A top donor to former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s super PAC on Wednesday said he did not rank the candidate as his first choice in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary.
The donor, investor Mark Gorton, also told The New York Times he will likely throw his support behind Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old state assemblyman who on Tuesday toppled Cuomo in a stunning political upset, all but clinching the Democratic nomination.
Newsweek reached out to a spokesperson for Cuomo for comment via email on Wednesday.
Why It Matters
Mamdani’s insurgent campaign sent shock waves through the political sphere, overcoming tens of millions of super PAC dollars poured into Cuomo’s campaign and endorsements from Democratic heavy hitters including former President Bill Clinton and ex-New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
Mamdani’s campaign, conversely, was fueled by grassroots support and endorsements from progressive giants like New York U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and independent Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, campaigned on rent freezes in the city, eliminating bus fares and increasing taxes on wealthy New Yorkers.
What To Know
Gorton gave $250,000 to Cuomo’s “Fix the City” super PAC but told the Times he ranked New York City Comptroller Brad Lander as his first choice for mayor.
He added that he will likely support Mamdani because Lander and the state assemblyman cross-endorsed each other in the mayoral race.
“I feel like people misunderstood my $250,000 for Cuomo for real enthusiasm,” Gorton told the Times. “It was basically, ‘Oh, looks like Cuomo is coming back. We don’t want to be shut out. Let’s try and get on his good side.'”
Cuomo, who resigned from office in 2021 amid a cloud of sexual harassment allegations, largely represented the old guard of the Democratic Party.
After launching his mayoral campaign in March, Cuomo was sharply criticized by his primary opponents for skipping candidate forums, making few public appearances and coasting on name recognition (his father, Mario, served as New York governor from 1983 to 1994).
Cuomo conceded to Mamdani less than two hours after polls closed on Tuesday, when it became clear his campaign would not overcome the 7-point lead held by Mamdani.
As of 10:18 p.m. ET Wednesday, 93 percent of the votes had been counted and the Associated Press (AP) had not called the race. But Mamdani, who stood at 43.5 percent support, will almost certainly be the Democratic mayoral nominee, though it will be several days until a final outcome is announced, due to New York City’s ranked choice voting system.
AP projected that no one candidate will get more than 50 percent of first-choice votes in the first round, meaning the candidate who’s ranked first by the fewest number of voters will have their votes redistributed to voters’ second-choice candidate. Voting will continue until there are two candidates left, at which point whoever has the most votes will be declared the victor.
What People Are Saying
Mamdani declared victory on Tuesday night, telling supporters at an election night party in Long Island City: “I will be the mayor for every New Yorker, whether you voted for me, for Governor Cuomo or felt too disillusioned by a long-broken political system to vote at all. I will fight for a city that works for you, that is affordable for you, that is safe for you, I will work to be a mayor you will be proud to call your own.”
Cuomo called Mamdani to concede and later congratulated him at his own election night party, telling supporters: “Tonight was not our night. Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani’s night.”
Cuomo went on to say his opponent “inspired [voters] and moved them and got them to come out and vote. He really ran a highly impactful campaign.”
Lander said at his election night party: “This much is clear: Together, we are sending Andrew Cuomo back to the suburbs. With our help, Zohran Mamdani will be the Democratic nominee.”
Ocasio-Cortez applauded Mamdani, writing on X: “Congratulations, @ZohranKMamdani! Your dedication to an affordable, welcoming, and safe New York City where working families can have a shot has inspired people across the city. Billionaires and lobbyists poured millions against you and our public finance system. And you won.”
What Happens Next
Cuomo bowed out of the Democratic primary on Tuesday but has still secured an independent line on the mayoral ballot. He told CBS News that he’s considering staying in the race: “The Democratic primary is always an interesting situation, right? There are about 5 million voters in New York City, there are about 8 million people in New York City, and about 1 million people vote in the Democratic primary. So it’s not necessarily representative of the city at large.”
He added: “That’s why I qualified for an independent line in November, I did that several months ago, because in the general election, more people come out to vote. It’s a broader pool, if you will, of New Yorkers, more representative pool of New Yorkers.”
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