Lefty mayoral hopefuls Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander cross-endorsed each other Friday — in a last-ditch attempt to take down frontrunner Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary race.
The announcement came the day before early voting began — and less than two weeks ahead of the June 24 primary election — as Mamdani and Lander, who are polling second and third, respectively, urged their supporters to form a new coalition.
Mamdani, the Democratic socialist Assembly member from Queens, said he and Lander, the city comptroller, had exposed Cuomo as “a relic of the broken politics of the past” during the second and final Democratic mayoral primary debate Thursday night.
“I am proud to rank our principled and progressive Comptroller #2 on my ballot because we are both fighting for a city every New Yorker can afford,” he said of Lander.
The pair of progressive pols called on their supporters to rank them both in the top two slots on their primary election ballots.
New Yorkers can sort up to five candidates in order of preference as part of the ranked-choice system, and if their top choice is eliminated during the process, those votes go to the contenders listed lower down on their ballot.
“After four years of Eric Adams, New York deserves a Mayor with integrity, who puts New Yorkers’ needs ahead of their own,” Lander said — adding that partnering up with Mamdani was the best way to beat Cuomo.
“We can’t afford to make that mistake again,” he said. “I’m proud to cross-endorse Zohran because of his strong commitment to a more affordable New York, and to stop the corrupt, morally bankrupt, unacceptable Andrew Cuomo from becoming mayor of a city he doesn’t even like.”
Mamdani and Lander came to the table themselves and struck the deal to team up after Thursday’s Spectrum NY1 debate.
Cuomo had the lead in the polls even before entering the race in March, but Mamdani has shot up to second place while Lander has gotten above second in any polls.
A Honan Strategy Group poll released on Thursday had Cuomo with 38% in the first round of ranked-choice voting, followed by Mamdani at 22%, Lander at 12% and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams at 10%.
The former governor also received a boost Friday in the form of a $5 million donation to the pro-Cuomo super PAC “Fix the City” made by ex-Mayor Mike Bloomberg — who announced his endorsement of the thrice-elected Dem earlier this week.
State Sen. Jessica Ramos, who is also running for the Democratic nomination, last week shockingly said that she would be backing Cuomo, despite previously questioning whether the 67-year-old ex-gov was all there mentally.
Another longshot candidate, Whitney Tilson, also chose his horse, acting as Cuomo’s attack dog against Mamdani on the debate stage and saying he would be ranking the political scion No. 2 on his ballot.
Three others — Adams, the council speaker, as well as former city Comptroller Scott Stringer and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie — also appeared to be hinting at a possible union during the final debate.
Myrie said after the showdown that a cross-endorsement was in the works but wouldn’t say anything further.
Incumbent Eric Adams, a Democrat, is not running in the primary and will appear on an independent line in the November general election ballot.
Earlier voting begins Saturday and lasts through Sunday, June 22.
