In a surprising twist, state Senator Jessica Ramos, who is running in the June Democratic primary election for mayor, said she would endorse her rival Andrew Cuomo, according to the New York Times.
Ramos said she was supporting the former governor because “he’s the one best positioned right now to protect this city," the Times reported.
“With Trump threatening to bulldoze New York and take us backward, we need someone in City Hall who knows how to hold the line and deliver under pressure,” she told the paper.
Ramos' endorsement comes a day after U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told the Times that she was endorsing Zohran Mamdani as her first pick. AOC said she would then rank City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, city Comptroller Brad Lander, former city Comptroller Scott Stringer and state Senator Zellnor Myrie.
Ramos has trailed in the polls and in fund-raising and has expressed disappointment about feeling abandoned by her allies on the left, the Times said. She has also intensified her criticism of Mamdani, evident during the Wednesday debate when she said she regretted not running for mayor four years ago.
“I thought I needed more experience, but turns out you just need to make good videos,” Ramos said without naming Mamdani.
