Democratic Socialist anti zionist wins NYC mayor Dem primary

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No, the burden is on you since you posted it. It's up to you to explain yourself, your behavior. If you endorse the racism you posted or if it was feeble attempt to expose it (In my opinion it's neither, doesn't change it being bad).
Since you rather tell me what I or others think/should do, instead of engaging in a honest way and actually offer me your views, what you stand for or think, I won't expect it to happen. But I do encourage you to do so.



Doesn't matter what year it is. A social interaction isn't journalism. It might be news worthy. My claim was never that usage of social media isn't allowed in journalism. My claims was specific for this specific journalist and the specific usage of it. It was unprofessional, irresponsible, unethical, and I suspect dishonest.
Like this discussion is steering off topic, the social media comment that were used (especially the racial slurs) has nothing to do with the news of the article. It doesn't add anything but racism (the specific comment).
However, if Cuomo were the person that spoke the comment, wherever it was made in public/social media, it would definitely been news worthy.

How about you ask me what I mean if I am being unclear?

Calling someone racist is not a personal attack, it is a description.

I'm genuinely curious...is there any form of evidence that Mamdani is anti zionist? All I've seen is just media, political opponents and other ignorant/bigoted people trying to smear/misrepresent him.

Zohran’s revenue plan will raise the corporate tax rate to match New Jersey’s 11.5%, bringing in $5 billion. And he will tax the wealthiest 1% of New Yorkers—those earning above $1 million annually—a flat 2% tax (right now city income tax rates are essentially the same whether you make $50,000 or $50 million).

Here's what Zohran wants to implement

I learnt that New York has no marginal tax in practice. That's wild. No wonder the affordability is so bad.

New York State Tax which corroborate the claim from Zohran


How to Pay for The Mamdani Agenda

President Donald Trump and his allies are eager to quickly consolidate the mayoral field in New York City from three major candidates running against Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani to a one-on-one fight.

That effort, which spilled into public view last week, marks the latest episode in which the president has sought increased control and influence over the affairs of major U.S. cities — including Chicago and Washington, D.C.

But if the past week is any indication, it won’t come easily.

The New York Times and other outlets reported that close Trump advisers have contemplated how to get both New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Republican Curtis Sliwa to abandon their bids, including by offering them jobs in the Trump administration. For Adams, opportunities under consideration included jobs at the Department of Housing and Urban Development as well as ambassador to Saudi Arabia, while a specific post for Sliwa was not made clear, according to the reports. NBC News has not independently confirmed the effort.

Ahead of a Thursday dinner with tech executives, Trump told reporters that Mamdani, a state assemblyman who rose to prominence as an outer-borough socialist, was more likely to win in November if the field against him did not shrink.

“I don’t think you can win unless you have one on one, because somehow he’s gotten a little bit of a lead,” Trump said. “I would like to see two people drop out and have it be one on one. I think that’s a race that could be won.”

The president denied that he had personally encouraged any of the other three major candidates — Adams, Sliwa and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo — to drop out.

“I don’t like to see a communist become mayor, I will tell you that.” Trump said.

Both Sliwa and Adams — who trail both Cuomo and Mamdani in polls — swatted away any suggestion that they’d end their candidacies. Soon after the Times reported on the effort, Sliwa — who founded the Guardian Angels, a volunteer safety patrol group, and has been a fixture in city politics for decades — said that he was uninterested in an administration position and is “committed to carrying this fight through to Election Day.” His campaign then announced the opening of new campaign offices in Brooklyn.

And on Friday, Adams addressed reporters outside of Gracie Mansion, delivering a blistering, five-minute statement excoriating his opponents and giving no indication he’s considering an exit. He opened his statement by calling Cuomo “a snake.”

“This polo shirt that I’m wearing that says ‘Eric Adams, Mayor of the City of New York,’ I’m going to wear that for another four years,” he said, adding: “I have two spoiled brats running for mayor. They were born with silver spoons in their mouths, not like working-class New Yorkers. I’m a working-class New Yorker. They are not like us.”

John Catsimatidis, the billionaire businessman and New York Republican power broker, said he spoke with Trump earlier this summer about getting directly involved in the mayoral race and then discussed with him the ins and outs of the contest on Sunday. The grocery store magnate said he’s discussed a number of possibilities with Trump for how he could help narrow the field.

“The president feels that what I’m saying … anybody but Zohran,” Catsimatidis said in an interview. “Because New York City is the capitalist capital of the world, and we don’t want it to be communism or socialism, whatever. And he’s been pushing that and the president doesn’t want that to happen. … I don’t think the world will come to an end if it’s Eric Adams. I don’t think the world will come to an end if it’s Cuomo. I don’t think the world will come to an end if it’s Curtis.”

Catsimatidis suggested that “there’s other people working on” how to clear the field, adding that Trump has about “half a dozen people that he really trusts, and he uses them.” He did not provide more details on these efforts.

Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is supporting Mamdani, said the level of presidential involvement in the mayoral race is unprecedented in recent times. He recalled President Bill Clinton trying to boost then-Mayor David Dinkins’ re-election campaign in 1993, “but not trying to shape the race or manipulate the dynamics of the race.”


“I don’t remember that from either side, honestly, in any of the elections,” he said.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris won New York City by a substantial margin in 2024, and de Blasio said any effort by Trump to boost Cuomo will turn into a negative for his campaign.

The Trump administration waded into New York mayoral politics earlier this year when the Justice Department moved to dismiss corruption charges against Adams, saying that it had to do so to give Adams space to boost Trump’s immigration agenda. The episode led to a precipitous decline in Adams’ poll numbers.

Trump, however, did improve on his own numbers in New York City last cycle compared to 2020 and 2016, and Trump held major rallies in the Bronx and at Madison Square Garden, baffling some observers at the time as the state and city were firmly off the electoral battleground map.

“He’s a New Yorker,” Catsimatidis said of Trump’s interest in the race. “He’s one of us. He loves New York and wants to make sure New York is not broken.”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

While some national Republicans would like to see Mamdani win so they can make him a focal point in their midterm campaigns, Trump has more aligned himself with the view of his longtime New York associates, who have expressed fears of a Mamdani administration because of his left-wing views and his involvement with the Democratic Socialists of America.

“Sometimes it’s just important to remember the company he keeps,” de Blasio said, referring to Trump. “That inner circle of New York real estate and business figures, including some he’s brought in. [Steve] Witkoff is in his administration. [Howard] Lutnick is in his administration. Part of it is he is hearing from the business leaders of New York City, their concerns. I don’t think he’s thinking as head of the Republican Party. In this case, I think he’s thinking about his donor base and his friends.”

A Siena College survey taken last month found Mamdani at 44% support, with 25% of New York voters backing Cuomo, 12% supporting Sliwa, 7% siding with Adams and 10% undecided.

Democratic primary polling, however, showed Cuomo with a huge edge right up until the stretch run of the election — which Mamdani ultimately won. That triggered Cuomo to run on an independent line. Adams, who won the 2021 Democratic primary and mayoral contest, is running as an independent, too, following legal battles connected to a lobbying effort.

Bradley Tusk, who was campaign manager for former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s 2009 reelection campaign, said he still believes Adams will drop out of the race despite his insistence Friday that he is staying in. But Tusk added that he thinks it is unlikely Sliwa will exit the contest.

“The more Trump and others push, the more this becomes [Sliwa’s] victory — standing up to Trump,” Tusk said in an email. “That means that the 7-10% Adams has could go somewhere else. Of that, some of it probably goes to Cuomo. But some to Sliwa, some even to Zohran and some people may end up not voting. So the impact on the outcome itself is minimal.”

“I’m guessing Trump knows all of this and despite what he’s saying — he wants Zohran to win,” Tusk continued. “They’re the perfect foils for each other. But, this gives him (in his mind) the pretext to send in troops or something else absurd like that. Adams won’t know what to do because if he’s about to go be an ambassador, he can’t object to it. But Zohran will have a field day with it and if anything, it’ll help him politically.”

Mamdani’s victory was built upon a message laser-focused on affordability, energized grassroots support and a slick social media campaign that included viral, direct-to-camera appeals and vertical video sketches. On Friday, he told supporters to stop donating to him after raising the roughly $8 million general election spending limit for mayoral candidates who participate in the city’s matching funds program. In a video, he instead asked for voters’ time as canvassers or phone bankers ahead of November’s election.

The 33-year-old seized on news of Trump’s more significant involvement in the race, tying the president closer to Cuomo, his chief rival. He even called for a one-on-one debate with Trump to “cut out the middleman” in Cuomo.

“Today we have learned what New Yorkers long suspected: Andrew Cuomo is Donald Trump’s choice to be the next mayor of this city,” Mamdani told reporters Wednesday. “This is an affront to our democracy, an affront to what makes so many of us proud to be Americans — that we choose our own leaders.”

Cuomo has already shifted his message from the primary, when he talked of resisting Trump, to the general, where that theme has gone by the wayside. In August, Cuomo told business leaders at a fireside chat that he was not “personally” interested in fighting with Trump and that he thinks there could be an “opportunity” because Trump “doesn’t want to fight with me. [And] personally, I don’t want to fight with him.”

The New York Times first reported those comments, and a spokesperson with the Partnership for New York City, which organized the fireside chat, confirmed the accuracy of those quotes to NBC News at the time.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Cuomo said he read reports that Trump’s advisers were offering a position to Adams but added he had no idea about their veracity.

“I haven’t spoken to President Trump about it,” he said. “I haven’t spoken to Mayor Adams about it. And that speculation, I know nothing about. That’s speculation. I do believe, and I have said that, as all the candidates agree, that Mamdani is an existential threat. That it makes sense that when you get to a point when you can determine who is the strongest candidate, the other candidates defer to the stronger candidate. … So if you’re not the strongest candidate, step aside.”

Mamdani’s allies, meanwhile, have pushed for state and national Democratic leaders in New York, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to speak out against Trump’s efforts to kneecap Mamdani, the party’s nominee. Hochul, Schumer, Jeffries, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and a handful of the city’s Democratic House members have not made an endorsement in the race, which has garnered significant attention from Trump and his associates.

Am kinda at a loss , about the title of this thread ? Anti Zionist ? Is there a direct quote where he has generalized that wildly against Zionists ? or is this a situation? where he is just not Pro Israel? or just not Pro- Genocide ?
Am sorry this sounds alittle "Trumped" Up ? but I am no Political expert .

He has also been asked if Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state. As he stated at a town hall in May with the UJA-Federation of New York, co-moderated by the New York Jewish Week’s Lisa Keys: It should exist “with equal rights for all.”

He later said on a local Fox channel’s morning show: “I’m not comfortable supporting any state that has a hierarchy of citizenship on the basis of religion or anything else.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul endorsed Zohran Mamdani’s bid for New York City mayor Sunday — an establishment seal of approval for the 33-year-old democratic socialist.

“In the past few months, I’ve had frank conversations with him. We’ve had our disagreements,” Hochul wrote in a New York Times op-ed. “But in our conversations, I heard a leader who shares my commitment to a New York where children can grow up safe in their neighborhoods and where opportunity is within reach for every family. I heard a leader who is focused on making New York City affordable — a goal I enthusiastically support.”

Hochul, a moderate Democrat who’s running for a second full term next year, had been under pressure from her party’s left flank to endorse the upstart candidate after his shocking primary win in June. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both Brooklyn Democrats, have faced similar entreaties to lend their support to the party’s nominee.

That pressure intensified this month after President Donald Trump’s unprecedented intervention into the race became public. The Trump team dangled potential jobs in front of incumbent Mayor Eric Adams in an effort to get him out of the race in order to clear a path to victory for ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who trails Mamdani by double digits in most recent polls. Adams has insisted he will remain in the race, and, in recent days, Trump has said he expects the front-running Mamdani will win.

Hochul’s endorsement follows extensive talks this summer between the Buffalo-born governor and Mamdani, a Queens state assembly member.

Hochul opposes Mamdani’s goal of raising taxes on rich New Yorkers to fund much of his agenda, like free bus fare and day care. If elected, that would likely pose a problem for Mamdani, given the fact that any tax hike ultimately must be approved in Albany. Hochul, a staunch Israel supporter, is also at odds with Mamdani over the Jewish state. Mamdani reiterated to The New York Times last week he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he traveled to New York City.

Hochul, though, has her own political calculus driving the decision to back Mamdani. The governor, who has middling poll numbers, must contend with a restive left-leaning base as she prepares to run for re-election; her lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, is challenging her for the Democratic nomination.

She is also supporting Mamdani over Cuomo, who selected her in 2014 as his running mate. Cuomo resigned in disgrace in 2021, and Hochul has moved to distance herself from her old boss.

The endorsement carries political risks, though. Republicans are already making the hard left Mamdani a central figure of their campaigns. Swing seat House Democrats on Long Island, including Reps. Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen, have been critical of the mayoral candidate’s policies and rhetoric.

“In a four-way race, Kathy Hochul just endorsed an avowed communist and anti-Semite for Mayor of the City of New York,” New York Republican Chair Ed Cox said.

I’m live on Long Island. Everyday since June I have gotten mail from Republicans tying the Democratic candidates to Mamdani and “NYC Extremists”. I have not gotten any mail from the Democrats.

Are you registered as a voter with either party? If so, which one?

Also, is your town a Republican stronghold?

Are you registered as a voter with either party? If so, which one?

Also, is your town a Republican stronghold?

This is the problem with the Democrats. They don't have an answer for the Republican claim that Mamdani is an antisemite and a communist. They look like losers and will most likely lose as they did 2 years ago. Not that I want Republicans to win. But I have largely given up on politics. I'm an old man now and I don't need it.

New York Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani scored endorsements this week from key members of the state party establishment, but he’s still waiting on two of the biggest names from his city.

This week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced their endorsements of Mamdani, giving him the backing of two of the state’s most powerful Democrats. But others, particularly congressional leaders such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, are still keeping some distance.

The split screen reflects the different political cross-pressures facing those state and federal figures. It also shows how the Democratic Party’s leaders haven’t fully settled on how much to embrace the energy bubbling up among progressives in New York City and elsewhere, after Mamdani scored an upset victory in the June Democratic mayoral primary over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is pressing on with a third-party bid for mayor.

“It’s clear that Mamdani’s candidacy is something that a lot more of the ‘establishment Democrats’ have had a tough time wrestling with, because it’s a movement of a lot of people that a lot of institutional Democrats didn’t see coming, and is also coming at a time when the party, both locally and nationally, is wrestling with what it looks like to move to the next generation of political leadership,” said Basil Smikle, a longtime Democratic strategist who previously served as the executive director of the New York State Democratic Party.

“Part of the calculus for Hochul and Heastie, and what I think Schumer and Jeffries are trying to get to, is to find a way to embrace the movement he’s created,” Smikle added, while also finding “a way to work with him on some of the more contentious issues that have come up with different constituencies — whether it’s his views on Israel or quality of life and policing.”

The newfound Mamdani endorsers, in part, framed their support as a sign of the party coming together.

As he endorsed Mamdani on Wednesday, Heastie cast Mamdani as an optimist promising a better direction for New York City.

"I do think this city is clamoring for something new and different," Heastie said. "He has a romantic view of what this city can be and should be. And sometimes people want to be romanced.”

Mamdani echoed that unified outlook Monday in a conversation with reporters on a picket line in the Bronx.

“This is a time for unity. It is a time for strength, and it is a time to speak in one voice. And I am proud that when New Yorkers ask themselves what are their leaders doing, they will know that the governor and the mayor are working hand in hand to fight for the people that call this great city home,” Mamdani said.

But Mamdani does not have all of New York’s most powerful Democrats in his corner. Schumer and Jeffries, two New Yorkers who happen to be the top Democratic lawmakers in Congress, have notably and repeatedly held out, though they haven’t closed the door on endorsing Mamdani, either. Kirsten Gillibrand, New York’s other senator and the leader of Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, also has not endorsed, and she criticized Mamdani this summer over his stance on Israel and its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (Gillibrand later apologized for “mischaracterizing Mamdani’s record” in an interview.)

In particular, Schumer’s and Jeffries’ holdouts have rankled some progressives. Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland blasted the non-endorsements during a recent address to Iowa Democrats, leading Jeffries spokesman Justin Chermol to tell The New York Times that “confused New Yorkers are asking themselves the question: Chris Van Who?”

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., told NBC News in an interview that the lack of an endorsement from Democratic leadership is “a little perplexing.”

“Look, it is hard for me to understand how the Democratic leadership is not supporting the candidate who won the Democratic primary, or the candidate who has gotten 50, 60,000 people volunteering for his campaign, has created enormous excitement, gotten new people to register to vote. How do you not support that candidate?” he said.

On Tuesday, Schumer told reporters that he met with Mamdani last week for a “good conversation.”

“We know each other well, and those conversations are continuing,” he added.

When asked a similar question that same day, Jeffries downplayed any potential concerns among progressives: “I haven’t had a conversation with any member of Congress who’s expressed frustration to me as it relates to the New York City mayoral race,” he told reporters.

There are some signs of rapprochement between the prominent New York Democrats.

Mamdani has met with both leaders since he won the nomination — part of a big tour he’s made speaking privately to leaders in politics, business and other communities who have expressed some skepticism about his candidacy. Last month, Jeffries downplayed the delay of an endorsement in an interview with The Bulwark, saying he didn’t know Mamdani “at all” until those post-primary meetings and adding with a smile that he wasn’t scheduled to meet with any other mayoral candidate besides Mamdani.

“It’s not like things aren’t happening,” he said, adding that he’s been focused on the “unprecedented redistricting war” that threatens the balance of power in the House. Last week, Jeffries told reporters he would have more to say about the race “in short order.”

As New Yorkers who help lead Democrats in Washington, Schumer and Jeffries also face different political pressure than other Democrats whose responsibilities end at city or state lines.

The congressional leaders are trying to plot a course for the Democratic Party’s underdog bid to retake control of Congress — one that goes through states and districts President Donald Trump won last year. And they are trying to balance the twin imperatives of harnessing energy on the party’s left flank and appealing to swing voters, as Republicans try to make Mamdani a liberal bogeyman in battleground races.

Republican groups have already used Mamdani to argue that Democrats are too liberal. One recent statement from the Senate GOP’s campaign arm referred to a candidate as the “Maine Mamdani,” and the House GOP campaign arm needled House Democratic incumbents with digital ads putting them side by side with Mamdani (and featuring images of a hammer and sickle).

Days later, Rep. Laura Gillen, a Long Island Democrat featured in one of those images, told NBC News’ “Meet the Press NOW” that “Mamdani is a threat to my constituents,” and she reiterated her stance that “socialist Mamdani is absolutely wrong for NY” on social media after Hochul’s endorsement.

For Hochul and other state Democrats, meanwhile, the calculations are different. Hochul is in the middle of her own re-election campaign, including a primary challenge, and she will face expectations to work with New York City’s mayor on important policy priorities next year.

“If you’re Kathy Hochul, where else are you gonna go? Even if you could find a way to go with Andrew Cuomo, you can’t. You certainly can’t go with Eric Adams. You either stay out or you endorse Mamdani because you really have nowhere else to go,” Smikle said.

“For Heastie and even Schumer and Jeffries, they could theoretically stay out the entire time, but again, they risk not being able to bring more people into the party at a time where they need more support,” Smikle added. “It’s not even the money; they need the energy and the votes.”

Why It Matters
The split matters because unified state and national party support is often viewed as critical in high-profile municipal contests.

New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul's backing of Mamdani could be an attempt to consolidate Democrats, but key figures — including some congressional leaders and local officials — have remained neutral.

What To Know
In a statement posted on X by New York Times Nicholas Fandos on Thursday, Jacobs said in part, "Mr. Mamdani and I are in agreement that America's greatest problem is the continued growth in income disparity in our nation. On how to address it--we fundamentally disagree.

"Furthermore, as I expressed to him directly, I strongly disagree with his views on the State of Israel, along with certain key policy positions. Furthermore, I reject the platform of the so-called 'Democratic Socialists of America' and do not believe that it represents the principles, values, or policies of the Democratic Party," Jacobs added.

"For those reasons I will not be endorsing Mr. Mamdani for Mayor of the City of New York," he concluded.

In a statement posted on X by New York Times Nicholas Fandos on Thursday, Jacobs said in part, "Mr. Mamdani and I are in agreement that America's greatest problem is the continued growth in income disparity in our nation. On how to address it--we fundamentally disagree.

"Furthermore, as I expressed to him directly, I strongly disagree with his views on the State of Israel, along with certain key policy positions. Furthermore, I reject the platform of the so-called 'Democratic Socialists of America' and do not believe that it represents the principles, values, or policies of the Democratic Party," Jacobs added.

"For those reasons I will not be endorsing Mr. Mamdani for Mayor of the City of New York," he concluded.

What People Are Saying
Trump on Truth Social this week: "Governor Kathy Hochul of New York has Endorsed the 'Liddle' Communist,' Zohran Mamdani, running for Mayor of New York. This is a rather shocking development, and a very bad one for New York City. How can such a thing happen? Washington will be watching this situation very closely. No reason to be sending good money after bad! President DJT".

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont on X this month: "The oligarchs are panicking. They will spend as much as it takes to try to defeat Zohran Mamdani. They've got the money. We've got the people. Together, let's elect Zohran and stop billionaires from buying elections."

What Happens Next
With the general election scheduled for November 4, 2025, Democrats' decisions to coalesce or remain fragmented could affect turnout, fundraising, and messagin

Observers say endorsements from prominent leaders often translate into practical campaign support, but Mamdani's polling lead in recent surveys complicates the calculus for hesitant officials.

New York Mayor Eric Adams announced Sunday that he is dropping his third-party bid for re-election, narrowing the field for November’s election.

“Despite all we’ve achieved, I cannot continue my re-election campaign,” Adams said in a video on X. “The constant media speculation about my future and the campaign finance board’s decision to withhold millions of dollars have undermined my ability to raise the funds needed for a serious campaign.”

In a nearly nine-minute video, Adams — who enjoyed strong ratings from New Yorkers early in his term but whose standing plummeted after he was indicted on federal corruption charges, which were then dropped by the Trump administration — said he hoped New Yorkers "will see that despite the headlines and the innuendo, I always put you before me."

The question now is how Adams’ move shapes the mayoral race going forward in the nation’s biggest city.

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is also running a third-party bid for mayor, said in a statement shared first with NBC News that he believes Adams "is sincere in putting the well-being of New York City ahead of personal ambition."

"We face destructive extremist forces that would devastate our city through incompetence or ignorance, but it is not too late to stop them," said Cuomo, referring to, without naming, Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, a state legislator.

Cuomo praised Adams, saying he "has much to be proud of in his accomplishments."

"Whatever differences we may have, Eric Adams’ story is undeniably one of resilience — a testament to the spirit of this city," Cuomo said.

Mamdani reacted differently in a social media video in which he framed Adams' mayoralty as a failed "promise to working-class New Yorkers.

"He raised their rents, slowed their buses and cut funding for their schools, libraries and childcare," Mamdani said of Adams. He went on to declare "a new day is coming" because he will "deliver a government every New Yorker could be proud of."

Mamdani also addressed Cuomo directly, arguing that while Cuomo might be happy to with Adams' move to drop out, the feeling would be short-lived.

"Don't forget, you wanted me as your opponent in the primary too, and we beat you by 13 points. Looking forward to doing it again on Nov. 4. Hope you're well," Mamdani added.

Adams’ announcement comes after weeks of speculation that he could exit the race and help consolidate non-Mamdani support behind Cuomo. Mamdani defeated Cuomo in the June Democratic primary.

However, Adams’ name will still be on ballots this fall, since he exited the race after a deadline to print them. And the limited public polling on the possibility of Adams’ dropping out showed Cuomo benefiting but a critical mass of voters also still siding with Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. Those polls suggest that Cuomo's best shot at defeating Mamdani comes in a one-on-one race.

Adams has not been a major factor in the race for some time. The public polls have shown him running in a distant fourth place, with Mamdani staked to a double-digit lead ahead of Cuomo and then Sliwa, with Adams further behind.

Adams urged his successor to "continue the work we started, lowering the cost of living, investing in quality of life and staying laser-focused on reducing crime and disorder through investments in policing, mental health, substance abuse care, homelessness services and community-based initiatives."

Adams did not make an endorsement in the video, but he did appear to take a swipe at Mamdani, arguing that "extremism is growing in our politics."

"Too often, insidious forces use local government to advance divisive agendas with little regard for how it hurts everyday New Yorkers," he said. "Major change is welcome and necessary, but beware of those who claim the answer [is] to destroy the very system we built together over generations. That is not change; that is chaos."

Adams’ decision is a full reversal from his position just days ago, when he declared on X that he was “not going anywhere.”

“All of the noise, all of the rumors — none of that matters,” he said in the post.

But Adams laid out a rationale for dropping out Saturday in an interview on MSNBC, in which he accused the media of sandbagging his campaign and lamented what he called “bogus” corruption charges against him. During a Sunday morning local radio appearance hours before he dropped out, Adams focused exclusively on touting his administration’s achievements on issues like sanitation.

In an interview on "The Breakfast Club" that aired Thursday, he suggested that reports he was considering dropping out or being offered other positions hurt his fundraising efforts.

“I answered that 101 times,” Adams said when he was asked whether he would drop out.

“Our goal is to finish this race,” he added later, noting that he believed he had to win a court battle over campaign funds.

President Donald Trump told reporters this month he would like to see two candidates in the crowded election leave the race to boost the chances of defeating Mamdani, a progressive who trounced Cuomo in the Democratic primary in June.

“I would like to see two people drop out and have it be one-on-ne,” Trump said at a White House dinner in early September. “I think that’s a race that could be won.”

“I don’t think you can win unless you have one-on-one, because somehow he’s gotten a little bit of a lead,” Trump added. “I don’t like to see a communist become mayor, I will tell you that.”

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt clashed last week about the representation of Jewish residents, with the politician stating there were better representatives of Jewish New Yorkers than Greenblatt, and the ADL CEO criticizing Mamdani for telling Jews their priorities while only seeking to represent the minority of Jews that agreed with him.

According to The Forward, in a Thursday Zeteo interview, Mamdani told journalist Mehdi Hasan that “there are far better representations of the concerns of Jewish New Yorkers than the ADL and Jonathan Greenblatt.”

Greenblatt jabbed back on X/Twitter on Friday that Mamdani was being brazenly audacious by telling the Jewish community who did and didn’t represent it.

“We don’t need anyone – a political candidate or any non-Jewish person – to tell us who should speak for the Jewish people,” said Greenblatt. “Obviously, no marginalized group is a monolith, but I’m stunned by his arrogance in telling a minority community who should or should not speak for them.”

Greenblatt said that the vast majority of American Jews considered themselves Zionist and had strong ties to Israel, and Mamdani demonstrated that he did not understand the concerns of the community by attending religious services at a synagogue “known for its anti-Zionist activities.”

The ADL CEO referenced Mamdani’s visit to the Kolot Chayeinu synagogue led by Rabbi Abby Stein, which he had visited on Rosh Hashanah and on Shabbat in February. “For months, we have asked all NYC mayoral candidates, including Zohran Mamdani, how they would protect the entire NYC Jewish population, rather than just the segments of the community that they agree with,” said Greenblatt.

Also on Friday, the progressive organization Bend the Arc: Jewish Action issued an endorsement for Mamdani, its first-ever mayoral endorsement. The organization’s CEO, Jamie Beran, said in a statement that Mamdani would reach across the political divides in the Jewish community.

“His victory will reshape the national dialogue around what we can achieve in progressive elections and governance and around the role of the Jewish community in coalition-building that work,” said Beran.

The organization’s advocacy and political affairs director, Eli Williams-Szenes, said that it was “no surprise that so many Jewish New Yorkers recognize in Mamdani a visionary leader and champion for our shared values.” In June, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice called on supporters to sign a pledge to help elect Mamdani in November.

Many mainstream Jewish organizations have been diplomatic but critical of Mamdani since he won the Democratic primary.