With just a few weeks to go before the upcoming New York primary elections on June 24, and roughly a week before early voting commences, some new political alliances have emerged while others appear to have solidified. This was somewhat evident during the National Puerto Rican Day parade held in Manhattan on Sunday, June 8.

 

Citing a survey conducted by Data for Progress on behalf of a super PAC for mayoral candidate and Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani (S.D. 36), Politico reported on June 9 that fellow mayoral candidate, Andrew Cuomo, former governor of New York, is up by just two points in the polls over Mamdani in the Democratic mayoral primary race, while a poll from the ex-governor’s camp reportedly showed Cuomo with a 12-point lead.

 

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), who is of Puerto Rican heritage, released her slate of endorsements for mayor ahead of the parade on June 5. The congress member, who represents parts of The Bronx and Queens, said New York City needed a mayor who will “put the needs of working people first, and rebuild trust in our city’s government.”

 

She said Mamdani, a multilingual immigrant New Yorker who represents parts of Queens, had demonstrated “a real ability on the ground to put together a coalition of working-class New Yorkers that is strongest to lead the pack.”

 

The congresswoman went on to say that in the final stretch of the race, New Yorkers needed to get “very real,” adding, “I will be ranking Zohran #1 for mayor on my ballot on June 24th and I hope you will too. With our ranked choice voting system, we have the opportunity to vote for five candidates who are a true, broad coalition fighting for a better New York City.”

 

As reported, part of Mamdani’s platform includes freezing rent, fast, fare-free buses, no cost childcare, city-owned grocery stores, cracking down on bad landlords, and creating a department of community safety. The assemblyman said his plans for how he intends to fund these programs are included on his campaign website. The New York Democratic Socialist Party members, among other volunteers, have been campaigning with the assemblyman. [More to follow].

 

Ocasio-Cortez continued, “So I will also be ranking City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams second, [City] Comptroller  Brad Lander third, former [City] Comptroller Scott Stringer fourth, and State Senator Zellnor Myrie fifth. Beyond the slate of candidates listed here, do not rank Andrew Cuomo on your ballot at all. Leave the bubble next to his name blank.”

 

According to recent reporting by The New York Times, a defamation case brought by Stringer against Jean Kim, a woman who accused him of alleged sexual assault, is pending and in September 2024, a judge denied Kim’s request to dismiss the case. Stringer denies any wrongdoing, while according to the Times, Kim stands behind her allegations.

 

Ocasio-Cortez concluded, “This is our most effective tool to protect NYC institutions from being molded to maximize impunity for Cuomo’s bully politics. Cuomo gutted NYS Democratic party leadership, stuffed it with lobbyists, and used it to boost the GOP. We can do better, NYC. Lets run a strong, progressive candidate that directly addresses the core crises so many New Yorkers face, like fighting housing instability, improving early childhood care, supporting small businesses, and raising our minimum wage.”

 

Mamdani, was recently endorsed by State Sen. Robert Jackson (S.D. 31), State Sen. John Liu (S.D. 16) of Queens, as well as the NYC Kids PAC, among others, including State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), as reported.

 

Like Mamdani, Jackson, who represents much of Northern Manhattan and some of the West Bronx, is a Muslim, the first Muslim to become a New York State senator. Meanwhile, Rivera, who represents much of the northwest and center Bronx, continues to rank Mamdani as number one, having already campaigned with the assemblyman in The Bronx in recent weeks, followed by Lander in second place.

 

Rivera then ranks (Adrienne) Adams (C.D. 28), who also represents parts of Queens, former Bronx assemblyman Rev. Michael Blake, and Myrie (S.D. 20), who represents parts of Brooklyn, equally. Like Ocasio-Cortez, another fellow progressive, Rivera has repeatedly encouraged voters not to rank Cuomo.

 

For some recent campaign financing reporting, click here.

 

Lander, another frontrunner in the mayoral race, is holding a meet and greet event in The Bronx on June 16. [As a nonprofit media outlet, Norwood News is precluded from sharing details of any campaign events.]

 

Primary Election Day in New York is Tuesday, June 24. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Early Voting runs from June 14- 22. To be eligible to register to vote, a person must be a U.S. citizen; be 18 years old on June 24; a New York State resident for at least 30 days before the election; not be in prison for a felony conviction; not be adjudged mentally incompetent by a court; and not claim the right to vote elsewhere. The last day to register to vote in person is June 14. Applications to register to vote by mail must also be received by June 14. For more information, click here.