New York’s Progressive Mayoral Candidates Could Use Ranked Choice Voting to Their Advantage in Cuomo-Adams Split

If Governor Cuomo jumps in the New York mayor’s race, he will be vying for the same moderate, black, and Jewish constituencies as Mayor Adams. Could the progressive wing of the Democratic Party manipulate ranked choice voting to eke out a win for one of their candidates?The far left of the party is so far banding together and indicating they plan to make sure they don’t lose out in ranked choice voting rounds as they did in 2021, when progressive Maya Wiley lost to more moderate Kathryn Garcia in the penultimate round. Mr. Adams won the primary and sailed to victory against the Republican, Guardian Angels’ founder, Curtis Sliwa.Several high-profile elected progressives attended a campaign launch fundraiser for City Comptroller Brad Lander Wednesday night, including Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and State Senator Liz Kreuger. Both are steering clear of the word “endorsement,” but they are promising to vote for Mr. Landers in first or second place depending on how the field pans out.“I would consider doing whatever is needed to prevent a Cuomo mayoralty,” Mr. Williams told Politico, refusing to rule out a run himself. “There would have to be a sit down with a lot of folks to see what people think is the best way to prevent him from becoming mayor.”City Comptroller Brad Lander speaks during a press conference on Universal Child Care at Columbus Park Playground on November 19, 2024 at New York City. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images“There’s no law that says you can’t coordinate with your opponents,” a Democratic strategist, Hank Sheinkopf, tells the Sun. “Ranked choice voting will make it more difficult to stop them.”One strategy could be for big-name progressives to agree on which candidate they will all put in second place, so that if no candidate reaches 50 percent in the first round their candidate will make it to the next. Mr. Sliwa, who announced this week he is running again for the Republican nomination, tells the Sun not to discount the far left.“They’re good organizers — that’s why they’ve taken over the City Council. They’re great with social networking,” Mr. Sliwa tells the Sun. “You cannot discount them with ranked choice voting. They’ll know how to work it this time.”Mr. Cuomo’s spokesperson, Richard Azzopardi, tells the Sun it’s “premature” to say if Mr. Cuomo is running, but Politico reported this week that Mr. Cuomo has tapped longtime ally Charlie King to build up his campaign. He is expected to formally jump in the race early next month.Public Advocate Jumaane Williams speaks during a press conference on Universal Child Care at Columbus Park Playground on November 19, 2024 at New York City. Michael M. Santiago/Getty ImagesEarly polling shows Mr. Cuomo with a significant advantage over the field. Mr. Adams has an approval rating of only 26 percent, his administration is plagued by corruption scandals, and he is facing trial in April for federal bribery and campaign finance charges. Yet without Mr. Cuomo in the race, Mr. Adams virtually owns the center lane. President Trump, who is furious with the Justice Department, has said he’s considering pardoning Mr. Adams, which could change the contours of the mayor’s race.Gothamist surveyed the declared mayoral candidates — Mr. Cuomo was not included — on issues of housing, transportation, and immigration. There were several questions in which Mr. Adams was the lone dissenting voice among the field. He was the only candidate to say that fare evasions should be “a criminal issue.” He was the only candidate to say that the city’s sanctuary policies should be revisited and there should be limits on shelter stays for migrants.Mr. Adams ran as a centrist former police officer, but his tenure has been marked by a spate of violent subway crimes and the widespread perception that an influx of illegal immigrants, lax bail laws, and progressive district attorneys in Manhattan and Brooklyn have made the city more dangerous. With the possible exception of Mr. Cuomo, though, Mr. Adams would still be the most tough-on-crime Democrat in the race.“We’re probably not doing policy at the moment because he’s not a candidate for mayor,” Mr. Azzopardi told the Sun when asked for Mr. Cuomo’s positions on the issues listed above. “It’s all premature.”State Sen. Liz Krueger speaks during a press conference on the Climate Change Superfund Act at Pier 17 on May 26, 2023 at New York City. Michael M. Santiago/Getty ImagesMr. Adams is already trying to pin Mr. Cuomo to criminal justice reforms and the bail law that Mr. Cuomo signed in 2019, making release the default over detention and eliminating cash bail. “The best part of waking up is an Adams/Cuomo grudge fest in your cup!!” an adviser for Scott Stringer, Alyssa Cass, posted to X this week.Most New York City elections are decided in the Democratic primary. Turnout for the primary usually hovers around 25 percent of registered Democrats. If Messrs. Adams and Cuomo bloody each other in the primary and the progressive wing coordinates their votes, this could put a far-left candidate over the top.“It’s likely Adams voters will put Cuomo second, and it’s likely some Cuomo voters will put Adams second. The problem is Adams is in such dire straits now,” Mr. Sheinkopf says. “There is some issue dissonance. Could you imagine someone picking Cuomo first choice and Brad Lander second? It’s like someone saying, ‘I’d like to have a horse and a dog together as one animal.’”

New York’s Progressive Mayoral Candidates Could Use Ranked Choice Voting to Their Advantage in Cuomo-Adams Split

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