In a state as vast and complex as New York, governing effectively requires experience, competence, and the ability to deliver results. The contrast between former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani highlights the difference between tested leadership and political experimentation.
Andrew Cuomo’s decades of public service – spanning housing policy, infrastructure development, and crisis management – demonstrate a consistent ability to turn ideas into actions. Under his leadership, New York enacted the nation’s strongest paid family leave law, raised the minimum wage, and expanded protections for immigrants. He stood firmly with New Yorkers during Trump’s 2017 Muslim Travel Ban, showing solidarity with Muslim communities and ensuring free legal assistance for those affected. He also implemented reforms to prevent discrimination against Muslim, African, and South Asian New Yorkers, improved language access across state agencies, strengthened hate-crime prevention efforts, and launched the Liberty Defense Project to provide legal aid for immigrant communities. These are measurable achievements that improved lives across the state and city.
Mamdani’s rhetoric may resonate with a segment of activists, but governing requires more than slogans – it demands pragmatism, cooperation, and the ability to deliver results. Cuomo’s leadership exemplified this approach, from expanding healthcare and legal support for immigrant communities to enacting anti-discrimination measures for Muslim New Yorkers. His record stands as evidence of leadership defined by substance over slogans.
By comparison, Mamdani’s brief tenure in the State Assembly reflects a lack of experience and results. He has passed only three bills into law and missed 80% of Assembly votes, raising serious questions about his readiness to manage New York City’s $110 billion budget and complex municipal systems. His policy platform is similarly untested and extreme: sending social workers instead of police to domestic violence calls, defunding the NYPD, abolishing prisons, and legalizing prostitution; opposition to charter schools, Gifted and Talented programs, and specialized high schools. While ambitious in rhetoric, these proposals risk undermining public safety, education, and the institutions New Yorkers rely upon daily.
Equally troubling are the accusations Mamdani has leveled against fellow Democrats, including claims of Islamophobia directed at Mayor Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo. Such tactics cheapen serious conversations about bias and division. New Yorkers deserve leaders who unite rather than inflame, who defend communities through policy, not political theater.
Cuomo’s record shows that effective governance is rarely dramatic. It requires negotiation, persistence, and a steady hand to execute policies that serve all communities. From housing to public safety, education, and immigrant rights, Cuomo has demonstrated the skill and experience to navigate the challenges New York City faces today.
At a time when the city faces pressing issues such as affordability, public safety, and social cohesion, the choice between experience and experiment is clear. Mamdani’s inexperience and radical proposals stand in sharp contrast to Cuomo’s decades of demonstrated leadership and accomplishments.
New York cannot afford to gamble on untested ideals. During early voting and on November 4th, voters should choose the candidate with the knowledge, record, and ability to lead the city forward.
Cuomo has proven he can deliver. Vote Andrew Cuomo for Mayor.
