Elon Musk became the latest prominent figure to endorse former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo‘s New York City mayoral campaign on Monday in a bid to keep socialist rival Zohran Mamdani from winning the election.
Mamdani is leading in the polls ahead of the Tuesday election, with Cuomo seen as his top challenger, followed by Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa. A host of moderates and Republicans have issued endorsements to Cuomo, a Democrat running as an independent, in hopes of keeping Mamdani out of City Hall, since Sliwa is seen as having little chance of winning.
Musk added his voice to the fray hours before in-person voting started, with the X owner telling residents to “bear in mind that a vote for Curtis is really a vote for Mumdumi or whatever his name is.”
“Remember to vote tomorrow in New York!” Musk said in a post to X, adding, “VOTE CUOMO!”
Musk’s move follows President Donald Trump’s lukewarm endorsement of Cuomo in a CBS interview that aired Sunday.
“I’m not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other, but if it’s gonna be between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’m gonna pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you,” Trump said, reiterating suggestions that he would pull federal funding from the city if Mamdani is elected.
“Because if you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there,” Trump said. “It’s gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams also issued a last-minute endorsement to Cuomo after running against him in the Democratic primary earlier this year.
“Am I angry that I’m not the one taking down Zohran, the socialist and the communist?” Adams said late last month. “You’re darn right I am. But, you know what, the city means more to me than anything, and it is time for us as a family to come together.”
CUOMO WARNS TRUMP WILL ‘TAKE OVER NEW YORK CITY’ IF MAMDANI ELECTED MAYOR
Since Adams dropped out of the race, Cuomo’s campaign has gained some traction, picking up support from moderates.
The latest polling shows Cuomo within single digits of winning the race.
