Photo: AFP
Time is running out for Andrew Cuomo to hold off Zohran Mamdani’s frantic push to be the Democratic choice for mayor in 2025. Early voting has started in the NYC Democratic mayoral primary, and the two traded punches and barbs at the second and final mayoral debate Thursday night. Does Mamdani have a realistic chance at a win with ten days to go? Former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino thinks it’s at least possible. He appeared on 710 WOR’s Mendte in the Morning program to assess Mamdani’s chances with a week and a half left in the run that only guarantees the winner a chance to run some more for City Hall.
“Look, I’ve known Andrew Cuomo forever,” Astorino told host Jimmy Failla, sitting in for Larry Mendte. “I ran against him in ’14, and the guy is a thug to the core. Honestly, it’s like he failed mob school, so he’s been trying his whole life to prove he belongs, and he’s just that way, and it’s killing him that this guy Mamdani may very well catch him. And I said this months ago- watch this guy. He presents well, he’s the male version of AOC, he’s going to light a fire under the far left, and there’s nothing about Cuomo that anyone really likes.”
Astorino says he’d take Mamdani’s position right now as the challenger rather than Cuomo’s high ground as the front-runner, given a choice: “I’d rather be in Mamdani’s place right now than I would Cuomo, believe it or not, because he’s got the big mo [momentum] right now at the end, when it counts, and his people will run to the polls. Cuomo’s people, I’m not sure would do that.”
Photo Credit: Getty Images