In announcing his endorsement on Monday of Andrew Cuomo in the race for mayor of New York City, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) argued that the state’s former governor would be best equipped to confront what he called “a level of extremism unprecedented in the history of New York.”

Torres also singled out one candidate as a source of concern, citing Zohran Mamdani, an assemblyman from Queens, as unfit for office because of his close ties to the Democratic Socialists of America, which has faced backlash for promoting a rally after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks where some participants were seen glorifying the violence and voicing antisemitic sentiments.

In an interview with Jewish Insider on Tuesday, Torres suggested his words of caution had in some ways been confirmed as a new poll showed Mamdani emerging from the crowded field to claim second place behind Cuomo, who is preparing to announce a comeback campaign in the coming days.

Mamdani, whose outspoken criticism of Israel and support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement has raised alarms among the city’s Jewish leaders, claimed only 12% among likely Democratic primary voters, trailing Cuomo, with 38%, by a wide margin. But Torres still warned that the far-left candidate’s growing popularity represents a major threat as the June primary draws closer.

“The mainstreaming of extremism into the New York City mayor’s office is a greater danger than people realize,” he told JI, even as the 2024 presidential election showed a distinct shift to the right among voters across New York City. “The DSA candidate is treacherously smart and should not be underestimated.”

Torres, a Bronx representative who is among the fiercest supporters of Israel in the House, referred to Mamdani’s statement responding to the Hamas attacks, which drew criticism for equivocating over the violence. Mamdani, Torres argued, “could not bring himself to condemn” the terrorist group “for perpetrating the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.”

“If you cannot condemn with moral clarity a terrorist organization for perpetrating the mass murder, maiming, mutilation, rape, torture and abduction of Jews, then you have no business being mayor of the most Jewish city in the world” outside of Israel, Torres said. 

A spokesperson for Mamdani’s campaign declined to comment on Tuesday.

Mamdani has been a frequent critic of Cuomo’s pro-Israel advocacy, accusing him of “defending a genocide” by joining a legal team for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against the the International Criminal Court’s war crime charges. Mamdani, for his part, has said he would arrest Netanyahu after the ICC issued a warrant for Netanyahu.

In assessing the current primary field, which has drawn several left-wing candidates, Torres said he ultimately concluded that Cuomo, who resigned from the governorship in 2021 amid allegations of sexual misconduct that he denies, “has the courage to stand up to” what he called “the antisemitism of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America.”

“In a post-Oct. 7 world, we can no longer afford a political establishment that appeases antisemitism,” he said. “We need a fearless and formidable fighter like Andrew Cuomo. The nature of Andrew Cuomo is not to capitulate to the antisemitism of the far left. His nature is to crush it.”

Torres declined to comment on the other leading primary challengers to Mayor Eric Adams, who has faced mounting calls to resign as he fights a federal corruption case that has sunk his approval ratings and in many ways paralyzed his government. The Democratic primary field also includes Brad Lander, the city comptroller; Scott Stringer, the former comptroller; and state Sens. Jessica Ramos and Zellnor Myrie.

As he readies his campaign, Cuomo is building support in the Jewish community, even as he faces continued resentment among Orthodox leaders who viewed his crackdown on religious gatherings amid the COVID-19 pandemic as discriminatory. 

Torres, who is the first elected official to support Cuomo’s nascent campaign, is among a growing number of city leaders and groups to preemptively back the candidate in waiting, such as Carl McCall, the former state comptroller, and the New York City District Council of Carpenters.

Torres, who called for Cuomo to resign three years ago but has said he is not interested in “relitigating” his departure from office, backed Andrew Yang for mayor four years ago. The congressman is himself now weighing a campaign to challenge Gov. Kathy Hochul, a fellow Democrat, in next year’s election.

In the meantime, Torres said he is prepared to help Cuomo when he enters the race, which could come as soon as this weekend. He clarified that his early support is an “affirmation” of the former governor “rather than a negation of any other candidate” in the primary.

“Having said that,” the DSA “is a singular danger to the city,” Torres told JI, calling the group’s conduct in the wake of Hamas’ attacks “abominable” amid a recent surge in antisemitism sparked in part by the war in Gaza. 

“New York City is in danger of becoming ground zero for anti-Zionism and antisemitism in America,” Torres warned.

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is building support in the Jewish community as he prepares to launch a widely anticipated campaign for New York City mayor in the coming days, even as he continues to face lingering resentment among some Orthodox leaders over restrictions he implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic that were seen as discriminatory.

In interviews with Jewish Insider on Monday, a range of Jewish leaders in New York said that they were now throwing their support behind Cuomo, a moderate Democrat, praising the former governor as a longtime ally of the Jewish community whose outspoken support for Israel amid a recent surge of antisemitic activity distinguishes him from the rest of the current primary field.

“Gov. Cuomo has a long and strong relationship with the Jewish community going back decades,” said Elliot Gibber, a Jewish communal activist and business leader who serves on the boards of Yeshiva University as well as Teach Coalition, an Orthodox educational advocacy group.

Noting that Cuomo “led the nation” in signing the first state-level executive order to target the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, Gibber argued that a growing level of unrest around anti-Israel protests, including a demonstration that turned violent in a heavily Orthodox neighborhood of Brooklyn last week, only further “underscores the need for effective leadership in this moment.”

“I think Andrew Cuomo is the true centrist” in the race, said Marc Schneier, the founding rabbi of the Hampton Synagogue, which recently invited the former governor to speak about Israel and antisemitism. “There’s a crying need for that kind of orientation and for that kind of leadership today.”

Judy Kaufthal, a longtime Jewish community leader and pro-Israel activist in New York, likewise voiced appreciation for Cuomo’s commitment to defending Israel, a prominent focus of his public messaging as he has plotted a comeback campaign after resigning the governorship in 2021 amid allegations of sexual misconduct that he has denied.

The former governor “has always been a loyal and staunch supporter of Israel,” Kaufthal told JI, citing his frequent presence at the annual Celebrate Israel Parade in New York City, “rain or shine.”

Marc Schneier, the founding rabbi of the Hampton Synagogue, an influential Modern Orthodox shul on the East End of Long Island that has frequently hosted major political candidates from both parties, called Cuomo “a dear personal friend” and said that his “dogged stubbornness” and “take-no-prisoners attitude” are “what New York City needs.”

“I think Andrew Cuomo is the true centrist” in the race, said Schneier, whose synagogue recently invited the former governor to speak about Israel and antisemitism. “There’s a crying need for that kind of orientation and for that kind of leadership today.”

While Cuomo has not yet revealed his plans for the June primary, Schneier said his “understanding is” that the former governor intends to launch his campaign “this weekend” — consistent with other sources who have pointed to an early March announcement date.

The preemptive enthusiasm for Cuomo comes as Jewish leaders have expressed dissatisfaction with the existing crop of left-wing challengers to Mayor Eric Adams, who has faced mounting calls to resign amid new accusations — which he denies — that his legal team negotiated with the Justice Department to dismiss federal corruption charges in exchange for enforcing the Trump administration’s immigration agenda.

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), who represents the South Bronx, endorsed Cuomo, saying he “has the competence to govern the city” and “has the courage to stand up to extremist politics — both from the far left and far right.”

The top Democratic primary candidates include Brad Lander, the city comptroller; Scott Stringer, the former comptroller; Zohran Mamdani, a state assemblyman; and state Sens. Jessica Ramos and Zellnor Myrie.

Over the past week or so, Cuomo has also accepted a growing number of preemptive endorsements from Democratic leaders and organizations in New York, including Carl McCall, the former state comptroller, and Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), who represents the South Bronx.

In his endorsement on Monday, Torres, a pro-Israel stalwart who is himself now mulling a campaign for governor, argued that Cuomo “has the competence to govern the city” and “has the courage to stand up to extremist politics — both from the far left and far right.”

Torres singled out Mamdani, whose fierce criticism of Israel has raised concerns among Jewish leaders in New York, as motivating his decision to weigh in on the race at this early stage, citing Mamdani’s close ties to the Democratic Socialists of America.

As Cuomo gains momentum among Jewish and pro-Israel leaders who view him as a credible moderate challenger, the candidate-in-waiting has been seeking to mend relationships in the Orthodox community that deteriorated during his crackdown on religious gatherings at the height of the COVID pandemic, said people familiar with his outreach.

Many Orthodox voters still bitterly recall Cuomo’s pandemic policies and believe that his restrictions unfairly targeted the community, Leon Goldenberg, a prominent Orthodox business leader in Brooklyn, told JI on Monday, noting that the former governor “has a big problem in the Orthodox community” as he readies his campaign.

“He called us out in COVID and never apologized and never will because it’s not him,” Goldenberg said. “Even if we endorse him, people aren’t going to vote for him without an apology. He wants to ignore it — but it won’t be ignored.”

Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for Cuomo, said the former governor, “just as his father before him, has been a staunch ally and lifetime supporter of New York’s Jewish community and of Israel — not just in words, but with actions. He is proud to have passed the most robust security funding program for religious institutions in the nation, signed a first of its kind anti-BDS order, strengthened hate crime laws and forcefully stood against antisemitism at home, on our college campuses, and abroad.”

Goldenberg, who sits on the board of the Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition, said the organization had not yet made a decision about an endorsement in the mayoral race — and is waiting to see whether the field develops before delivering its final verdict.

Despite such hesitation, another Orthodox leader in Brooklyn, who asked to remain anonymous to speak freely, said that holdouts within the community may ultimately fall in line behind Cuomo — as polls show he holds an edge in the race and is likely to occupy the centrist lane.

“There’s a lot of anger in the community,” said the Orthodox leader. “But he has the longest record of involvement with the Jewish community and has been out front on Israel. It’s all relative.”

In a statement to JI on Monday, Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for Cuomo, said the former governor, “just as his father before him, has been a staunch ally and lifetime supporter of New York’s Jewish community and of Israel — not just in words, but with actions.”

“He is proud to have passed the most robust security funding program for religious institutions in the nation, signed a first of its kind anti-BDS order, strengthened hate crime laws and forcefully stood against antisemitism at home, on our college campuses, and abroad,” Azzopardi said.

Jason Herman, the lead rabbi of the Hudson Yards Synagogue, a Modern Orthodox shul in Manhattan, said he was not making an endorsement in the race but still shared a positive review of Cuomo — calling him “a friend and ally of the Jewish community and the State of Israel.”

The former governor “was very vocal in speaking out against antisemitism and worked to ensure that synagogues and Jewish institutions received needed security funding,” he told JI, while citing his efforts “to expand the availability of kosher food provided in state institutions and agencies,” which was “less spoken about.”

Abe Foxman, the former longtime national director of the Anti-Defamation League who is based in New York, also said he was not “at this point” taking sides in the mayoral race. “But I know and have worked with Gov. Cuomo during the years I was at the ADL,” he said on Monday, noting that “he was always available to the Jewish community,” reached out “during moments of crisis” and “made many quick solidarity trips to Israel” with New York Jewish leaders.

“If he runs,” Foxman told JI, “I believe he will have broad support from the Jewish community.”