Meyer Wolfsheim

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is warning voters that a win for Andrew Cuomo in New York City’s June 24 Democratic mayoral primary could set the stage for a presidential run by the former governor, a move she insists would be a major setback for progressive politics.

“This is not just about New York City, but this is about the United States,” Ocasio-Cortez told an energized crowd at Terminal 5 in Manhattan on Saturday, where she campaigned for her fellow Democratic socialist and mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. “I mean that literally, because Andrew Cuomo has made clear that if he wins this race, he wants to run for president of the United States of America,” she said, the NY Post reported.

The 35-year-old congresswoman, a close ally of Sen. Bernie Sanders, took direct aim at Cuomo’s age and political longevity. “In a world and a nation that is crying to end the gerontocracy of our leadership, that wants a new day, that wants to see a new generation ascend, it is unconscionable to send Andrew Cuomo to Gracie Mansion once again,” she said.

Although Cuomo never served as mayor, he held the governor’s office from 2011 until his 2021 resignation amid multiple sexual harassment allegations, which he has denied. Now, at age 67, he is leading most mayoral polls – though Mamdani, 33, has made significant gains in recent weeks and is polling within striking distance.

Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for Cuomo, pushed back against Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks. “I have no idea where the far left got this silly new talking point, but the governor has said that – death aside – he’ll be finishing his own term,” he told the NY Post.

Ocasio-Cortez framed the primary as more than a local contest, calling it a national inflection point. “If we can change the page in the biggest and best city in the United States, then we can change the page in the country,” she declared to the applause of Mamdani supporters.

Mamdani, an assemblyman from Queens, has captured the attention of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing with a platform focused on sweeping economic and social reforms. His proposals include creating city-run grocery stores, raising taxes on millionaires and corporations, providing free child care and bus rides, and reimagining policing by emphasizing social work and mental health response units.

Despite Mamdani’s surge, many establishment Democrats have lined up behind Cuomo, citing concerns over what they view as the impracticality of Mamdani’s far-left agenda. Ocasio-Cortez, however, criticized these endorsements and expressed frustration that some of Cuomo’s backers had previously called for his resignation.

“I cannot tell you how shocked I have been,” she said. “As a survivor of sexual assault, I will never unsee that.” She continued, “The [message the] political establishment sends to so many people is that it does not matter your positions, your content, your ideas, how experienced you are. It doesn’t matter how much you work with them. They will still choose their old friends and an old generation every single time,” the NY Post reported.

Mamdani, who joined AOC at the rally, also addressed the crowd. “One of the many things that unites Brad [Lander] and me is we stand in firm opposition to Andrew Cuomo,” he said, referring to the city comptroller and fellow mayoral candidate. He argued that electing Cuomo would represent a step backward and signaled the moment as a referendum on the future direction of the city and the Democratic Party at large.