Former mayor Mike Bloomberg has endorsed Andrew Cuomo in the race for mayor — a rare move for the billionaire that comes just two weeks before primary day.
Bloomberg and Cuomo had a tense relationship as mayor and governor. The endorsement comes as Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist candidate whose consistently polled in second ahead of the June 24 Democratic primary, is making a final push at closing the gap between him and the ex-governor.
“I care deeply about the future of our city, and since leaving office, it has been difficult to watch its struggles, especially since the pandemic. In sizing up the field in the race for mayor, there is one candidate whose management experience and government know-how stand above the others: Andrew Cuomo,” Bloomberg said in a statement.
Michael Bloomberg speaks at the Bloomberg Global Business Forum in New York on September 24, 2024. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
Mamdani has pledged to raise a 2% income tax on the city’s wealthiest residents in order to pay for free childcare and buses. He also is pushing for a rent freeze for city residents in regulated apartments.
Bloomberg previously endorsed Mayor Adams after the 2021 primary election, at which point the race was no longer competitive. That post-primary endorsement was the only time Bloomberg has endorsed a mayoral candidate since leaving office, his spokesman confirmed, so the backing on Cuomo is a very rare showing of support from the ex-mayor.
Michael Bloomberg, left, is pictured after endorsing Andrew Cuomo (right) for governor at New York City Hall on Sept. 22, 2010. (Todd Maisel / New York Daily News)
The former mayor’s daughter, Emma Bloomberg, gave the $2,100 max contribution to Cuomo’s campaign, and Bloomberg adviser Kevin Sheekey, who ran the billionaire’s longshot 2020 presidential bid, also chipped in $500. Others in Bloomberg’s orbit have also donated to a super PAC called Fix the City in support of Cuomo’s candidacy.