Who will be New York’s next mayor? For Jews, the Democrat choices aren’t great

The leading choices in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary are a candidate who left Orthodox Jews feeling burned during Covid and another who’s widely considered disastrous for Jews. And since nearly two-thirds of New York City voters are Democrats, it very much matters who wins the Democrats’ June 24 primary.

The two men leading the primary pack are former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. For Jewish voters, Mamdani’s red flags are legion. He condemned Israel on October 8, didn't sign onto resolutions condemning the Holocaust for the last two years, accused Israel of genocide, won't say Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state, supports boycotting Israel, would arrest a visiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as mayor, and whitewashed the anti-Israel movement’s violence while addressing a Jewish audience last week, after two Israeli embassy employees were murdered in Washington, DC.

Between Mamdani’s record and surging antisemitism across New York City, antisemitism is a central issue in this campaign. Maury Litwack, founder of Jewish Voters Unite, which mobilises Jewish voters, told me that antisemitism is not only “on the ballot,” but also “the number one issue for [Jewish] voters by a mile.” For many Jews across the political spectrum, this leaves Cuomo as the best possible Democratic victor.

International public affairs consultant Jason Epstein observed, “Cuomo’s long-time record of strong opposition to antisemitism and support for Israel stands in pretty stark contrast with his primary opponents,” but his “lack of meaningful remorse for the targeting of” Orthodox Jews and fuelling nursing home deaths during Covid also merit attention. After everything, Cuomo supporters are “New Yorkers still prioritising results over ideology.”

Pragmatism reigns. To adapt a famous quote from former New York Governor Mario Cuomo – Andrew Cuomo’s father – Jews care more about the prose of governing than the poetry of campaigning.

Dr. Logan Levkoff, founder of Dor Chazak: Parent Teen Champions for Israel, told me, “Being a Jewish voter in New York today comes with a very clear mandate: our vote must be for the person who is going to defend and protect the largest Jewish population outside of Israel. With emboldened and skyrocketing antisemitism on our streets, in our schools, and in our institutions, this is an existential threat for us. As a Jewish voter in New York, there is only one choice: Andrew Cuomo. And I will proudly vote for him. Zohran Mamdani peddles antisemitic conspiracy theory, utilizes tropes, and supports BDS. He is an unacceptable choice for Jews in New York.”

For Orthodox voters, the calculus is slightly trickier. They still haven’t forgotten Cuomo stigmatised them in 2020.

New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo delivers a speech at the First Corinthian Baptist Church in the Harlem neighborhood of New York on April 13, 2025. Andrew Cuomo, the former Democratic governor of New York and a man once thought to have his eye on the presidency, will run in November to be mayor of New York City. The current mayor of the largest US city, Eric Adams, is embattled -- politically wounded by indictment on corruption charges. Cuomo himself resigned amid scandal in 2021 after 10 years as governor following accusations of sexual harassment. A prosecutor dropped charges against him in January 2022. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images

Hasidic voter Yosef Hershkop will “probably vote for my local State Senator [Zellnor] Myrie, who is very progressive but a respectful, normal guy, and I’ll also rank a couple of the other minor candidates.”

Hershkop estimated that 60 per cent of his social circle supports Cuomo, reflecting, “A lot of people who I thought would never vote for Mr. Covid Bully are now singing a different tune. . . . because they believe it’s a two person race, with the other guy being a straight-up Hamasnik.”

A veteran Jewish political activist in New York, warned “Mamdani is rising” because the Left is “energised, see[ing] a chance.” He commented, “Ultimately the choices are so awful, that as bad as Cuomo could be, he’s 100 per cent better than the other guys. He’s a moderate Democrat in a city of lunatics. He is the right candidate in this very poor field of choices.” However, Cuomo should clarify, will he be “the Andrew Cuomo . . . who worked with the [Orthodox] community and did a lot of good for us? Or the Andrew Cuomo who targeted and scapegoated the same community during Covid and had to be sued by the community to open up the synagogues?”

“Whoever speaks to the safety, security, and future of the Jewish community will get their votes. Not platitudes, not pandering — someone who has a legitimate record of protecting Jews,” this activist said. Still, “there’s too much bitterness from Covid for anyone but the candidate himself to overcome, to convince Orthodox Jewish voters to give him another chance.” So, Cuomo would be wise to offer “a clear and concise apology and vow to make it up to the community publicly.”

Will Cuomo listen, and will Jews turn out to vote? Not choosing isn’t a good option. Jewish safety in America’s most Jewish city hangs in the balance.