Two major New York City labor unions that previously supported former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in this year’s race for mayor have dropped him to endorse Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist who won the Democratic primary.
The Hotel and Gaming Trades Council and 32BJ SEIU, which represents building service workers in the city, intend to back Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman, following his electrifying upset against Cuomo in the race for mayor, according to multiple reports.
The endorsements add another significant win for Mamdani: The hotel workers’ union represents 40,000 members in the city, while the building workers’ union represents an additional 85,000.
A third union, the New York State Nurses Association, also endorsed Mamdani. It represents 30,000 members in the city.
“We are confident that whenever we’re in a fight, Zohran will be on our side standing up for hospitality workers,” Rich Maroko, the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council’s president, told The New York Times. “That’s why we are genuinely excited to endorse Zohran and ready to help him win in November.”
While Cuomo conceded the Democratic primary to Mamdani on Tuesday, the former governor hasn’t ruled out continuing his campaign for mayor.
“We appreciated and valued their support during the primary,” Rich Azzopardi, a campaign spokesman for Cuomo, told The Times when asked about the unions dropping Cuomo.
Mamdani, who has faced racist and Islamophobic attacks since his primary win, said he was “honored” to have the new support.
“This is a campaign for the working people of this city who deserve dignity on the job and neighborhoods they can afford,” Mamdani said in a statement. “That’s exactly who HTC, 32BJ and NYSNA fight and deliver for every single day, and I am honored to have their support.”