Christina Greer, associate professor of political science, said on The Brian Lehrer Show that Mamdani understands the importance of talking to a diverse group of New Yorkers, “which should not be underestimated.”
“We’re still waiting to see the data, but I do think that the difference between, say, Mamdani and Cuomo is that Mamdani actually spoke to those New Yorkers. You know, when you hear stories of, say, older Black voters or Latinos, especially in northern Manhattan, Mamdani was in those communities trying to make the argument of the case.
“I mean, Cuomo essentially ran what I call the ‘less is more tour.’ He rarely talked to people. He participated in no forums, begrudgingly participated in two debates, and gave very few interviews. It was essentially, ‘Let me say as little as possible, because when I open up my mouth, I actually expose myself where I don’t really know that much about New York City.’
“Andrew Cuomo hasn’t lived in New York City in decades. He’s been in Albany the vast majority of his life. But as far as the granular New York City politics and policy, I think he came up short. I think he realized that. So he didn’t really have much of a relationship with voters. Many Black voters respect and love Mario Cuomo, and therefore transferred into Andrew Cuomo several times. But I think a lot of people were feeling the economic strains. They’re feeling the disarray and chaos and ineptitude at the federal level.
“And here’s a young candidate, very Obamaesque, … who comes into communities fearlessly, I might add, and sort of seamlessly communicating a vision that many people, I think, especially Democrats, have been searching for. And I think the real crisis within the Democratic Party is, do we double down, move to the center, and just consistently choose older white men to represent us? Or do we make bold decisions and take chances on younger candidates—candidates who don’t look like establishment candidates—and try and move our party into a progressive direction, or at least a direction that has a vision for, say, economic security, that doesn’t just take care of people at the top?”
