Mayor Eric Adams endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the race for New York City mayor on Thursday.
The two appeared together at an event in East Harlem for the formal announcement and Adams hugged Cuomo before announcing his support.
Adams said sometimes “brothers fight,” explaining away his prior statements and said now is the time for the two to campaign together.
“This is going to be a raw-knuckle fight on the streets, one block at a time, one building at a time, and we’re ready to take it on and that’s why I’m here today,” Adams said. “So, yes, ‘You criticized Andrew, you called him names.’ You know what? He called me names. But you know what? Now it’s time to fight for the family. And I’m going to fight for the family with Andrew Cuomo as the next Mayor of the City of New York.”
Adams ended his reelection campaign last month after several polls indicated he did not have a path to victory.
Cuomo thanked Adams for his support.
“The mayor put his own ambition aside because he cares more about New York City and he believes Zohran is an existential threat to New York City and we all have to do our best to make sure Zohran does not become the next mayor,” Cuomo said. “And the mayor put his own personal ambition and ego aside to make sure he’s doing everything he can to make sure that New York remains New York.”
Adams is expected to campaign with Cuomo in the final days of the race.
The two were spotted courtside at the New York Knicks game on Wednesday night following the final mayoral debate.
It all comes after what was widely acknowledged as a strong debate performance last night by the former governor, who slammed Mamdani over his resume.
“I did things. You have never had a job. You’ve never accomplished anything,” Cuomo said. “There’s no reason to believe you have any merit or qualification for 8.5 million lives. You don’t know how to run a government. You don’t know how to handle an emergency.”
Mamdani tried to cast Cuomo as a desperate, but found himself on the defensive for much of the night.
“You know, I think last night’s debate is instructive, I spent 90 minutes on stage with Andrew Cuomo and I, like many here, could tell you his critiques of me, his critiques of Curtis Sliwa,” Mamdani said Thursday. “But I could not tell you what he was actually running on to deliver for this city.”
Zohran Mamdani released a statement on the endorsement Thursday afternoon:
“Today confirms what we’ve long known: Andrew Cuomo is running for Eric Adams’ second term. It’s no surprise to see two men who share an affinity for corruption and Trump capitulation align themselves at the behest of the billionaire class and the President himself. We are going to turn the page on the politics of big money and small ideas that these two disgraced executives embody and build a city every New Yorker can afford.”
Early voting in New York starts on Saturday.
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