JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon won’t be making an endorsement in the NYC mayoral race, his spokesperson tells Vanity Fair. Although Dimon has said democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is “more a Marxist than a socialist,” and criticized Democrats for “falling all over themselves” to support his policies—which the banker has called “ideological mush that means nothing in the real world”—he’s not actually allowed to endorse a candidate because JPMorgan is “involved in municipal underwriting,” the spokesperson says. Billionaire Bill Ackman has ditched Andrew Cuomo for Eric Adams, and Balthazar owner Keith McNally has said he believes Mamdani “is fantastic,” particularly because his “affluent, paranoid friends [claim] Mamdani’s dangerous.”
Yes, to quote a famous New Yorker, the New York City mayor’s race has everything. Sitting mayor Eric Adams, who was indicted on a whole bunch of corruption charges that were later disappeared by the president of the United States. Disgraced ex-governor Andrew Cuomo, who was the early favorite when he jumped into the race and then basically didn’t campaign, resulting in a resounding loss. Two-time Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, the (usually) beret-wearing Guardian Angels founder who was once the subject of an assassination attempt by the mafia, and lives with 16 cats. Previously little-known democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, who moved ahead of Cuomo with two weeks till the June primary, and clinched the nomination by a whopping 12 points, leading to a high-net-worth panic.
In another universe, Mamdani’s win would mean a general election face-off with Sliwa, which would probably not be much of a race at all. But Cuomo, now an independent candidate, is still running. Adams, who dropped out of the primary, is running as an independent too. Both men think the other should get lost. An adviser to Adams recently warned Cuomo donors that giving him money again would be a “suicide mission.” Cuomo has been deploying a new strategy on social media that, as one Brooklyn councilman put it to The New York Times, has been “hard to watch.” Cuomo has also reportedly discussed the race with Donald Trump, which both men deny. Curtis Sliwa has been taking his beret off. Mamdani has a commanding lead in the polls.
Meanwhile some of the most powerful people in New York and Democratic politics have chosen not to endorse a candidate. Remaining mum—so far—are governor Kathy Hochul, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, and House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries. Senator Cory Booker—who has made endorsements in out-of-state elections in the past—cited the fact that he lives across the river in explaining why he won’t weigh in on the race, saying, “New York City, I love you. You’re my neighbor. You’re about 10 miles from where I live. You guys figure out your elections. I’m going to focus on mine.”
That’s not to say that endorsements haven’t been made. Indeed, a cross section of prominent individuals in politics, business, arts, and entertainment have thrown their support to the candidates. Many wealthy New Yorkers—particularly those in real estate—have lined up to back Adams, whom they see as their only hope against Mamdani’s proposals for rent freezes and tax hikes. Some are sticking it out with Cuomo. Mamdani—who is attempting to win over his billionaire critics—has clinched the most high-profile political endorsements, and a whole bunch of ones from the entertainment world too. Sliwa has…a lot fewer public backers.
From Democratic Party leaders to a former New York governor, from a billionaire hedge fund manager to a Gilded Age star, from an ex-president to a Trump nemesis, here are some of the biggest names who’ve gone to bat for their would-be mayor of choice.
ZOHRAN MAMDANI
Bradley Tusk (venture capitalist and political strategist): Tusk, whose firm worked on Cuomo’s campaign, wrote in an op-ed following the primary: “If you love New York City and want to see it thrive, even if Mamdani’s views and politics are not your own (they’re certainly not mine), let’s do what we can to help him succeed.”
Mark Gorton (investor): Following Mamdani’s primary win, Gorton—a major donor to Cuomo’s super PAC—told The New York Times he was likely to back Mamdani due to the support the candidate received from city comptroller Brad Lander. “I feel like people misunderstood my $250,000 for Cuomo for real enthusiasm,” Gorton told the outlet. “It was basically, ‘Oh, looks like Cuomo is coming back. We don’t want to be shut out. Let’s try and get on his good side.’” Gorton later scoffed at the idea that billionaires would leave the city should the Democratic nominee clinch the general election. “New York is a pretty special place. It’s very hard to go somewhere else,” he told The Wall Street Journal. “And are you going to do it for an extra 2%?”
