NYC Mayor's Race: Mamdani rallies with new labor supporters who once backed Cuomo in general election show of force
Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani made a show of force in a Wednesday rally with powerful labor unions that now support his campaign after some of them backed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s failed primary bid.
Leaders and members of the unions — The Hotel and Gaming Trades Council (HTC), 32BJ SEIU, the New York State Nurses Association, and the Central Labor Council — gathered at HTC’s Midtown headquarters on July 2 to celebrate Mamdani’s decisive win in ranked-choice voting the previous day. Two of those unions, 32BJ and HTC, endorsed Cuomo in the primary and held an event at the same location with him just a couple of weeks ago, but have since switched to endorse Mamdani in the November general election.
Mamdani, a Queens Assembly member, said he believes his win with 543,344 votes — the most that any Democratic mayoral primary candidate has received since 1989 — is “a mandate to make this city affordable.” He won by 12% of the vote over Cuomo — nabbing 56% in the third round of ranked-choice to Cuomo’s 44%.
“I say the word mandate because this was the most votes any movement has received in 36 years in mayoral elections,” Mamdani said. “A mandate because we won this election by 12 points after just three rounds. And a mandate because New Yorkers deserve nothing less than a city where they do more than just struggle, a city where they can return to the dreams that brought them here in the first place.”
https://www.amny.com/politics/mamdani-rally-labor-supporters-07022025/