The most surprising endorsements of the 2025 New York City mayoral race

The 2025 Democratic mayoral primary in New York City is coming to an end. Throughout the race, City & State has been closely monitoring the politicians, unions and organizations that have endorsed each campaign. Those endorsements are vital to the mayoral hopefuls as they race to win over different voting blocs. Some candidates succeeded in garnering big-name endorsements, like from former Mayor Mike Bloomberg or Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, while others did not. Out of hundreds of endorsements, here are the most confusing, chaotic and surprising ones.

Ramos for Cuomo

State Sen. Jessica Ramos’ endorsement of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo stood out in a race full of unpredictable moments. Although Ramos’ entire campaign and career seemingly contradicted her support for Cuomo, she pointed to his experience and history of standing up to President Donald Trump. Many progressives criticized her decision, including the Working Families Party, which subsequently dropped Ramos from its slate. But her support for Cuomo went unrequited, as he said: “She is endorsing me. I am not endorsing her.” Ouch!

New York Times confuses everyone

The New York Times technically didn’t endorse a candidate in the newspaper’s vexing op-ed. Ultimately disappointed with all the choices, the Times said Zohran Mamdani lacked experience and dinged Andrew Cuomo for his various scandals. The Editorial Board had nice things to say about Brad Lander, as did the paper’s panel of experts, but all of that still didn’t amount to an endorsement.

Bichotte Hermelyn for Cuomo

Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo for mayor in March. She had been one of Mayor Eric Adams’ most loyal supporters, but stated that as a Democratic leader she needed to support a Democratic candidate. A couple weeks after her endorsement, Adams declared he would run in the general election as an independent.

UFT declines to endorse

The United Federations of Teachers notably left a mayoral candidate off their slate of endorsements for the 2025 citywide elections. There was “no consensus” among the union’s members, according to UFT President Michael Mulgrew. As one of the most politically active and influential unions in the city, the lack of an endorsement was surprising, but maybe for the best – given their track record of backing losing candidates.

McCall for Cuomo

Former state Comptroller H. Carl McCall endorsed his former rival in an open letter in February – two weeks before Cuomo announced his candidacy. McCall ran against Cuomo in a vicious gubernatorial primary in 2002, but he claimed they were never political adversaries. Cuomo later appointed him to lead the SUNY board of trustees.

Liu for Mamdani

Surprise! There is someone on this list who didn’t endorse Cuomo: state Sen. John Liu of Queens. Liu announced his support for Mamdani on June 2 and praised his integrity. While Liu and Mamdani differ on policy, most notably that Liu is an outspoken defender of Israel, he said “there are 100 areas of agreement.”

Brooks-Powers for Cuomo

New York City Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers did not endorse City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. Instead, she joined the Cuomo bandwagon, which raised eyebrows considering her close working relationship with the speaker. The majority whip’s move had consequences: losing her spot on the council’s budget negotiating team and shifting her seat away from the speaker in the council chamber.

Hasidic sects flip to Cuomo

Twenty-five Hasidic sects flipped to endorse Cuomo after they announced Adrienne Adams as their first choice for mayor six days earlier. The ultra-Orthodox Jewish community’s relationship with the former governor is complicated as tensions still linger from Cuomo’s COVID-19 policies, but he has secured support from a variety of Orthodox sects.