June 14, 2025 NEW YORK, NY – As early voting for the New York City mayoral primary intensifies and polls indicate a narrowing contest, the gloves are officially off. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo's campaign and his formidable allies are escalating their offensive against his primary rival, Zohran Mamdani. The latest salvo? A staggering $5.4 million negative television advertisement, a sum that underscores the high stakes of this election.

This significant financial push, revealed in recent campaign filings, highlights the heated battle between the Democratic frontrunners vying to unseat incumbent Mayor Eric Adams. The drama further unfolded Saturday morning as prominent civil rights leader Al Sharpton publicly endorsed Cuomo and sharply criticized Mamdani's decision to cross-endorse a white male candidate over a Black woman in the crowded ranked-choice voting race.

Mega-PAC Targets Mamdani: Radical or Reformer?

The pro-Cuomo super PAC, "Fix the City," has become a financial behemoth in this election cycle. Bolstered by a recent $5 million infusion from billionaire Mike Bloomberg and drawing contributions from donors who have also supported President Donald Trump, the PAC has unleashed its financial might against Mamdani. According to records released Friday night by the New York City Campaign Finance Board, "Fix the City" has already pumped an astonishing $14.7 million into this primary, with no signs of slowing down. Their total fundraising now stands at $18.5 million.

The new broadcast ad specifically targets the 33-year-old democratic socialist, portraying him as too radical and inexperienced to effectively govern the nation's largest metropolis. The ad features a clip of Mamdani from a 2020 interview stating, "I was quite open to what would be considered being a radical from a very young age." This soundbite is then juxtaposed with a narrator's ominous suggestion that Mamdani intends to relocate homeless New Yorkers into subway stations, warning, "That’s cruel to the homeless and dangerous for us."

Mamdani's campaign swiftly countered these claims. Spokesperson Andrew Epstein clarified that Mamdani's proposal, articulated in a May interview with WNYC, involved utilizing vacant retail spaces within subway stations as outreach and service hubs for the homeless – a strategy aimed at assisting individuals, not relocating them into the subway system. "It’s about getting people out of the subway system, not bringing them into the subway system," Epstein stated, emphasizing the goal of making commutes safer for everyone through the presence of medical professionals.

The ad also levels accusations that Mamdani promises to "defund the police," referencing his 2020 call for the NYPD to be dismantled. While Mamdani himself pushed back on these claims Saturday, asserting, "I’ve been clear time and time again, I am not defunding the police," it's worth noting that he did, in fact, tweet in favor of defunding police departments in 2020.

Another point of contention raised by Mamdani's camp is the ad's inclusion of multiple clips showing him wearing a kurta, a traditional South Asian garment, despite his usual attire of a suit and tie on the campaign trail. Epstein highlighted this, stating, “There’s nothing that should be scary about wearing a kurta.” Mamdani, who was born in Uganda to Indian parents, has previously worn the garment in his own campaign advertisements.

Experience vs. New Blood: A Central Theme

The issue of experience has become a central battleground in this primary. Campaigns are limited to spending around $8 million during the primary, but the sheer financial weight of the "Fix the City" PAC behind Cuomo dwarfs individual candidate spending. This raises questions about campaign finance regulations, especially given that the city board previously fined Cuomo’s campaign $756,994 for alleged improper coordination with "Fix the City."

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during the New York City Mayoral Candidates Forum at Medgar Evers College, April 23, 2025, in New York.
Frank Franklin Ii/AP

Speaking at Al Sharpton’s National Action Network in Harlem on Saturday, Cuomo directly challenged Mamdani's limited legislative record. "You want to drive a bus, you need to be trained to drive a bus. You want to operate a hot dog cart, you have to get a permit," Cuomo remarked. "Only mayor of New York, no experience necessary? … You can go from five employees and the next day we put you in the seat and you run 300,000? We’ve had inexperienced mayors before. They’ve failed."

Ranked-Choice Voting and Racial Dynamics

The complexities of New York City's relatively new ranked-choice voting system are also playing a significant role in campaign strategies and alliances. Sharpton's critique of Mamdani centered on his decision to cross-endorse candidate Brad Lander, instructing supporters to rank Lander second, rather than City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, a Black woman. "They say that Mamdani and Lander endorsed each other, so against the Black woman,” Sharpton stated. “Something about that politics ain’t progressive to me.”

Sources close to the discussions reveal that Mamdani had, in fact, pursued a cross-endorsement with Adams for weeks, even encouraging his supporters to donate to her campaign. However, no agreement materialized. A person familiar with Adams’ campaign indicated that she has been courted by multiple candidates but is still finalizing her ranked-choice voting strategy.

Meanwhile, Mamdani has invested a six-figure sum in his own advertising to counter criticisms regarding his public safety platform. Despite the "defund the police" claims, Mamdani has pledged to maintain the NYPD's headcount if elected. His proposed solution involves creating a "Department of Community Safety" to handle responsibilities currently managed by police officers, such as responding to mental health emergencies.

As the early voting period continues, the New York City mayoral primary promises a dramatic conclusion, with veteran politicians clashing with new faces, and significant financial resources being deployed in a race that will ultimately shape the future of the nation's largest city.