Zohran Mamdani, the leading candidate for mayor from the Socialist party, criticized his competitor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday for seeking financial support from wealthy individuals rather than connecting with everyday New Yorkers during his campaign.
Mamdani sarcastically referred to Manhattan’s elite enclave, known as “Billionaires’ Row,” as “Avenue Andrew,” highlighting Cuomo’s preference for courting affluent donors in the wake of Mayor Eric Adams’ exit from the race on Sunday.
“While I’m campaigning for the votes of Eric Adams’ supporters, Andrew Cuomo is chasing after his donors,” Mamdani remarked from the high-end Midtown area.
This pointed critique comes as insiders revealed to The Post that Cuomo was actively fundraising for his independent campaign on Monday and Tuesday, targeting major business figures who have expressed concerns over Mamdani’s leftist platform.
Mamdani stated, “Andrew Cuomo is campaigning in the only manner he knows—by calling billionaires like Barry Diller and Daniel Loeb from his daughter’s $8,000-a-month apartment, giving up whatever shred of integrity remains.”
Records indicate that Diller, a prominent media executive owning a $75 million residence in West Village, contributed $25,000 to the pro-Cuomo “Fix the City” super PAC.
Loeb, a hedge fund mogul residing on Billionaires’ Row and a registered Democrat, donated $35,000 to the same super PAC.
These two influential figures are not the only notable Cuomo supporters highlighted by Mamdani.
Mamdani pointed out that oil magnate John Hess, a Trump backer, and Ronald Lauder, from the Estee Lauder family and a strong advocate for Israel, also financially backed Cuomo.
Lauder is known to have inspired Trump’s ambition to purchase Greenland, an initiative Mamdani ridiculed.
None of the billionaires reached out for comment.
However, corporate leaders have reportedly voiced concerns about Mamdani’s rise due to his connections with the Democratic Socialists of America and some of his stances against large businesses, according to Paul Zuber, executive vice president of the NYS Business Council.
“Is he a politician who also is a democratic socialist, or is he solely a democratic socialist acting as a politician?” Zuber pondered.
“There are many uncertainties regarding his positions. Will he consider the business community’s perspectives or not?”
A campaign insider from Cuomo’s team disclosed that an email was sent out to numerous donors just three hours post-Adams’ exit, and a Zoom meeting was organized that same Sunday night.
Cuomo informed his financial backers that he could counter Mamdani and assured them he was doing everything he didn’t in the prior June Democratic primary, where he suffered a significant defeat to the socialist candidate, according to the source.
“People believe he has momentum—though it may be misguided—it certainly energizes his supporters. There’s a sense that there is a real opportunity here,”
While Mamdani launched a vigorous push against the billionaires with a vibrant news conference, Cuomo opted for a more subdued response: a formal press release.
The release, titled “Hypocrisy is spelled ‘M-a-m-d-a-n-i’,” accused the Queens assemblyman of being self-righteous regarding billionaire hedge fund heir Elizabeth Simons’ $250,000 donation to his super PAC.
“Zohran Mamdani is a hypocrite who will do anything and say anything in a cynical attempt to deceive voters,” Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi stated.
During a separate event on Tuesday, Cuomo pointed out that Mamdani’s parents own an upscale estate in Uganda.
“He’s a mansion boy, and he accuses you of serving billionaires,” Cuomo remarked.
Mamdani’s campaign has already reached the city’s $8 million spending cap, largely due to small contributions from New York City residents and from across the country.
In contrast, Cuomo has yet to hit this financial ceiling.
Mamdani did not mention billionaire Laurie Tisch during his press conference, despite her family’s substantial contributions to Cuomo’s super PAC exceeding $400,000, records show.
Laurie Tisch opted not to comment.
Mamdani asserted that the array of billionaires supporting Cuomo illustrates his dependency on wealthy financiers.
“As my father, Mario Cuomo, once stated: you campaign in poetry, and you govern in prose,” Mamdani conveyed to reporters.
“The verse Andrew Cuomo is writing isn’t just lacking rhyme; it has already been sanctioned by billionaires and Donald Trump… New York City deserves a leader free from the influence of the wealthy.”
— Additional reporting by Carl Campanile
