NEW YORK (AP) — In the final stages of yet another bitter battle for New York City mayor in 1977, Mario Cuomo publicly spoke out against bigoted remarks directed at his opponent. Almost 50 years later, his son is taking a different approach.
At that time, andrew cuomo He was 19 years old and was an advisor to his father, who would later become governor, when he lost the mayoral race to Democratic candidate Ed Koch.
In the weeks before the election, posters appeared in some areas that referenced Koch’s long-rumored sexuality with the slogan, “Vote for Cuomo, not the homo.”
This time, Andrew Cuomo’s supporters are showing disdain for the Democratic candidate. Zoran Mandaniwho will be the city’s first Muslim mayor, islamic extremists.
But Mr. Cuomo has done little to dissuade them, prompting suspicions that his campaign is embracing, or at least trying to capitalize on, Islamophobia.
Cuomo said in a recent phone interview that he is not responsible for the words of others.
“What’s the standard now?” he said. “Do I have to respond to everything you say?”
This approach stands in sharp contrast to that of his late father, who publicly warned against innuendos about Koch’s sexuality and criticized his tactics as “stupid” and “childish.”
“What if you hurt this guy and he wins — that could happen,” Mario Cuomo said. interview It was announced just days before Koch’s victory. “What you did was tarnish the reputation of the mayor of the greatest city in the world.”
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Daniel Sawyer, a history professor at Fordham University who specializes in New York politics, said the differing reactions were indicative of “the poor quality of political discourse in general.”
He noted that the focus on Koch’s sexuality reflected a time when gay New Yorkers were first beginning to gain political power. Recent increase in Muslim voters as an electoral force.
“In both cases, the emergence of these constituencies prompted a backlash from those who sought to portray them as illegitimate participants in mainstream politics,” Sawyer said.
Cuomo says it’s not his place to be divisive
Asked about the comparison, Mr. Cuomo insisted that it was Mr. Mamdani, not himself, who took advantage. criticism of israel As a campaign wedge problem.
“My father told me not to make homosexuals an issue. There’s no place for them, don’t divide people, don’t play politics like that,” he said. “And to me, that’s exactly what Zoran is doing.”
“We don’t want to create a wedge or a divide,” Cuomo continued. “And no one related to me standing next to me has ever done anything like that.”
many at his own party — including some centrist democratic party — disagreed, pointing to a barrage of attacks both online and in person that Mr. Cuomo has largely avoided condemning.
Appearing on a conservative radio show last week, Cuomo laughed at host Sid Rosenberg’s suggestion that Mamdani would “cheer” for another 9/11 attack. Mr. Cuomo replied: “That’s a different issue.”
in Favorite eventWhen Mayor Eric Adams hinted that Mamdani’s victory could increase the likelihood of Islamic terrorism in the city, he nodded.
a new ad Funded by a pro-Cuomo super PAC, the words “Jihad in New York” are placed above Mamdani’s smiling face. This is a reference to headlines about the controversial religious leader who is pictured next to Mamdani and other politicians. Including Adams..
Meanwhile, Cuomo’s official campaign account recently shared, then deleted, an AI-generated video of Mamdani eating rice with her hands, which critics have used to mock Mamdani’s South Asian heritage. A spokesperson for Mr. Cuomo said the video was posted in error.
Mamdani believes the attack is part of a well-known strategy.
“To be a Muslim in New York is to expect humiliation,” he said Friday. “But humiliation doesn’t differentiate us. There are many New Yorkers who face humiliation. What makes us accept humiliation is our tolerance for it.”
In response, Mr. Cuomo stated the arguments of the opposition as follows. Perspectives on Israel“It has caused real fear in the Jewish community,” including allegations that it has committed genocide in Gaza. He acknowledged that Rosenberg’s comments were “offensive” but insisted that “no one is attacking[Mamdani]because he is a Muslim.”
Cuomo’s own staunch support for Israel may rival his father’s vocal opposition to the death penalty, he said. This, too, is an issue beyond the mayor’s control, but it nonetheless animated the 1977 campaign amid mounting fears of crime and disorder.
“Eighty percent of New Yorkers support the death penalty, and he has no intention of changing his position,” Cuomo said. “I have supported Israel all my life. I know the political consequences.”
“If Mario Cuomo were here today…”
To this day, the exact origins of the poster remain controversial. Koch would do that. blame and go to the grave Mario Cuomo and Andrew Cuomo have denied any involvement.
“Nobody accused my father’s associates of having anything to do with it,” Cuomo said by phone recently.
Just before the election, Mario Cuomo’s campaign manager Hired as a reporter for Village Voice He said he investigated rumors of Koch’s homosexuality. Mario Cuomo received the news with horror. “Oh my god,” he told reporters. “Our Lady. I am very… very… disappointed.”
Allen Rothkopf, who chaired Mario Cuomo’s lesbian and gay division during his 1977 campaign, recalled that anger over the sign extended to some of Koch’s opponents, noting that his boss may have been “motivated not just by his own beliefs but by political expediency.”
“The big difference now is that there doesn’t seem to be anyone in the pro-Cuomo camp who is outraged that they are effectively condoning this anti-Muslim demagoguery,” said Rothkopf, who is now president of the influential Jim Owls Liberal Democratic Club and plans to vote for Mamdani.
Rothkopf added: “If Mario Cuomo were here today, he would hold a press conference and say this is wrong and this is not what a campaign should be about.”
