House Republican says backing Cuomo over Mamdani a ‘no brainer’

SPECIAL: A prominent Empire State Republican is backing former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo in next week’s New York City mayoral race in an attempt to derail Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.

Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-Y., a House lawmaker who formerly chaired the New York State Republican Party, told Fox News Digital it was a “no-brainer” to support Cuomo despite their disagreements over Mamdani.

“It’s a simple election. So one candidate has a chance to win. I mean, there’s a poll that has him trailing by 10 points in a very volatile state,” Langworthy said.

“This is about saving the city from communism. I’ve had many public disagreements and fought tooth and nail with Governor Cuomo over the years. But I have no doubt that he will be a far superior mayor than a communist.”

MAJOR NEW YORK NEWSPAPER SUPPORTS ANDREW CUOMO OVER ‘CALLS AND MOUTH’ MAMDANI

He is one of several prominent Republicans in New York who came out openly to support Cuomo in the final days of the election.

Early voting began in the New York City mayoral race this past weekend. Mamdani is the presumptive frontrunner in the Democrats’ deep blue stronghold; Cuomo is running as an independent and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa is running as a Republican.

Cuomo and Sliwa have made public moves to court independent and Republican voters over Mamdani’s critics’ concerns that the two could cancel each other out.

Langworthy did not say whether it was a mistake for Sliwa to leave the race earlier, but said: “Everyone should really check, is this a vanity project? Or is it something you’re seriously trying to do to become mayor?”

“There’s only one candidate running against Mamdani who has a credible path to win. And that’s Andrew Cuomo. And, you know, he knows how to run a government,” he said. “There may be policy disagreements with him, but he is certainly a better option than the alternative of Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America running the city with no checks and balances.”

Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-Y., is seen during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on October 30, 2025. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

This comes as other New York Republicans are also making last-ditch offers to Big Apple voters.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-Y., the only Republican in the House who represents part of New York City and who ran for mayor in 2017, said she believes Sliwa is “the best choice” but that polls show “Cuomo has the best chance to beat Mamdani.”

“Obviously, I’ll take one or the other. I’ll take anyone except the communist,” he said.

“He lacks experience. You know, he’s 34 years old. His only job was as a hip-hop artist — a bad job at that — and if there’s another hurricane, if there’s another pandemic, if there’s another terrorist attack, this guy can’t run this city through it.”

ZOHRAN MAMDANI RECEIVED THE LONG-EXPECTED KEY ENDORSEMENT IN THE NEW YORK CITY MAYOR RACE

Mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo speaks during the Democratic mayoral primary debate on June 4, 2025 in New York City. (Yuki Iwamura/Pool/AP Photo)

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But House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-R.Y.), who represents part of the New York City suburbs on Long Island, said he believed the Mamdani victory was likely a “foregone conclusion.”

“The way the Democrats have set the system for themselves is that the primary is sort of a primary, but the general election is not. So it’s ridiculous,” Garbarino said. “We’ll see, though. I mean, the polls have been wrong before.”

Election Day in New York is Tuesday, November 4.