Cuomo and Speaker Adams backed by split Southeast Queens coalition
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Former Governor Andrew Cuomo got an endorsement from a coalition of Southeast Queens elected officials, but a few of them immediately backtracked on the group’s picks. AP file photo by Julia Demaree Nikhinson
By Ryan Schwach
Former Governor Andrew Cuomo appeared to come away with a major endorsement victory over the weekend after a slate of Black elected officials from Southeast Queens encouraged their supporters to rank the Queens-raised Cuomo first on their Democratic mayoral primary ballots.
However, not long after sharing the news of the endorsement, the extent to which the group of elected officials supported Cuomo started to become less clear.
Nearly half of the eight lawmakers in the coalition which included State Senators James Sanders and Leroy Comrie, Assemblymembers Clyde Vanel, Alicia Hyndman, Khaleel Anderson and Larinda Hooks, and City Councilmembers Selvena Brooks-Powers and Nantasha Williams, said that not only did they not support ranking Cuomo at the top of the ballot, but they called for voters to leave the former governor off their ballots entirely.
Even with the split in the group, the endorsement appears to serve as a blow for City Council Speaker and late-entrant to the mayor’s race Adrienne Adams, whose constituency overlaps with the districts represented by many of the officials who tepidly shared their support for Cuomo over the hometown candidate.
The endorsements serve as an even bigger blow for Mayor Eric Adams, who is not related to the Council speaker and who continues to lose support in the Black, working-class neighborhoods he rode to victory in 2021.
The coalition’s endorsement of Cuomo appears to bode well for the former governor, who has reportedly made an effort to target voters who previously voted for the sitting mayor four years ago.
Despite their endorsement of Cuomo, the group of elected officials had little to say about their support of the governor in their release over the weekend, which was sent out by Sanders’ office. Additionally, they didn’t mention the reasons behind their support of the speaker, who they encouraged voters to rank second.
“It’s often said that when America catches a cold, Black America gets pneumonia,” the officials said. “Elections are more than choosing leaders—they’re a chance to reflect on the path forward. This year, New York City stands at a critical crossroads.”
“As we face national uncertainty and political instability at home, Black elected officials are taking a bold step in endorsing candidates who truly understand our communities,” they added.
They also backed Public Advocate Jumanee Williams to keep his job, and Councilmember Justin Brannan for comptroller.
“Our city faces serious challenges—including a possible national recession—and we need strong, experienced leadership to guide us through,” they said. “We urge every New Yorker to vote. No matter who wins, we remain committed to fighting for safety, opportunity, and progress for all.”
The most glaring lack of an endorsement for Speaker Adams came from Brooks-Powers, who the speaker elevated to serve as majority whip in the Council after being elected to the leadership post. The two have worked closely in their bordering Southeast Queens districts.
Sources familiar with the speaker’s thinking said that Speaker Adams was extremely disappointed with Brooks-Powers lack of an endorsement.
Speaking with the Eagle, Brooks-Powers said that there were several candidates running for the mayor’s office who she “consider[s] a friend.”
While she didn’t distance herself from Cuomo, as several as her colleagues did following the announcement, Brooks-Powers also didn’t say whether she fully supported the ranking sent out by Sanders’ office.
“Any endorsement announcement should have been handled with care, accuracy and respect, and at the appropriate time I will issue my endorsement,” she said.
Queens Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers (right) was among a group of elected officials who picked Andrew Cuomo as their number one pick for mayor, spurning her close friend and colleague Speaker Adrienne Adams (left). File photo by John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit
The voting bloc the coalition of electeds represented in office, is characterized by an active base of Black, working class Democratic voters, and has a reasonably large stake in selecting the city’s leaders.
Sanders said at Speaker Adams’ campaign launch in Rochdale at the start of the month that “Southeast Queens can decide who sits in Gracie Mansion.”
“Southeast Queens can make that decision, but they can't make it alone,” he said.
In 2021, the area was key to Mayor Adams’ win, and it is the native home of the mayor, Cuomo and Speaker Adams – all of whom will depend on the area if they hope to win the mayorality.
Other candidates, like Comptroller Brad Lander, former Comptroller Scott Stringer and State Senator Zellnor Myrie are depending on bases in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and other Queens electeds Zohran Mamdani and Jessica Ramos are depending on more progressive areas in Western Queens – not the seldom progressive Southeast Queens enclaves.
But Southeast Queens may not unify behind any one candidate this year, if this weekend’s endorsement is any sign of things to come.
Almost immediately following the release of the endorsements, officials named in it quickly split from the rest of the coalition.
Anderson, Comrie and Williams all separated themselves from the coalition’s rankings, saying they would not be backing the former governor.
Sources familiar with the endorsements explained that while the coalition voted on the picks, not everyone voted for Cuomo as the number one.
Comrie told the Eagle that the rankings were not his “personal” selections, and that he intended to back the speaker.
“I told the coalition before we started, that I wouldn't vote for Cuomo,” Comrie told the Eagle. “I was being consistent, but the existence of the coalition is important to me. I respect their individual opinions.”
He added that he is backing Speaker Adams because she “has the ability to do the job in a fair and just way, without drama.”
Anderson, the most progressive elected in the bunch, has long been a Cuomo critic.
Anderson’s ticket split from his elected colleagues, ranking Comptroller Brad Lander first, followed by Speaker Adams, Brooklyn legislator Zellnor Myrie, then Queens Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani and State Senator Jessica Ramos.
The Far Rockaway born official said he is subscribing to the “D.R.E.A.M.” ticket for mayor, which stands for “Don’t rank Eric [Adams] or Andrew [Cuomo] for mayor.”
“This cycle, I joined a coalition of Southeast Queens elected officials in an extensive interview process for candidates for mayor and other citywide offices,” Anderson said. “The process was collaborative, collegial, democratic, and thoroughly consultative. Although I differ with some of the final choices of the coalition for candidates, I agree that this process was useful.”
“This decision was made with my grit, understanding, and commitment to seeing my district get its fair share,” he added. “It is grounded in the principles my district and community have instilled in me and called me to lead under.”
The Cuomo endorsement from Sanders also came as a surprise, because the long-time Far Rockaway elected official spoke at the speaker’s campaign launch earlier this month.
He also called for Cuomo’s resignation following the sexual harassment allegations made against the former governor in 2021.
A spokesperson for Sanders said the Southeast Queens officials changed his mind on Cuomo after all of the criminal charges brought against the former governor were eventually dropped.
The senator declined to comment on the confusion surrounding the coalition's endorsements or on the release from his office.
