got underway in New York City\u2019s mayoral election<\/a> over the past week, a surprising subset of characters has come forward with endorsements: lifestyle- and fashion-content creators.<\/p>\n

Fresh off the heels of her over-the-top engagement party<\/a>, Danielle Bernstein of WeWoreWhat infamy<\/a> posted an Instagram Story<\/a> last week that appeared to voice her support for former governor Andrew Cuomo<\/a>, who\u2019s running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to Zohran Mamdani<\/a>. Bernstein emphasized the importance of voting for someone who prioritizes \u201cSAFETY for all New Yorkers.\u201d She went on to write, \u201cAt this moment, experience matters and while the most qualified candidate may not have the most sterling reputation, he has the knowledge required to help our city thrive,\u201d apparently referring to the sexual-harassment allegations<\/a> that led Cuomo to resign as governor. Melissa Wood-Tepperberg, the wellness influencer and Pilates instructor known online as MelissaWoodHealth, also posted a similar nameless endorsement<\/a> to Instagram Stories on her personal account, writing, \u201cThe thought of having someone inexperienced run this city scares the life out of me,\u201d and urging her followers to \u201cvote like our city depends on it, because it does.\u201d<\/p>\n

Much like Amy Schumer<\/a> posting a picture of her voting sticker<\/a> to Instagram Stories with the caption \u201crhymes with duomo,\u201d neither Bernstein nor Wood-Tepperberg had to name any candidate in order for followers to pick up on their message (although Wood-Tepperberg did post a photo<\/a> of her and her husband meeting with Cuomo to her Stories later on). Backlash quickly ensued. \u201cTo come online and tell your predominantly female audience that they would be safer to vote for a man who has been accused of sexual harassment by 13 different women just because the other candidate is what? Muslim? Because that\u2019s the implication here,\u201d one TikToker said<\/a> of Bernstein. Comments under reaction videos to Wood-Tepperberg\u2019s posts ranged from calling the wellness influencer \u201cout of touch\u201d to leaving step-by-step instructions on how to cancel a membership to her online fitness platform.<\/p>\n

Several influencers have also voiced their support for Mamdani. Kelsey Kotzur, a lifestyle-content creator, posted a video<\/a> on TikTok with the caption, \u201cHow it feels canceling out we wore what\u2019s vote,\u201d and \u201cVote 4 Zohran Mamdani.\u201d Viewers expressed their exasperation with influencers like Wood-Tepperberg in the comments of Kotzur\u2019s video, with one saying that they \u201cgave up\u201d on the pilates instructor after her endorsement. One commenter all the way from London, however, lamented how Kotzur\u2019s video made them \u201csad,\u201d writing that their \u201cmayor who has the same general ideas as Mamdani\u201d has made London \u201creally scary and unsafe.\u201d I wonder if those \u201csame general ideas\u201d simply boil down to both Mamdani and London mayor Sadiq Khan being Muslim?<\/p>\n

Influencer Halley Kate McGookin also posted a TikTok video<\/a> saying \u201cHot People VOTE\u201d and clarifying \u201cZohran Mamdani to be exact\u201d in the caption. While many of the comments praised McGookin for her endorsement \u2014 \u201cPERIOD! Danielle Bernstein could neverrrrrrr\u201d and \u201cIf you\u2019re making racists mad, you\u2019re doing something right\u201d among them \u2014 not everyone in her audience was happy to hear that their favorite follow had such progressive taste. \u201cWhy move to ny and then vote to destroy it. Just stay where you came from,\u201d one commenter wrote. Another decried McGookin\u2019s choice, saying she was too \u201cremoved from Sept 11\u201d because she is \u201cso young,\u201d seemingly trying to link Mamdani to the terror attacks (he was 9 years old at the time). One person even wrote they found the influencer\u2019s post \u201cso scary\u201d that it made them start searching for apartments in Miami.<\/p>\n

As the world increasingly feels like it\u2019s on fire<\/a>, creators\u2019 audiences are expecting more than just apolitical content from the people they\u2019re getting makeup recommendations from and supporting financially by shopping through their affiliate links. It\u2019s all very damned if they do, damned if they don\u2019t, but perhaps these influencers could ask themselves one guiding question before they speak out about politics: Can I back who I\u2019m endorsing by name and with my full chest? If the answer is no, perhaps it\u2019s worth another think.<\/p>\n

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