A top New York Republican is throwing his support behind former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the city’s mayoral race — not out of love for Cuomo, but to stop Democrat Zohran Mamdani.
Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital it was a “no-brainer” to back Cuomo over Mamdani. “This is a simple choice. I mean, one candidate has a shot to win,” Langworthy said. “This is about saving the city from communism.”
Langworthy, who once chaired the New York GOP, acknowledged his rocky history with Cuomo but said the former governor is the only credible alternative. “I’ve had plenty of disagreements — very publicly over the years — and fought tooth and nail with Gov. Cuomo. But there’s no doubt in my mind he would be a far superior mayor than a communist.”
He’s not alone. Several Republicans have lined up behind Cuomo as early voting continues across New York City. Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist and state assemblyman, is leading the race, with Cuomo running as an Independent and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa as the Republican candidate.
Both Cuomo and Sliwa have tried to court conservative and independent voters, but Langworthy warned that dividing the right could hand the race to Mamdani. “Everyone’s really got to check, is this a vanity project? Or is this something you’re trying to do to seriously be the mayor?” he said. “There’s only one candidate running against Mamdani that has a credible path to win. And there’s Andrew Cuomo. He knows how to run a government.”
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., who ran for mayor in 2017, said she still supports Sliwa but admitted that “Cuomo’s got the best chance of beating Mamdani.” She added, “I’ll take either of the two, quite frankly. I’ll take anybody but the communist. He lacks the experience. You know, 34 years old. His only job was a hip-hop artist — a bad one, to boot.”
House Homeland Security Committee Chair Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., was less optimistic. “The Democrats, the way they just set the system for themselves — somehow the primary is ranked choice, but the general is not. I mean, it’s ridiculous,” he said. “We’ll see, though. The polls have been wrong before.”
Election Day in New York City is Tuesday, Nov. 4.