NYC mayoral candidates make final campaign push of the summer
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Candidates made their rounds this weekend, getting in front of potential voters as each hopes their campaign for mayor can pick up steam.
Front-runner Zohran Mamdani was all smiles at the African American parade in Harlem, receiving a warm reception by those who attended.
His appearance came on the heels of U.S. Representative Yvette Clark, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, throwing her support behind the assembly member on Saturday.
Governor Kathy Hochul, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins all officially endorsed the Democratic nominee this past week.
While Mamdani has won endorsements from power brokers in Albany, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is still holding out. Mamdani said they are in close discussions.
"I've appreciated the conversations I've had with Congressman Jeffries, and they are conversations that come back to affordability, the importance of it," Mamdani said.
Jeffries weighed in on Mamdani's endorsements on Sunday.
"He got a big endorsement today from a close friend of mine, the leader of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke. I'll have more to say about the mayor's race sometime soon," Jeffries said.
Meanwhile, Mamdani said Andrew Cuomo needs to get out more, specifically to mosques. Over the weekend, Cuomo debated with an audience member over Mamdani's position on prostitution.
The Cuomo campaign posted the exchange, suggesting Mamdani supports legalized prostitution.
"I have never supported the legalization of prostitution, and I find it quite ironic to see Andrew Cuomo speak about betting in a mosque," Mamdani said. "Gambling is something that goes against the tenets of Islam, and to speak about that in a mosque showcases such an ignorance of the faith."
Mamdani co-sponsored bills to "de-criminalize" sex work. And he says there's a difference.
"These are fundamentally different things," Mamdani said. "And what I've always spoken about is that my intended outcome is public safety and measuring any of these policies by what they actually deliver to New Yorkers."
Mamdani says he supports former Mayor Bill de Blasio's approach - targeting sex traffickers and those who promote prostitution.
"The responses that have to be taken have much more to do with things beyond the question of an individual sex worker and through the larger system around that and I think that that's an important part," Mamdani said.
Cuomo also spent the weekend campaigning at several houses of worship from Queens Village to Flatbush, touting his experience and urging voters to focus on his track record.
"People want someone who has the experience to do the job...Can we build affordable housing? Of course we can. I was housing secretary for Bill Clinton for eight years, built housing all across the nation," Cuomo said.
As for the other candidates, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa appeared at a 5k run in Bay Ridge, talking with voters and aiming to pick up their support.
A spokesperson for the Adams administration told Eyewitness News the mayor was not visible over the weekend because he chose to take part in private events and fundraisers.
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