NYC NOW - Midday News: AOC Endorses Mamdani For Mayor, New Yorkers Report Feeling Safer, and Candidates Clash in First Mayoral Debate

Episode Date: June 5, 2025

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is endorsing Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor. Ocasio-Cortez calls Mamdani the best candidate to energize working-class voters and defeat frontrunner Andrew Cuomo. A new survey shows New Yorkers feel safer than last year, but not as safe as before the pandemic. Plus, WNYC’s Brigid Bergin recaps the first mayoral debate, where all nine Democratic candidates, including former Governor Andrew Cuomo, appeared on stage.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Thursday, June 5th. Here's the midday news from Veronica DeValle. Assembly member Zoran Mamdani is reacting to news that Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is endorsing him in the Democratic primary for mayor. Ocarcio-Cortez says the Queen's assembly member is the best candidate to mobilize working-class voters and defeat the front-runner, Andrew Cuomo. Ocasio Cortez represents part of the Bronx and Queens and is one of the most prominent progressives in the country. She recently held a series of fighting oligarchy rallies with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders that drew record-breaking crowds. Polls show the Democratic primary tightening into a two-person race between Momdani and former governor, Andrew Cuomo.

Primary day is June 24th. A new survey finds New Yorkers feel a little bit safer this year than they did in 2023, but not as safe as they did. before the pandemic. WNRC's Charles Lanes reports. The Nonprofit Citizens Budget Commission found that while people feel more secure in parks and on city streets, perceptions of subway safety haven't improved. That's despite stepped-up patrols by the NYPD and deployments by the National Guard. Police Commissioner Jessica Tish was asked about the findings at a forum this week. People say I felt safer before the pandemic. It's like, okay, maybe. But really, you felt safer before the criminal justice

laws were changed in New York State. Some of those laws were rolled back by state lawmakers just last month. Now a look at the weather 84 and partly sunny right now. There's another air quality alert in effect because of high ozone pollution levels today. Today, partly sunny and temperatures getting near 90 tonight clouds in 70. Stay close. There's more after the break. Primary day in New York City is less than three weeks away, the candidates running in the Democratic primary for New York City Mayor took the stage last night in their first debate. Nine candidates on stage, including former governor Andrew Cuomo, who has skipped out on any event so far that would have him alongside his opponents. WNIC's senior politics reporter Bridget Bergen joins us now with some recap and analysis. And I have to say to start off here, ooh-wee.

Wow. Bridget, nine candidates for two hours. Was it as much of a free-for-all as it sounds? Michael, I think we were all making that sound by the end of the debate last night. It was a lot to take in. For those who didn't actually watch the debate, the candidates were standing at podiums and a semicircle on a set facing four moderators. So we're up to 13 people on this stage at this point. There was no audience. They were positioned according to random, drawing. So you had city council speaker Adrian Adams on the far left, Andrew Cuomo, smack in the middle, and then Scott Stringer on the far right. And if I went through the whole lineup, Michael, we never actually get to what they said. The sheer number of them was one of the challenges in taking it all in, even the moderators who, you know, overall did a really great job, struggled at times,

just to keep track of whether the candidates had answered their various questions. So Andrew Cuomo was center stage in his first debate since running for governor in 2018. team. Was he under fire as much as you expected? Oh, I mean, undoubtedly, he was, he's leading the race, and the candidates really went on the attack from the very first question and never really let up. Zoroamam Dani, the Queen's Assembly member, pulling in second place, took aim at the big money backers supporting Cuomo's campaign. The difference between myself and Andrew Cuomo is that my campaign is not funded by the very billionaires who put Donald Trump in D.C. I don't have to pick

up the phone from Bill Ackman or Ken Langone, I have to pick up the phone for the more than 20,000 New Yorkers who contributed an average donation of about $80 to break fundraising records and put our campaign in second place. And then city controller Brad Lander took on his COVID record in ongoing federal investigation. It's not only that Andrew Cuomo lied to Congress, which is perjury. He also lied to the grieving families whose loved ones he sent into those nursing homes to protect his $5 million book deal. And even former assembly member Michael Blake, who's polling really at the bottom of the pack, lobbed a zinger about Cuomo's sexual harassment allegations.

And this was during a question about public safety. The people who don't feel safe are young women, mothers, and grandmothers around Andrew Cuomo. That's the greatest threat to public safety in New York City. Now, Michael, I could continue with soundbites from city council speaker Adrian Adams, state senator Zalmore Myrie, and former city community. Comptroller Scott Stringer. Of note, I sound, Jessica Ramos, the state senator of Queens, really seemed to avoid engaging in those attacks on Cuomo for the most part, but she tossed a few barbs at Lander and Mamdani, the leading progressives. Also, former hedge fund manager, Whitney Tilson,

who is standing directly to Cuomo's right, saved all of his attacks from Mumdani. And how did Cuomo respond to all this? Did he cement his status as the frontrunner? You know, he absolutely attacked back, and I would say he didn't have any major fumble. To Mamdani, he said, you know, that the Queens Assembly member lacked experience and accomplishments. Donald Trump would go through Mr. Mondami like a hot knife through butter. He's been in government 27 minutes. He passed three bills. That's all he's done.

He has no experience with Washington, no experience in New York City. he would be Trump's delight. And that was in a question talking about how the mayoral candidates would handle the federal government. Cuomo largely stuck to his talking points, sometimes to the frustration of the candidates and even the moderators. He insisted that he never lied to Congress over the report of that undercount of nursing home deaths during COVID. I was very aware of the report. I spoke to it at press conferences. No, before it was released, Mr.

The question is about the production of the report. Okay. Okay. Okay. We're going to move on. We're not getting an answer. We're not going to. I stand by the report.

Okay. It was just to whether or not you were involved. Let's move on. So you hear a lot of the back and forth cross talk and frustration there. And then even when he was directly asked about those sexual harassment allegations that largely led to his resignation from office, you know, which only really came up in one direct question, he largely deflected. So, Bridget, where were the other stand? out moments of this night? You know, all the candidates were asked about their biggest regrets in their political career. And again, the candidates used it as an opportunity to attack each other.

Mamdani said that he regretted trusting the Democratic Party leaders like Cuomo, who had drove the affordability crisis and led to the election of someone like Trump. Cuomo said that he regretted that someone with so little experience could believe that he could have the credentials to run the greatest city on earth and that the Democratic Party seems to be okay with that. And this is when Adrian Adams really laced into Cuomo. No regrets when it comes to cutting Medicaid or health care. No regrets when it comes to cutting child care. No regrets when it comes to slow walking PPE and vaccinations in the season of COVID to black and brown communities.

Really, no regrets. And this is really how Adams has tried to attack Cuomo before. You know, Cuomo disputes these facts, but this was probably the biggest, biggest audience for her. given that her poll numbers seemed to be rising. It was interesting to see after this debate, if any of those attacks moved the needle. In 2021, we saw a little alliance between Democrat Andrew Yang, who came out in support of Catherine Garcia. Any signal of possible alliances from the candidates projected on the debate stage? Not on the debate stage, Michael. In fact, they were all asked who they would rank as their number two, and that was the only issue where they were in

total agreement, no one was revealing their number two. What kind of reaction has it been so far, Bridget? Well, as we know, it's a little early to get out there and talk to voters, but all candidates are claiming victory, and there is some big news this morning. Progressive Stollwart, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced her endorsement in the New York Times. She is backing Mamdani, not surprisingly, as her number one. And Speaker Adrian Adams as her number two. This was a long-awaited. endorsement, given AOC's ability to really galvanize grassroots support. She stressed the need for

a real working class coalition, including black voters like those who make up the heart of Adam's base and her own turf of Southeast Queens. But Cuomo, for his part, is also touting an endorsement reported by the Jewish insider that leaders of the Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance are urging their voters to back him. The Jewish insider describes the group as an influential orthodox coalition. And that's a big deal for Cuomo. This is a potential block of voters. And, you know, this is a group that took issue with some of the COVID-era policies. So it signals that they potentially move beyond that. So a lot more to come here. WNIC's Bridget Berg and another debate next Tuesday, June 12th. And Bridget once again,

ooh-wee, thank you. You're very welcome. Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WMYC. Check us out for updates every weekday, three times a date for the latest news headlines and occasional deep dives and subscribe wherever you get your podcast. NYC.