NEW YORK CITY—Shia Greenfield, a Hasidic Jew, stands at the corner of Clymer Street and Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He’s parked a van with Hebrew posters next to a local polling station, and is sending voters—other Satmar Jews who also speak Hebrew—to go and vote there.
“Cuomo ranked No. 1, No. 2 is Adrienne Adams, and No. 3 is Zellnor Myrie,” Greenfield told The Epoch Times about his instructions. Leaders of the Satmar—an extremely conservative Hasidic Jewish dynasty with more than 100,000 members—have issued directions on how to vote for mayor, and Greenfield is there to make sure the followers vote correctly.
This effort is one of the many “get-out-the-vote” drives being waged in New York City’s 2025 mayoral election. The incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, is running independently, and the Democratic primary has thus been dominated by New York’s former governor, Andrew Cuomo, who is mounting a political comeback.
A 'get-out-the-vote' van with Hebrew posters, reading "Every father, every mother, every responsible person goes out and votes," is parked outside a polling place in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, N.Y., on June 17, 2025. Arjun Singh/The Epoch Times
Cuomo led the state for 10 years from 2011 to 2021 and resigned amid an impeachment investigation over sexual harassment allegations and criticism of deaths at elderly nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, he is the clear frontrunner in the Democratic primary, which has long been the real contest in New York’s elections. All the other candidates—the city comptroller, speaker of the city council, state senators and assemblymembers, a Manhattan Borough president, and a hedge fund manager—but one are nowhere close.
Cuomo could win, and New York City’s voters have strong opinions about him. Because of his past, opposition to him is more intense than support for him, even as the latter may be more widespread. Voters are supporting Cuomo because they see no alternative; voters are opposing Cuomo because of his previous actions as governor.
During early voting, The Epoch Times visited several polling stations across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens to find out Cuomo’s chances and whether he could beat Adams in a general election. The Democratic primary election is due to be held on June 24.
Supporters
Before the sexual harassment allegations that led him to resign, Cuomo was among the most popular Democratic politicians in the country. In July 2020, at the height of the pandemic, his approval rating was 66 percent, according to the Marist poll. Democrats praised his leadership, gravitas, and experience. Television hosts including Ellen DeGeneres, Trevor Noah, and Stephen Colbert called themselves “Cuomosexuals” and suggested that he replace Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket in the 2020 presidential election.
Cuomo’s affability has since taken a toll, but memories of his governorship are fresh. At a polling station in Chelsea, voters supporting Cuomo said they didn’t like his personal history but thought his experience proved that he could handle the job.
“Cuomo is not the perfect man, but I think at this point you have to fight ... you know, somebody who knows how to get down and dirty. Get the job done,” said Alfredo de Guzman, a voter who ranked Cuomo first and Mamdani second. “As much as I like Mamdami, I can’t put [the mayoralty] in the hands of that much inexperience.”
Alfredo de Guzman stands outside the Fashion Institute of Technology on East 28th Street after casting his early vote in the New York Mayoral election's Democratic primary on June 16, 2025. Arjun Singh/The Epoch Times
Guzman referenced Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old New York state assemblyman who is Cuomo’s primary opponent. In recent weeks, Mamdani’s campaign has closed the polling gap with him. Still, Cuomo in most polls has more than 40 percent support. Over subsequent tallying rounds, he only needs 10 percent of other voters to reach the 50 percent required to win.
“[I decided] a long time ago. Basically, there’s nobody [else],” said Simon Ruzick, another early voter in Chelsea who put Cuomo on top.
Guzman concurred, stating that he decided to support Cuomo early on.
“There’s only two people who ultimately [can win], and the vote is between Cuomo and Adams,” Ruzick added, suggesting that Mamdani wouldn’t be competitive in a general election.
Voters who support Cuomo say that combating crime and restoring city services are their biggest priorities.
“The top issue is basically safety in New York,” said Ruzick. “I think today: Who’s going to keep New York safe?”
Simon Ruzick, of Chelsea, stands outside a polling station after casting his early vote in the New York Mayoral election's Democratic primary on June 16, 2025. Arjun Singh/The Epoch Times
“I hope [Cuomo] will clean up the city,” said Amy Brodance, a real-estate broker in Midtown who ranked Cuomo at the top and voted for nobody else. She spoke poorly of Mamdani, saying that his signature proposals of a “rent freeze” and government expansion would not succeed.
“I can’t take this socialist ridiculousness that’s going on in this city,” said Brodance.
Mamdani’s campaign is centered on the cost of living, including affordable housing, with a rent freeze being his signature promise. The issue cuts across campaign lines, including many Cuomo supporters.
A campaign flyer in support of Zohran Mamdani in the foyer of an apartment building in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, N.Y., on June 18, 2025. Arjun Singh/The Epoch Times
“We have a [housing] crisis here. We have every single night ... 11 weddings here in Williamsburg,” said Greenfield of his Hasidic Jewish community. “Where are all these good people going to live?”
“People don’t realize [that] there’s no money coming from taxes,” Ruzick added, commenting on the decline in property tax revenues as the city experiences a population decline. “You can move to Florida. You can move to Texas. ... New York is going to fall apart.”
Israel
The role of the Jewish community, as well as positions on Israel, have become unusually large factors in the primary.It is well known that New York has many Jews, and they have some influence with their votes. It is also often considered one of the most progressive metropolises in the country, where opposition to Israel for the humanitarian devastation of its war in Gaza has been high. The question of support for Israel in these circumstances has split the primary electorate, and perceived anti-Semitism can be kryptonite for a candidate.
Posters supporting Zohran Mamdani, with graffiti of a Star of David, in the Cooper Square neighborhood of Manhattan, N.Y., on June 18, 2025. Arjun Singh/The Epoch Times
“Once you put the anti-Semite label on someone ... then Jewish voters become scared, and ... they will not vote for him,” said Karen Martyr, a high school teacher in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens. “I know that that’s true because Jewish teachers are not voting for him,” she added, referring to Mamdani.
Mamdani has previously criticized Israel for its actions during its ongoing war against the Hamas terrorist group, and most recently defended the use of a controversial phrase, “globalize the Intifada,” which is a pro-Palestinian term calling for aggressive resistance against Israel and its supporters. Many progressive voters like his rhetoric, in contrast with Jewish voters who don’t.
“What’s happening in Palestine right now, all these things ... is also affecting who we want our politicians to be. Zohran is ... for a free Palestine,” said Sadia Hanif, a Muslim voter in Queens who ranked him at the top.
Sadia Hanif stands outside Kaufman Astoria Studios, in Queens, N.Y., after casting her early vote there in the New York Mayoral Election's Democratic Primary on June 16, 2025. Arjun Singh/The Epoch Times
Cuomo has attacked Mamdani for this rhetoric and, by contrast, courted rabbinical endorsements from New York’s many Jewish communities.
Tyler Berber, another teacher who also voted in Astoria, said Mamdani “hasn’t shown, in my opinion, anything that indicates anti-Semitism. Just criticism of, you know, Israel’s current policies, which is not the same as anti-Semitism, but it will affect things, absolutely.”
“Given the choice, the vast majority of [my] students are going to vote for Zohran,” said Martyr, who noted that she worked at “a primarily Muslim school.”
“My students who are voting age, wouldn’t vote for [Cuomo].”
‘Never’ Cuomo
The turnaround in Cuomo’s political fortunes is stark, motivated largely by dissatisfaction with Adams and New York’s previous mayor, Bill de Blasio. Still, his record as governor is long and gives voters much to complain about. Beyond the sexual harassment allegations, Cuomo’s leadership of the state and clashes with interest groups are reasons voters oppose him.“I am a teacher, so I will never vote for Cuomo. ... He hates teachers and he hates unions,” said Martyr. “I love what Mamdani has to say, but I’m not sure that he has the experience to lead in a city like New York.”
Berber said: “I just remember what he did as governor, and how he kind of gave the teachers the raw end of the deal when it came to Common Core standards. Basically, he switched on us and, then, when he wanted our vote, he switched [back] and kind of turned coat in that way. So I don’t trust him.”
Tyler Berber and Karen Martyr, two teachers, wear "I Voted" stickers after casting their early votes for the New York Mayoral election's Democratic Primary, in Queens, N.Y., on June 16, 2025. Arjun Singh/The Epoch Times
When asked whether she would consider Cuomo, Desiree, a young woman voter in Queens who only gave her first name, said: “Absolutely not. First and foremost, he was accused of sexually assaulting many women. I don’t think someone like that should be leading our city.”
Hanif said of a Cuomo mayoralty: “Forget all the allegations. [Recall] everything that he did while he was in office. It would be a disgrace. People have forgotten everything Cuomo has put us through. [They have] selective amnesia.”
Several anti-Cuomo campaigns are currently underway in the race, seeking to prevent him from receiving any lower-preference votes in subsequent tallying rounds. They are telling voters to leave Cuomo’s rank box blank, in which case he won’t receive that vote under any circumstance. Several voters who spoke with The Epoch Times—Martyr, Berber, Desiree, and Hanif—said they left Cuomo’s box blank.
Andrew Versus Eric
Should Cuomo win, his principal opponent in the general election will be Adams. The Republican nominee has always been a non-factor in New York’s mayoral race.Ordinarily, the Democratic nominee would easily win the general election. In the case of Cuomo, this outcome is less certain. Adams is certainly unpopular among Democrats, but would likely garner support from Republicans—who dominate the borough of Staten Island—and some Democrats who particularly dislike Cuomo.
The question of whether the latter group, Democrats who won’t vote for Cuomo, is large enough is the key question of the general election. It’s also relevant to Democrats choosing their primary candidate. Both Adams and Cuomo were viewed poorly by Democrat voters interviewed, who appeared to be voting depending on whom they liked least.
“Both of them [are] terrible choices, but it’s making a decision [of] who’s the least of the worst,” said Ruzick, who indicated that if Mamdani won the primary, he would vote for Adams instead.
“I'll probably go for Adams. I mean, if I can see if ... he’s pro-business,” said Brodance, the real-estate broker, who nonetheless voted for Cuomo in the primary.
Amy Brodance, a real-estate broker in Manhattan, N.Y., stands outside a polling station after voting in the New York Mayoral election's Democratic primary, on June 16, 2025. Arjun Singh/The Epoch Times
Polling on the general election has been scant, but a recent poll sponsored by the Manhattan Institute found that Cuomo would win 45 percent of the vote in a general election match-up against Adams, and thus be elected.
“I don’t know. I would have to make that decision when I get to it,” said Hanif, who supported Mamdani, about whether she’d support Cuomo as the Democratic nominee.
“I would have to hold my nose and vote for Adams,” said Martyr, the teacher, noting, that while Adams “didn’t fulfill his promises” and faced allegations of corruption, Cuomo is “bad for teachers.”
“I would have to vote for Adams, but I really hope not.”
The primary election will be held on June 24, with the general election on Nov. 4. The eventual winner will take office at midnight on Jan. 1, 2026, as the 111th mayor of the City of New York.
