Former New York Gov. David Paterson is calling on the Democratic Party to work together to defeat Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist who won the Big Apple’s Democratic mayoral primary last month.
The former Democratic governor released a statement after a news conference explaining why he does not believe the state assemblyman is the “the best person to lead New York City” in such “turbulent times."
HAPPENING NOW:
— Henry Rosoff (@HenryRosoff) July 7, 2025
Former Governor David Paterson, businessman and radio magnet John Catsimatidis, and many others calling for unity to defeat @ZohranKMamdani.
"We need common sense to prevail." pic.twitter.com/P37JhSMMOA
“We just saw a federal budget passed and signed that will create havoc on New Yorkers in the coming years in our education system, the health care community and for hard-working families already struggling to make ends meet. We cannot afford ideas without a plan for implementation or funding,” Paterson said.
“Mr. Mamdani ran a successful Primary campaign, with tremendous ads and a well-done social media strategy that engaged young voters in a way we have not seen to date,” he continued. “However, the General Election is a very different electorate that encompasses the entirety of the city. I Truly believe my fellow Democrats will be doing a disservice to the people they wish to serve if they do not come together and decide to support whichever candidate has the most support among them in advance of November 4th.”
In this moment in time, Paterson, who supported former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the primary, said the city needs “true leadership.”
“As public polls and surveys are revealed over these coming weeks, it is my hope and belief that the other candidates still in the race will come to the logical conclusion that New York City needs the most effective leader to navigate what comes next and that cannibalizing each other’s support will be doing a disservice to the millions of people who call New York ‘home.’”
David Paterson, who was a good governor, calls on the non-Mamdani candidates to coalesce around one candidate and the other two to drop out. https://t.co/yXVITIwBVh
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) July 8, 2025