NYC Mayor 2025: Queens BP Richards Backs Mamdani & Cuomo Faces New Questions

"Queens Borough President Donovan Richards (D) officially endorsed the Democratic nominee for mayor, Zohran Mamdani, on Friday after declining to weigh in during the Democratic primary," reported the Queens Eagle. "The BP did not endorse anyone during the Democratic primary, but has recently upped his criticism of former Governor Andrew Cuomo and has appeared with Mamdani on the campaign trail twice in the last week."

Reaction from Queens' diverse collection of elected officials was mixed, but AARP became the latest group with polling to show Astoria's State Assembly Member with a clear lead amongst likely voters:
Mamdani (D) 42%, Cuomo (I) 23%, Sliwa (R) 16%, Adams (I) 9%, Undecided 8%. Even if head-to-head, Mamdani beats Cuomo by 11 points.

 Meanwhile, former Governor Andrew Cuomo's campaign faced new questions about President Donald Trump (R): "'We can minimize (the Sliwa) vote, because he’ll never be a serious candidate,' Cuomo told the crowd at a Hamptons fundraiser Saturday, according to audio obtained by Playbook.. 'And Trump himself, as well as top Republicans, will say the goal is to stop Mamdani. And you’ll be wasting your vote on Sliwa. So I feel good about that.'"