New York City on high alert for Democrat mayoral primary after US strikes Iran
New York City is prepping for primary elections on Tuesday as one of several major U.S. cities on high alert following U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“We’re tracking the situation unfolding in Iran,” the NYPD said in an X post Saturday night. “Out of an abundance of caution, we’re deploying additional resources to religious, cultural, and diplomatic sites across NYC and coordinating with our federal partners. We’ll continue to monitor for any potential impact to NYC.”
As New Yorkers brace for a major heat wave on Election Day, New York State Police are also “working to protect at-risk sites and fight cyberattacks,” Gov. Kathy Hochul shared Saturday night.
Home to the largest Jewish diaspora outside Israel, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which reached a boiling point with U.S. involvement Saturday, has seeped onto the New York City campaign trail.
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Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned from office in 2021 following allegations of sexual harassment, has emerged as the frontrunner in a crowded field vying for the Democratic nomination.
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Following the United States’ successful strikes on Iran Saturday night, Cuomo acknowledged, “Iran cannot have nuclear capability,” and admitted that eliminating Iran’s nuclear capacity “is in everyone’s best interest.”
However, Cuomo joined the barrage of Democrats criticizing Trump for striking Iran without congressional approval. Reps. Thomas Massie, a Republican, and Ro Khanna, a Democrat, who proposed the bipartisan War Powers Resolution with 49 co-sponsors as of Sunday, called Trump green-lighting strikes against Iran “unconstitutional.”
Congress has the sole power to declare war under Article I of the Constitution.
“I don’t support the way he did it. I do believe he should have consulted Congress,” Cuomo, who secured an endorsement from former President Bill Clinton over the weekend, said in a statement.
However, Cuomo’s closest competitors in the race were not so diplomatic.
State Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist with endorsements from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, slammed Trump Saturday night.
“Donald Trump ran for president promising to end wars, not start new ones,” Mamdani said. “Today’s unconstitutional military action represents a new, dark chapter in his endless series of betrayals that now threaten to plunge the world deeper into chaos.”
Mamdani, who would be the first Muslim mayor of New York City if elected, added he is “thinking of the New Yorkers with loved ones in harm’s way.”
Cuomo took a jab at Mamdani on Sunday, according to The New York Times, telling reporters, “This is not the time for on-the-job training,” in light of the U.S. strikes on Iran.
Additionally, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who has cross-endorsed Mamdani as they attempt to consolidate support against Cuomo within the ranked-choice voting style, said during a Working Families Party unity rally Sunday, “Jewish New Yorkers and Muslim New Yorkers are not going to be divided against each other.”
On Sunday night, Lander, who is Jewish, dissed “Trump’s reckless & unconstitutional strikes against Iran” as a “dangerous escalation of war” that “threaten countless Iranian, Israeli & American lives.”
Democratic mayoral candidates who will also appear on Tuesday’s ballot include former Comptroller Scott Stringer, educator Selma Bartholomew, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, state Sen. Jessica Ramos, investor and editor at Stansberry Research Whitney Tilson, former State Assembly Member Michael Blake and content creator and music artist Paperboy Prince.
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The Democratic nominee will face incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an Independent.
Former federal prosecutor Jim Walden is also running as an Independent, and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa will once again be the Republican nominee.
Fox News’ Jess Loker contributed to this report.
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