Cuomo Lights Into Mamdani Over His Apartment

Andrew Cuomo is showing no signs of backing down from New York City's mayoral race, pledging to run as an independent after progressive candidate Zohran Mamdani clinched the Democratic nomination. The ex-governor's latest tactic? Going after Mamdani for living in a rent-stabilized apartment in Queens for just $2,300 a month, despite his $142,000 annual salary as a state assemblyman—an especially sticky subject considering the high cost of housing in the city, reports the New York Times.

• Origin: The back-and-forth began on Friday, when Cuomo tweeted that "somewhere last night in New York City, a single mother and her children slept at a homeless shelter because you, assemblyman @ZohranKMamdani are occupying her rent controlled apartment." Cuomo went on to allege that Mamdani is "rich," as is his wife, and that they should "move out immediately" from their apartment so someone more in need can have it.

• Cuomo's abode: The Times notes that Cuomo himself lives in an apartment that rents for market rate, at $8,000 per month, adding that he only made the move into New York City within the last year, after decades of living elsewhere.
• Rent rules: About half of the city's apartments, or roughly 1 million of them, are considered stabilized, meaning a board appointed by the mayor oversees regulations that caps how much rent can rise each year. The application process is open to all, but most who live in them do have incomes below the city's average.
• Humble beginnings: Mamdani has said that when he first moved into his apartment in Astoria years ago, he was making just $47,000 annually and didn't realize the unit was rent stabilized. He has also said his affluent parents no longer financially support him, as Cuomo has insinuated.
• Ongoing vitriol: The exchanges between the two men continued this week, with the 67-year-old former governor slamming his 33-year-old foe for "callous theft" and suggesting means testing for rent-stabilized apartments in New York City. Mamdani, for his part, called Cuomo's attacks "petty vindictiveness" and placed the blame for the city's housing issues on Cuomo and the real estate developers that Mamdani says funnel money to Cuomo's campaign.
• A 'sensitive nerve': Even though the Times notes that Cuomo's attack may resonate with cash-strapped New Yorkers, his own means-testing proposal is also getting blasted by housing experts, tenant activists, and even other mayoral candidates. "Political theater" is how a spokesperson for current Mayor Eric Adams, running for reelection as an independent, frames Cuomo's plan. Mamdani's team also points out that while governor, Cuomo greenlit legislation that permitted New Yorkers with higher incomes to remain in rent-stabilized apartments.
• Poll: The latest from Siena this week shows Mamdani "crushing" Cuomo, per New York Magazine, with 44% of New York City's registered voters supporting him, 25% for Cuomo, and 7% for Adams. GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa earned 12% in the same survey.