Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City’s mayoral race, has said Donald Trump is “threatened” by his campaign as the president backs former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
“Donald Trump is threatened by our campaign,” Mamdani told CNN Monday night. “He’s threatened by it because, like his, we’ve diagnosed the crisis in working-class New Yorkers’ lives, the cost of living, but unlike him, we’re actually going to deliver on that.”
The president threw his support behind Cuomo earlier Monday, writing on Truth Social, “Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice.”
He also said it would be “highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds” to New York City if “communist” Mamdani wins the election. Mamdani identifies as a Democratic socialist.
Trump has also warned that voting for Democrats in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections is a “death wish.”
“Virginia and New Jersey, VOTE REPUBLICAN IF YOU WANT MASSIVE ENERGY COST AND CRIME REDUCTIONS. The Democrats will double and even triple your Energy Costs, and CRIME will be rampant,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday evening without providing statistics to back up his claims.
Which races to watch ahead of Election Day
There are several high-profile races to look out for as we head into Election Day on Tuesday.
New York City’s mayoral race
- Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is facing off against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
- Mamdani is leading in the polls with 43.9 percent of voter support in a new Atlas Intel poll. Cuomo is trailing with 39.4 percent, followed by Sliwa with 15.5 percent.
Virginia’s gubernatorial race
- Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, is running against former Democratic congresswoman Abigail Spanberger in the governor’s race.
- Spanberger is leading in the polls with 54 percent of voter support in a new Research Co. poll, compared to Earle-Sears’ 46 percent.
New Jersey’s gubernatorial race
- Former state legislator Jack Ciattarelli is the Republican choice in New Jersey, up against Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill.
- New Jersey’s gubernatorial race is closer than Virginia’s. In the same Research Co. poll, Sherrill leads Ciattarelli by just three percentage points, 51 to 48 percent.
California’s ballot measure
- Californians will vote on whether they want to change the blue state’s congressional district maps in response to Texas’ redistricting in favor of Republicans.
Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 02:50
Andrew Cuomo clears up issue hours ahead of Election Day…he does not own OJ Simpson’s Bronco
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running for New York City mayor as an independent, has cleared up an issue hours ahead of Election Day, telling voters he does not own O.J. Simpson’s infamous Bronco.
Cuomo said people have claimed he has been driving the “OJ Bronco,” but he clarified in a video posted on X Monday night, “Actually, it’s not the OJ Branco.”
Simpson, a football star who was acquitted of the double murder of his ex-wife and her friend in the 1990s, was filmed on television speeding in a 1993 white Ford Bronco during a police chase.
After Simpson died at the age of 76 in April 2024, The New York Times reported his Bronco made it to the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 04:00
George Santos takes jab at NYC mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa
Former Republican New York congressman George Santos has taken a jab at Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee in New York City’s mayoral race.
“I think Curtis is underestimating how hated he will become once [Zohran] Mamdani becomes mayor due to his selfishness,” Santos said of the Democratic nominee.
Santos, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in August 2024, was recently released from prison after President Donald Trump signed a sentence commutation.
Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 03:40
Cuomo responds to Trump backing him in NYC mayoral race
Former Governor Andrew Cuomo has responded to President Donald Trump backing him in New York City’s mayoral race.
“He believes that [Zohran] Mamdani is an existential threat to New York,” Cuomo said, per CNN. “He believes he’s a communist. He believes he’ll bankrupt New York. So he opposes Mamdani. He doesn’t support me. It’s the opposition of Mamdani.”
Mamdani, who beat Cuomo during the Democratic primary, identifies as a Democratic socialist, not a communist.
Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 03:20
Trump praises New Jersey Republican ahead of Election Day: ‘A great guy’
President Donald Trump has praised former state legislator Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican choice in New Jersey’s gubernatorial race ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, calling him a “great guy.”
Speaking at a tele-rally Monday night, Trump said, “You need to go out and vote for Jack Ciattarelli, who’s a great guy, a friend of mine, a great guy, a very successful man, who wants to put all of his efforts now into really saving New Jersey, making it great again, saving it,” per NBC News.
Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 03:00
New York Democrat defends decision to endorse Cuomo
Democratic New York Congressman Tom Suozzi has defended his decision to endorse former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for New York City mayor over Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.
“He’s good at getting things done. Is he perfect? No, he’s got flaws. Everybody’s got flaws,” Suozzi told CNN Monday night. “But I think that when looking at the two candidates head to head, that Andrew Cuomo would be much better for New York City because he has the experience of operating a multi-billion dollar enterprise and getting things done in the complex environment of New York politics.”
Cuomo has been criticized over his past administration’s handling of nursing homes during the Covid-19 pandemic and sexual harassment allegations.
The ex-governor has denied the sexual harassment allegations and defended New York officials’ leadership during the pandemic.
Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 02:40
Mamdani rebukes Trump after president backs Cuomo and threatens federal funds
Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City’s mayoral race, has rebuked Donald Trump after the president threw his support behind former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and threatened federal funds if Mamdani won the election.
Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday evening, “If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly unlikely that I will be contributing Federal Funds, other than the very minimum as required, to my beloved first home, because of the fact that, as a Communist, this once great City has ZERO chance of success, or even survival!”
“Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!” he added.
In a CNN interview later that night, Mamdani said Trump was “threatened” by his campaign.
“Donald Trump is threatened by our campaign. He’s threatened by it because, like his, we’ve diagnosed the crisis in working-class New Yorkers’ lives, the cost of living, but unlike him, we’re actually going to deliver on that.”
Responding to Trump threatening federal funds, Mamdani said, “ It’s money that New York City is owed. It’s not Donald Trump’s to decide which city or state will get what money.”
Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 02:20
Kash Patel releases images of suspect as he doubles down on claims FBI stopped ISIS-inspired Halloween attack
Patel announced on X Friday morning that the FBI arrested multiple suspects in Michigan “who were allegedly plotting a violent attack over Halloween weekend.”
Mohmed Ali, and an unnamed minor, both U.S. citizens from Dearborn, have been accused of planning a terror attack in the U.S. on behalf of ISIS, which is a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Along with Ali, Majed Mahmoud was named as a defendant in the case, with the criminal complaint accusing him and others of being co-conspirators in the alleged plot.
Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 02:00
Majority of Americans believe a political candidate will be assassinated within 5 years, poll finds
Americans are worried about a potential spike in political violence in the coming years, with majorities expecting such attacks to increase, while more than half of Americans told pollsters they expect a political candidate to get assassinated within the next five years.
Fears of rising violence are bipartisan, a new poll from Politico and Public First found, with 53 percent of 2024 Kamala Harris voters and 51 percent of Trump voters expecting an assassination soon.
Around 61 percent of recent Harris voters and 50 percent of recent Trump voters foresee a spike in violence overall.
Read more from Josh Marcus:
Rachel Dobkin4 November 2025 01:40
New York’s Jewish community divided, anxious as city faces potential first Muslim mayor
New York City’s Jewish community — the largest in the United States — abounds with anxiety and friction a day ahead of an election that could give the city its first Muslim mayor.
That candidate, Zohran Mamdani, has won over many progressive Jewish voters with vows to make the city more affordable and equitable. Yet he has alarmed many other Jews — in New York and across the U.S. — with harsh criticism of Israel, including saying its military campaign in Gaza amounts to genocide.
The tensions within the politically diverse community were illustrated Friday in a sermon by Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, who leads Central Synagogue in Manhattan, one of the country’s most prominent Reform synagogues.
She pointedly criticized Mamdani’s words about Israel, yet declined to endorse either of his opponents, Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, and pleaded for New York’s Jews to minimize virulent political infighting.
