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New York Post
an hour ago
- Politics
- New York Post
George Santos: supporting ‘Eric Adams is the only viable path'
It's an endorsement no one wants. Convicted ex-Long Island Rep. George Santos is calling on fellow Republicans to cross party lines and back NYC Mayor Eric Adams' re-election bid. The disgraced ex-congressman fired off a slew of social media posts this week begging GOP mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa to drop his campaign — and for fellow GOPers to coalesce behind Adams, saying he believes the mayor is best suited to beat socialist Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani in November's general election. Advertisement 'New Yorkers are at a crossroads, and the stakes couldn't be higher,' Santos said on X shortly after ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded to Mamdani in the Democratic mayoral primary. 3 Convicted ex-Long Island Rep. George Santos is calling on fellow Republicans to cross party lines and back the re-election bid of Democratic NYC Mayor Eric Adams (pictured) Brian Zak/NY Post 'The choice is clear: Eric Adams is the only viable path forward. Republicans, conservatives, and common-sense voters must recognize reality—Curtis Sliwa cannot win this race,' added Santos, who is headed to federal prison for seven years on July 25 after copping to plea fraud and identity theft charges. Advertisement 'Clinging to fantasy only helps the opposition.' Santos on Wednesday suggested Adams and the Guardian Angels founder iron out a similar 'coalition' to one Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. cut before dropping out of last year's president race to back future victor Donald Trump. 3 Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa told The Post there's no way he's dropping out of the race. 3 Santos is set to begin a seven-year prison sentence next month Brigitte Stelzer Advertisement 'Hey @NYCMayor,' Santos posted on X. 'Call Curtis Sliwa and appoint him Deputy Mayor of public safety today and get a coalition going to save NYC!' Adams, a Democrat, is running as an independent. Despite losing the primary, Cuomo is still on the November ballot as an independent. Sliwa insisted he's staying in the race, adding Santos is a fraudster with 'no credibility.' Advertisement Adams campaign spokesman Todd Shapiro dismissed Santos' support, saying Adams is 'focused on building a broad, credible coalition rooted in integrity and results — not circus sideshows.'
Politico
17 hours ago
- Business
- Politico
The billionaire, the vigilante and the mayor
CATS' CAMPAIGN: An eccentric billionaire grocery store magnate, a red beret-wearing vigilante who fosters cats and a nightclub-hopping Democratic mayor are at the heart of a battle over the GOP ballot line for New York City mayor. GOP megadonor John Catsimatidis wants his fellow billionaires to line up behind Mayor Eric Adams' longshot reelection bid to block the ascent of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, according to several people familiar with internal discussions and granted anonymity to speak freely. But the actual Republican nominee, Curtis Sliwa, said he won't be cowed from leaving the race. Catsimatidis relayed his support for Adams in a brief interview with POLITICO while staying diplomatic about Sliwa. 'The only people who are going to help Eric Adams is Washington, whether it's (border czar) Tom Homan, whether it's Donald Trump,' Catsimatidis said. 'And Tom and Donald Trump want a safe New York.' Finance executives and aligned Republicans have been huddling since Mamdani's primary night upset on how to derail the election of a democratic socialist targeting the wealthy. And boosting the Trump-friendly independent candidate Adams at the expense of Sliwa has emerged as consensus — even as the mayor faces campaign finance hurdles and dismal approval ratings. Sliwa is insistent he will actively campaign and said pressuring him to drop out is futile. 'I'm not getting out of this race unless they figure out a way to put me in a pine box and bury me six feet under,' the Guardian Angels founder told POLITICO. Catsimatidis, Sliwa's boss at WABC radio, did not deny he's pulling for Adams but stressed that Sliwa is a longtime friend. 'Right now, Curtis has to make up his own mind,' Catsimatidis said. Billionaire Bill Ackman separately has promised to bankroll a viable business-friendly candidate against Mamdani, a state lawmaker whose ascendant campaign shocked the establishment. But the ballot lines for November are set. Sliwa, known as much for his decades of patrolling the subways as he is for his heavy-handed antics, said he'll run on the GOP and independent 'protect animals' ballot lines. So far, the New York GOP has his back. Former Gov. George Pataki and state party chair Ed Cox fundraised Thursday with Sliwa among Asian Americans. The party is preparing for a general election with Mamdani as the presumptive Democratic nominee, and the tenacious Adams, business leader Jim Walden and primary loser Andrew Cuomo as independents. Whether Cuomo runs an active campaign remains unclear. Sliwa said that even a Trump intervention, direct request or offer to join his administration would not succeed in removing him from the race for mayor. 'If the president were to call,' Sliwa said, 'I, very respectfully, would say, 'President Trump. I'm interested in only one job: being mayor of the city of New York.'' Read more from POLITICO's Emily Ngo. From the Capitol TODAY IS THE DAY: Eight bidders are finally submitting their applications to nab a license to operate what could be some of the most lucrative casinos in the world. Today is the deadline for casino bidders in the New York City area to turn in thousands and thousands of pages of applications — so enormous in scale that some are being delivered by the truckload — to the state's gaming commission as they vie for three state licenses to operate a casino. The bidders include: A Times Square casino backed by Jay-Z, a Citi Field casino from Mets billionaire owner Steve Cohen, a Bronx casino on the site of the former Trump Links golf course, a Coney Island casino steps from the boardwalk, a 'Freedom Plaza' casino right near the United Nations building and a casino on Manhattan's West Side overlooking the Hudson. Two other bidders — Queens' Resorts World NYC and Yonkers' Empire City — are also vying for the licenses. The two sites already operate 'racinos' where people bet on horse racing through digital machines, and many involved in the process acknowledge that this gives them a steep advantage over the other bids. The state's 'Gaming Facility Location Board' will assess the proposals through a detailed rubric that evaluates community support and 'speed to market' as some of the important factors. With the deadline today, many of the bidders are blasting out press releases celebrating their proposals. Resorts World is touting a video with the rapper Nas and a plan to generate over $1 billion for the MTA in the first five years. Cohen is releasing video renderings of what Citi Field could look like with a massive gaming and entertainment complex next door. And Empire City is expecting its gross gaming revenue to surpass $960 million per year. 'We've spent years engaging with the community so that we could put together a bid that combines the needs of the neighborhood with the stated goals of New York State,' said Dan Boren, secretary of commerce for the Chickasaw Nation, which is behind the Coney Island bid. 'We are excited and proud to submit this proposal and look forward to the next steps of this process.' — Jason Beeferman FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL MAMDANI'S LABOR NODS: Two major labor unions that backed Cuomo's failed Democratic mayoral bid endorsed upstart democratic socialist Mamdani. The Hotel and Gaming Trades Council and 32BJ SEIU, which represents building service workers in New York City, will back the Democratic nominee as Cuomo ponders whether to actively campaign as an independent. 'This is a campaign for the working people of this city who deserve dignity on the job and neighborhoods they can afford,' Mamdani said in a statement. 'That's exactly who HTC and 32BJ fights and delivers for every single day, and I am honored to have their support as the Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York. Together, we will win a new day for the New Yorkers who keep this city running every single day.' The endorsements are an indication Mamdani is pulling together institutional support after his upset bid over the moderate Democratic ex-governor. Mamdani is set to meet next month with influential business leaders who are skeptical of his tax and spending proposals, according to NY1. Read more from POLITICO's Nick Reisman and Sally Goldenberg. GTFO: All four Muslim Democratic House members are denouncing 'racist smears' against Mamdani from lawmakers in both parties since his primary win, POLITICO first reported. 'The vile, anti-Muslim and racist smears from our colleagues on both sides of the aisle attacking Zohran Mamdani cannot be met with silence. These hateful, Islamophobic, and racist tropes have become so entrenched and normalized in our politics,' said Reps. Andre Carson of Indiana, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Lateefah Simon of California in a statement. Mamdani, who would become New York's first Muslim mayor, has faced attacks from GOP lawmakers after his primary win this week. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) tied him to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) called for him to be deported, among others. The left was also concerned about since-clarified comments from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) about Mamdani's rhetoric about Israel. Brooklyn Democratic Party leader Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn also forcefully defended Mamdani on Friday, calling the attacks 'baseless and unconstitutional' in a statement. Bichotte Hermelyn endorsed Cuomo in the primary, but threw support to Mamdani for the general election.— Jeff Coltin IN OTHER NEWS — CUOMO ON THE BALLOT: We don't know for sure whether Cuomo will run in the general election, but he will be on New Yorkers' ballots. (New York Post) — FROM MOM AND DAD: Mamdani's parents talk to the Times' and say Mamdani's views are his, not his parents. (The New York Times) — SHE'S BACK: Ingrid Lewis-Martin, former top aide to Adams until she was indicted on bribery charges, is working on his reelection bid. (Daily News) Missed this morning's New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
Politico
18 hours ago
- Business
- Politico
Billionaire and radio host John Catsimatidis prefers Eric Adams over fellow Republican in mayor's race
NEW YORK — An eccentric billionaire grocery store magnate, a red beret-wearing vigilante who fosters cats and a nightclub-hopping Democratic mayor are at the heart of a battle over the GOP ballot line for New York City mayor. GOP megadonor John Catsimatidis wants his fellow billionaires to line up behind Mayor Eric Adams' longshot reelection bid to block the ascent of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, according to several people familiar with internal discussions and granted anonymity to speak freely about closed-door strategy. But the actual Republican nominee, Curtis Sliwa, said he won't be cowed from leaving the race. Catsimatidis relayed his support for Adams in a brief interview with POLITICO, commending the mayor's working relationship with the Trump administration, while staying diplomatic about Sliwa. 'The only people who are going to help Eric Adams is Washington, whether it's (border czar) Tom Homan, whether it's Donald Trump,' Catsimatidis said. 'And Tom and Donald Trump want a safe New York.' Finance executives and aligned Republicans have been huddling since Mamdani's primary night upset on how to derail the election of a democratic socialist targeting the wealthy. And boosting the Trump-friendly independent candidate Adams at the expense of Sliwa has emerged as consensus — even as the mayor faces campaign finance hurdles and dismal approval ratings. Sliwa is insistent he will actively campaign and said pressuring him to drop out is futile. 'I'm not getting out of this race unless they figure out a way to put me in a pine box and bury me six feet under,' the Guardian Angels founder told POLITICO. Catsimatidis, Sliwa's boss at WABC radio, did not deny he's pulling for Adams but stressed that Sliwa is a longtime friend. 'Right now, Curtis has to make up his own mind,' Catsimatidis said. Billionaire Bill Ackman separately has promised to bankroll a viable business-friendly candidate against Mamdani, a state lawmaker whose ascendant campaign shocked the establishment. But the ballot lines for November are set. Sliwa, known as much for his decades of patrolling the subways as he is for his heavy-handed antics and many foster cats, said he'll run on the GOP and independent 'protect animals' ballot lines. So far, the New York GOP has his back. Former Gov. George Pataki and state party chair Ed Cox fundraised Thursday with Sliwa among Asian Americans. The party is preparing for a general election with Mamdani as the presumptive Democratic nominee, and the tenacious Adams, business leader Jim Walden and primary loser Andrew Cuomo as independents. Whether Cuomo runs an active campaign remains unclear. Sliwa railed against Adams as corrupt, referencing his since-dropped bribery charges, and blamed the mayor for the pressure campaign to get Sliwa out of the race. 'He's a crook,' Sliwa said in an interview. 'A lot of good men and women lost their careers who happened to be Republican conservative prosecutors because of Eric Adams, and he's the luckiest man alive because he should be in a jail cell right now with Bobby Menendez.' Adams has denied wrongdoing and called the prosecution against him politicized. Sliwa said that even a Trump intervention, direct request or offer to join his administration would not succeed in removing him from the race for mayor. 'If the president were to call, I, very respectfully, would say, 'President Trump. I'm interested in only one job: being mayor of the city of New York,'' Sliwa said. 'I'm the Republican nominee. I'm the 'protecting animals' independent party nominee, and I'm running 'til November 4, until the vote to figure out who our next mayor is.'
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
NYC Mayor Eric Adams kicks off reelection bid and casts Zohran Mamdani as having a ‘silver spoon'
'A choice between dirty fingernails and manicured nails,' he added. Two days ago, progressive upstart Mamdani declared a stunning Democratic primary victory over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the presumed favorite despite a sexual harassment scandal that forced him from office four years ago. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist in his third term in the state Assembly, was virtually unknown just months ago but has since skyrocketed to political stardom. His energetic campaign, known for its viral social media videos, has won major momentum through a laser-focus on improving the city's astronomical cost of living. Advertisement At the same time, Mamdani has endured heat for his past criticisms of law enforcement, thin legislative record and lofty campaign promises. Adams, even with all his political baggage, has seemed to relish a general election matchup with Mamdani, seeing a potentially viable lane to reelection if he goes up against the relatively inexperienced progressive. 'I'm not interested in Twitter politics, I'm interested in getting the trash picked up,' Adams told his supporters Thursday, digging at Mamdani. 'I'm not interested in slogans, I'm interested in solutions.' Advertisement Adams, still a registered Democrat, pulled out of the primary to run as an independent candidate in April, shortly after a federal judge dismissed the corruption case against him at the request of President Donald Trump's Justice Department. The mayor had argued that the legal saga had sidelined him from the campaign trail. He has done little in the way of campaigning since then. But as the results in Tuesday's primary were coming in, showing Mamdani with a commanding position, Adams underscored his own independent run with a post on social media that 'the fight for New York's future begins tonight.' Results will be finalized after the city's ranked choice vote-counting resumes July 1, and the winner advances to November's election against candidates including Republican Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels anti-crime group. Adams, 64, is a retired police captain who later became a state senator and Brooklyn's borough president. He presents himself as a champion of working-class New York, public safety and an upbeat, self-believing attitude he calls 'swagger' — the kind of drive that propelled a house-cleaner's son to become the second Black mayor of the nation's most populous metropolis. Mamdani is the son of an award-winning filmmaker and an anthropology professor at Columbia University. He graduated from Bowdoin College, worked as a foreclosure prevention counselor and had a side-hustle as a rapper before first being elected to the New York Assembly in 2020. In a statement Thursday, Mamdani said: 'New Yorkers have been suffocated by a cost of living crisis and this Mayor has taken almost every opportunity to exacerbate it, all while partnering with Donald Trump to tear our city apart.' Advertisement Democratic nominees generally enjoy strong tailwinds in a city where about two-thirds of registered voters are Democrats. But New Yorkers elected an unaffiliated mayor as recently as 2009, when incumbent Mike Bloomberg won a third term after leaving the Republican Party. The big question for Adams: whether he can overcome his shaky standing with voters. He has no shortage of detractors. Protesters frequently interrupted his reelection rally on Thursday, chanting from a nearby park. As Adams stepped behind a podium and readied himself to deliver remarks, a protester emerged just feet away, yelling at the mayor. He was swiftly removed. Almost immediately after, another protester appeared, calling the mayor a 'criminal' before he too was removed. Still, Adams might have a chance to woo moderate and business-focused Cuomo supporters who are uneasy about Mamdani. The incumbent's campaign event featured faith leaders, some of whom delivered remarks before Adams, and was attended by some former elected officials. Cuomo himself is mulling an independent campaign that would put him on the general election ballot as well.
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Zohran Mamdani's race for NYC mayor isn't over as Eric Adams prepares
So the intra-party battle continues between progressive backers of Mamdani, a 33-year-old state Assembly member and democratic socialist, and centrists such as Adams and Cuomo. Minutes after Cuomo conceded his defeat, Adams - whose administration has been plagued by allegations of corruption and cozying up to the Trump administration - relaunched his campaign on X. Like Cuomo, who resigned as governor amid multiple scandals, Adams, 64, is trying to revive his political career. And he is not taking the high-road of a comfortable incumbent. "He's a snake oil salesman," Adams said of Mamdani on the conservative talk show "Fox & Friends." "He will say and do anything to get elected." There are others in the crowded race: Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, best known for wearing a beret while leading the Guardian Angels vigilante group; Cuomo, who could stay in the race on a third-party line; and former prosecutor Jim Walden, running as an independent. On the steps of City Hall, Adams on June 26 relaunched his re-election campaign alongside a couple hundred supporters, including faith leaders. In the park nearby, protesters jeered at the mayor, with a few disrupting Adams' speech at points. Adams sought to paint Mamdani as an inexperienced politician who grew up with a silver spoon. Mamdani is the son of a Columbia professor and his mother Mira Nair is a filmmaker. "If you want to be a mayor of people who are going through a lot, you must be a human being that has gone through a lot," Adams said, as protesters blew whistles to interrupt him. He also argued Mamdani's policies, including free buses and rent freezes, weren't what New Yorkers want. "This is not a city of hand outs," he said. "This is a city of hands up." Adams: From 'Biden of Brooklyn' to cozying up to Trump When Adams was elected in 2021, the former police captain called himself the "Biden of Brooklyn," a nod to then-President Joe Biden, who also won as a moderate Democrat with a multiracial coalition in a party with an increasingly assertive left wing. Adams declared himself the face of the new Democratic Party. Then came the influx of asylum seekers, prompting a city emergency and leading Adams to attack Democrats in Washington, D.C., for what he saw as lack of federal support to manage the crisis. Later, Adams faced federal corruption charges, accused of taking bribes from foreign governments. Inside City Hall, his administration saw scores of resignations, indictments and raids of his senior staff for mostly unrelated corruption investigations, such as a bribery scheme involving his former police commissioner. Adams claimed without evidence that his own indictment was retribution for his criticism of Biden. After President Donald Trump was elected in 2024, Adams visited Mar-a-Lago, rubbed shoulders with senior administration officials, and appeared on conservative talk shows. The Justice Department dropped the corruption charges, with Trump officials saying the corruption case interfered with Adams' ability to enact the Republican administration's immigration enforcement and his ability to run for re-election. Adams has denied the charges. His polling took a hit, dropping to all-time low of just 20%. Recognizing his unpopularity within his own party, Adams dropped out of the primary. Free from federal charges, Adams is running on his record leading the city to lower crime, building housing and creating jobs. At the same time, he seeks to paint Mamdani - who focused on affordability in a notoriously expensive city - as someone incapable of actually enacting his policy proposals around rent freezes, free buses and universal child care. A cautionary tale from Buffalo Adams may be looking to New York state's second-largest city for inspiration. After India Walton, a democratic socialist and first-time candidate, beat Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown in the 2021 Democratic primary, Brown campaigned as a write-in candidate, with backing from business groups, Republicans and police. He won, before resigning in 2024 to run an off-track betting corporation. Much of the Democratic Party establishment either backed Brown or stayed neutral, instead of sticking with their own party's nominee. Jay Jacobs, the chairman of the state Democratic Party, refused to endorse Walton. Jacobs, a White man, likened Walton, a Black woman, to David Duke, the former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. He apologized for the remarks. Adams is on the ballot, which is more straightforward than needing voters to write his name in. How Adams will try to win Adams would have to reconfigure his multiracial base of working-class New Yorkers in the city's outer boroughs. Mamdani won on proposals to help those struggling with skyrocketing costs of housing and income inequality. Despite Mamdani's message, voters in mostly Black areas stayed with Cuomo, whose father Mario also served three terms as governor. Recent primary turnout also appears to have been lower in Black-majority parts of the city than it was in 2021, when Adams was on the ballot. To win, Adams would need to boost Black turnout in the fall. Walton, who is now a strategic organizer at progressive advocacy organization Roots Action, said Adams will likely try to Black churchgoers, who tend to vote at high rates, pointing to her Buffalo race. Some voters might still see Adams, like Brown, as "the devil I know," she said. She added the challenge for Mamdani is to reach out to Black voters, speak with influential clergy and addressing their wants and needs. Some observers are more skeptical of Adams' viability. Many of the mainstream Democratic voters who ranked Cuomo first will likely stay with the Democratic line and vote for Mamdani in the fall, said Basil Smikle, a New York City-based political consultant and professor at Columbia University. But the Democratic coalition has largely collapsed, in part due to generational changes with younger voters not as connected to political clubs or the traditional party machine, said Smikle, who once ran the state Democratic Party. It may take time for Mamdani to build support in Black communities that are the core of the Democratic base. "There are real questions about, 'Are you disrupting my ability to be successful, take care of my family?'" Smikle said. "With that in mind, there is probably some skepticism there, so (Mamdani) has a lot of work to to make up some of that ground in the Black community." Others key members of the local Democratic machine, though, appear to have already embraced Mamdani. After Mamdani won, state Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, encouraged Democrats to back him, even those who had reservations. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, both of Brooklyn, applauded Mamdani's win, but stopped short of a full endorsement of the presumptive nominee. Another question is whether the scandal-plagued incumbent can raise enough money to compete with Mamdani's army of enthusiastic small donors. Adams faces debt from his legal fees, as The CITY, a nonprofit news outlet, reported. Fix the City, a Super PAC funded in part by former Mayor Mike Bloomberg and several Trump mega-donors, contributed $24 million to elect Cuomo against Mamdani, seeking to paint the young upstart as radical and antisemitic. In an email, a spokesperson for Fix the City said the group was assessing the landscape and its options. There are donors who are interested in staying engaged in the race, the spokesperson said. Ana Maria Archila, co-director of the New York Working Families Party, which endorsed Mamdani and a slate of other left-leaning candidates, said they expect the same monied interests that backed Cuomo to move to Adams in the general election. "They only know one approach and that is to overwhelm their opposition with money," she said. "That is not going to slow us down." In the city with the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, both Cuomo and Adams have run for office purportedly to fight the rise of antisemitism. Adams is considering running on lines called "Safe&Affordable" and "EndAntisemitism." Cuomo sought to paint Mamdani as antisemitic because he does not endorse Israel's existence as a Jewish state. Adams is sure to do the same against Mamdani, who is Muslim and has faced islamophobic attacks in the race, But while Adams appeals to Jewish voters who are staunchly pro-Israel, results suggest many progressive Jews in Manhattan and Brooklyn voted for Mamdani in the primary. Less than 24 hours after polls closed on June 24, the New York Post, Trump's conservative hometown newspaper, editorial board declared: "Eric Adams has a real chance to stop Mamdani." What followed was more important: Cuomo needs to drop out, the newspaper declared. They also hinted Sliwa might need to step aside so Republicans can also unite behind a candidate who can fight the "socialist threat from Mamdani." The Post acknowledged Adams has had his problems. But, the editorial said, he's got a real chance now. Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@ or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
