Two days before New York City's Democratic mayoral primary, Bill Clinton has made a rare intervention in municipal politics on behalf of Andrew Cuomo. The former president taped a robocall aimed at increasing turnout among older voters, the New York Times reports. The endorsement of Cuomo, who was housing secretary during Clinton's administration, was announced Sunday. "He's a fighter who knows how to make government work, and at a time when our basic rights are under assault, I know he'll stand up and protect the people of this city," Clinton says in the recording.
In return, the former New York governor praised Clinton's presidency. In the call, the former president also cites Cuomo's ability to "get things done" and highlights work they did together on homelessness and helping disadvantaged communities. Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn also came out for Cuomo as the campaign nears its end. The mayoral race has tightened between establishment-backed Cuomo and state lawmaker Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist supported by the Working Families Party, which plans a Sunday rally with state Attorney General Letitia James. Mamdani has also been endorsed by progressives including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders. A Marist Poll released Wednesday shows Cuomo with a 55-45 lead over Mamdani. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)