Inna Vernikov Breaks Ranks, Endorses Andrew Cuomo to Block Zohran Mamdani’s Path to City Hall

By: Fern Sidman

In a dramatic political pivot that underscores the high stakes of New York City’s upcoming mayoral election, Republican City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov—one of the GOP’s most outspoken and visible figures—has withdrawn her support for longtime ally Curtis Sliwa and instead endorsed former Governor Andrew Cuomo, according to a report on Tuesday evening in The New York Post.

Vernikov, who represents Brooklyn’s 48th Council District and has been a leading conservative voice at City Hall since her election in 2021, told The New York Post on Tuesday that her decision, though personally painful, was born out of necessity. “As much as it hurts me to say this, a vote for Curtis Sliwa is a vote for Zohran Mamdani,” she declared in a statement that immediately reverberated through New York’s political establishment.

Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder and perennial Republican candidate for mayor, has been a “loyal friend,” Vernikov emphasized, adding that she remains “grateful for everything he’s done for the city and the Jewish community.” But, as The New York Post reported, Vernikov believes the 2025 mayoral race transcends partisan loyalty—arguing that only Cuomo, running as an independent, has the political reach and resources to stop Zohran Mamdani, the far-left Democratic Socialist candidate whose rise has rattled moderates across the political spectrum.

In a video message obtained exclusively by The New York Post, Vernikov laid out her reasoning in stark moral and existential terms. “This race is not a game—it’s not about egos,” she said, her tone measured but resolute. “This is beyond party lines. This is about our future.”

Her endorsement of Cuomo marks one of the most consequential defections from the Republican ranks in recent memory. A self-described “fierce conservative and proud Zionist,” Vernikov acknowledged that many on the right view Cuomo with disdain for his pandemic-era policies and combative governing style. Yet, she insisted, the moment demands pragmatism over ideology.

“Cuomo may be the guy we don’t like,” Vernikov said, “but he’s the only one who has a shot at defeating Mamdani.”

As The New York Post reported, Vernikov’s shift aligns her with a growing contingent of influential New Yorkers—including billionaire supermarket magnate John Catsimatidis—who see consolidating anti-Mamdani votes behind Cuomo as the only viable strategy to prevent what Vernikov calls “an existential threat to the city.”

Vernikov’s message is rooted in a deep fear that a Mamdani victory would fundamentally transform New York City’s character. The Queens Assemblyman, who is running as a Democrat but has been embraced by the Democratic Socialists of America, has repeatedly called for defunding the NYPD, abolishing the Strategic Response Group, and repealing state laws barring government contracts with companies that boycott Israel.

Mamdani has also voiced support for anti-Israel campus protests, aligned himself with the group Students for Justice in Palestine, and referred to Israel as an “apartheid state.” These positions have alarmed Jewish leaders, police unions, and centrist Democrats alike.

In her statement, Vernikov called Mamdani “anti-American, anti-Israel, and anti-cop,” describing his campaign as a “danger” and “an existential threat.”

“This is not just another election,” she told The New York Post. “This is a test of whether New York City still believes in safety, sanity, and strength—or whether it’s going to surrender to radicalism.”

Vernikov’s endorsement of Cuomo is more than a local maneuver; it’s a calculated gamble that could reshape both the mayoral race and New York’s broader political landscape. By backing Cuomo—who is mounting a formidable independent bid—she is betting that a centrist coalition of Republicans, independents, and moderate Democrats can outnumber Mamdani’s energized socialist base.

Her decision also draws attention to a growing anxiety among mainstream Democrats who fear Mamdani’s platform will alienate donors, business leaders, and national allies at a moment when New York is struggling to recover from the pandemic, a surge in violent crime, and a wave of antisemitic incidents.

As The New York Post report noted, Cuomo’s campaign has sought to position the former governor as the only adult in the room—an experienced executive capable of stabilizing a city teetering on ideological and fiscal extremes. Vernikov’s endorsement, therefore, delivers both symbolic and strategic value: it signals to voters that even some of the city’s most prominent conservatives are willing to cross party lines to prevent Mamdani’s ascension.

For Vernikov, who fled the Soviet Union as a child and has built her political identity on fierce anti-socialism and staunch defense of Israel, the endorsement reflects a worldview shaped by history and conviction.

Her public life, often chronicled in The New York Post, has been defined by unapologetic patriotism and moral clarity. She has spoken out forcefully against antisemitism on college campuses, condemned the “Red-Green alliance” of progressives and Islamist groups she blames for fueling anti-Israel hate, and championed legislation strengthening the city’s hate crimes task force.

In that context, her endorsement of Cuomo is not a betrayal of conservatism but, in her eyes, an extension of it—a last stand against the “socialist infiltration” inherent in Mamdani’s campaign.

“Reality is reality,” she said bluntly. “This isn’t about Republican or Democrat—it’s about survival. I will always encourage everyone to vote Republican down ballot, but in this race, we have to think strategically. Our city is on the line.”

Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations and ethics scandals, has mounted one of the most surprising political resurgences in recent memory. While he remains polarizing, The New York Post has documented a steady climb in his poll numbers since entering the mayoral race as an independent earlier this year.

Analysts credit Cuomo’s revival to the fragmentation of the Democratic electorate and the growing unease among moderate and conservative voters about Mamdani’s radical agenda. Vernikov’s endorsement gives Cuomo something he has lacked until now—visible Republican backing and credibility among New York’s Orthodox and Zionist Jewish communities.

“Vernikov’s move could be a game-changer,” one GOP strategist told The New York Post. “She’s signaling to conservatives that defeating Mamdani is more important than party purity—and that message will resonate.”

For Curtis Sliwa, Vernikov’s defection is both a personal and political blow. The two have campaigned together on numerous occasions, and Sliwa has been one of Vernikov’s earliest and most consistent allies in her efforts to combat crime and support law enforcement.

Still, even some within the Republican Party privately concede that Sliwa’s campaign has struggled to gain traction in a city where GOP voters remain a small minority. As The New York Post report observed, many strategists fear that dividing the anti-Mamdani vote between Sliwa and Cuomo could inadvertently hand victory to the socialist frontrunner.

Vernikov’s decision, then, reflects a cold political calculus: by urging conservatives to rally behind Cuomo, she hopes to unify the opposition and prevent what she calls a “catastrophic takeover” of New York City’s government by the far left.

Reaction to Vernikov’s endorsement was immediate and intense. Progressive Democrats accused her of hypocrisy, while conservative activists praised her courage. Cuomo’s campaign welcomed the endorsement but stopped short of commenting on future collaborations.

Meanwhile, Sliwa—ever the street fighter—responded with characteristic bravado. “Inna is a dear friend, and I respect her decision,” he told The New York Post, “but I’m not dropping out. New Yorkers deserve a choice, and I’m staying in this fight to the end.”

Political observers say Vernikov’s move could embolden other Republican and independent voters to shift toward Cuomo, particularly in heavily Jewish and middle-class neighborhoods of Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.

Ultimately, Vernikov’s break with her party underscores a rare moment of clarity in New York’s chaotic political theater. Her decision, steeped in personal loyalty, ideological conviction, and pragmatic urgency, reflects the crossroads at which the city now stands.

As she told The New York Post, “This isn’t about politics—it’s about protecting the city we love.”

Inna Vernikov’s endorsement of Andrew Cuomo may not be universally popular, but it captures the profound unease of a city where ideological purity has given way to existential concern. For one of New York’s fiercest conservatives, the message is simple: defeating Zohran Mamdani comes before everything else.