Ex-GOP chair Nick Langworthy backs Andrew Cuomo for mayor to cease ‘communist’ Mamdani

Upstate Rep. Nick Langworthy — the previous New York State Republican Get together chairman and shut ally of President Trump — endorsed Andrew Cuomo as an alternative of GOP candidate Curtis Sliwa for mayor Thursday to cease “communist” Zohran Mamdani.

Langworthy stated the previous three-term Democratic governor, now working for mayor as an impartial, has a greater shot than Sliwa of beating Mamdani within the Nov. 4 election.

“That is about saving town from communism,” Langworthy advised Fox Information. “I’ve had loads of disagreements — very publicly through the years — and fought tooth and nail with Gov. Cuomo. However there’s little doubt in my thoughts he could be a far superior mayor than a communist.”

He stated Cuomo was polling higher than Sliwa, with a number of surveys displaying him 10 factors behind Mamdani, the Democratic nominee and front-runner within the race. Mamdani identifies himself as a democratic socialist.

“There’s just one candidate working towards Mamdani that has a reputable path to win. And there’s Andrew Cuomo. And, you understand, he is aware of run a authorities ….he’s definitely a greater choice than the choice of Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America working town with no checks and balances,” the congressman stated.

Langworthy was the state Republican Get together chairman earlier than getting elected to Congress in 2022, representing the twenty third District in Western New York that runs from Binghamton to the Buffalo suburbs.

However Langworthy stated he believes what occurs within the Massive Apple impacts the remainder of the state.

Republican Hudson Valley Rep. Mike Lawler, whose district is simply north of New York Metropolis, on Wednesday additionally plugged Cuomo over Sliwa, as preferable to Mamdani.

However Rep. Nicole Nicole Malliotakis, the one Republican who represents components of New York Metropolis, advised The Put up Thursday she’s behind Sliwa. Her eleventh congressional district contains Staten Island and southern Brooklyn.

Trump, the main Republican within the nation and native New Yorker who follows politics in his hometown intently, has not endorsed Sliwa. As a substitute, he has disparaged the GOP candidate, even saying Cuomo has a greater shot to win.

The president’s lack of help for Sliwa has signaled to different Republicans that it’s OK to again Cuomo.

“However perhaps, I don’t know, if he [Sliwa] dropped out, perhaps Cuomo would have a little bit little bit of an opportunity, however not a lot, as a result of it appears just like the lead is, it’s not an ideal lead, but it surely’s large enough that he [Mamdani] ought to have the ability to win,” Trump advised reporters final week.

“So I don’t know that I need to get entangled. It’s actually a query of, would I somewhat have a Democrat or a Communist? And I’d somewhat have a Democrat than a Communist if he [Sliwa] dropped it,” Trump stated.

Sliwa has rejected calls by some anti-Mamdani forces to desert his marketing campaign.