It shouldn’t be too much to ask for the mayor of New York City to show up for New Yorkers — but here we are. The cost of living is out of control, and one in four New Yorkers can no longer afford basic needs to survive. A mayor who sold out New Yorkers at President Donald Trump’s behest is unfit to lead our city — and must never do so again. We deserve leadership not molded by greed, revenge or self-interest, and we can’t look to the leaders of the past to solve the problems of the present. That’s why we’re endorsing a slate of dedicated public servants who’ve shown they’ll fight for our city.
After hosting forums, hearing from candidates and listening to students, we know who’s ready to lead. The NYU College Democrats are proud to rank Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani first, alongside a slate including City Comptroller Brad Lander, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and state Sen. Jessica Ramos. We urge NYU students not to rank Andrew Cuomo on June 24 or vote for Eric Adams on Nov. 4.
Some politicians think the 2024 election showed that the time is ripe for corrupt ex-politicians to make their political comeback — Cuomo hopes an apology tour is enough. Let’s face it: Cuomo is running for Adams’ second term, one likely to be plagued by federal investigations. He also brings a record of slashing funding for the MTA, underfunding public schools and cutting Medicaid. Over 150 Democratic lawmakers and party officials have joined us in urging New York Democrats to reject Cuomo’s lust for power.
Just last month, Cuomo dropped a housing plan riddled with content generated by artificial intelligence. Real estate-backed super PACs with names like Fix the City are flooding the race with cash, counting on voters to forget he had a decade to fix the crisis he helped create. If a former housing secretary needs ChatGPT to write his plan, he’s nowhere near ready to lead this city.
Assemblymember Mamdani is a man defined by his principles. Unlike his primary rival for the job, he’s not backed by Trump-supporting billionaires. He instead runs an authentic campaign to solve the affordability crisis. He promises fast and free buses, city-run grocery stores with lower prices in food deserts, a rent freeze for 2.5 million tenants and 200,000 union-built affordable units over ten years. Mamdani also went on a 15-day hunger strike supporting desperately needed debt relief for taxi drivers, winning over $400 million. His authenticity shines through in every part of his work and campaign. His Spanish-language advertisement, aimed at Latino voters, was so sincere and effective that a Republican Assemblymember accused it of being AI. And Mamdani even had an impromptu interview with the notorious Crackhead Barney, which was so sharp a reporter wondered if it was staged. It wasn’t.
From polling at just 1% in February, he has surged to 22% and now stands as the strongest candidate to defeat Cuomo. With fascism knocking on America’s door, Mamdani offers the strong voice, bold vision and moral clarity this moment demands.
City Comptroller Lander has been one of the few consistent checks on Adams’ fiscal fear-mongering and destructive budget cuts, using his office not just to sound the alarm but to manage the city’s finances with integrity and oversight. He exposed $11 million in waste, fraud and abuse in the Adams administration’s DocGo contracts for migrant services and pushed back against its austerity. A longtime progressive and coalition-builder since his days on the City Council, Lander brings deep policymaking experience, a commitment to the most vulnerable and an ambitious, transparent vision for New York’s future. Recent polling shows he’s a top contender in the Democratic primary and a credible, serious alternative to Cuomo, precisely the kind of mayor our city needs. Click here to learn everything you need about Lander, with a video from our favorite council member, Chi Ossé.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams has shown what real leadership looks like in City Hall. As the first Black woman to hold the gavel, she led the council through three historic overrides of Mayor Adams’ vetoes — defending housing vouchers, ending solitary confinement and advancing police reform. Just last month, she proposed what would be the largest guaranteed basic income program in the country, offering direct support to over 21,000 homeless children and young adults. From Southeast Queens, she has long fought for the very communities Cuomo is now trying to court. With growing support from Queens legislators, local unions, the Working Families Party and Attorney General Letitia James, Adams is building the coalition it takes to win. We’re proud to stand with her.
State Sen. Jessica Ramos brings a fierce, principled commitment to working families and a track record to match. As chair of the Committee on Labor, she has fought to raise the minimum wage, crack down on wage theft and strengthen protections for union workers across the state. She’s also championed policies to expand child care access and secure historic wins for tenants. Most recently, she helped block a billionaire-backed casino development plan in Queens, standing with her constituents against corporate overreach. In a city where Latina voices remain underrepresented at the highest levels, Ramos brings the kind of leadership New York needs — and would be the first Latina elected citywide.
Name recognition is one hell of a drug in local politics — it’s why Cuomo is leading in the polls. But we can’t afford to act like this race has already been decided, because New York City is at an inflection point. This mayoral race offers a real choice between the politics of the past and a new vision for New York City. With less than two months until the Democratic primary, we cannot risk letting Cuomo lead our city backward.
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