A circle of New York City real estate executives is meeting this morning to discuss supporting Andrew Cuomo as the candidate to defeat Zohran Mamdani in the city’s upcoming mayoral election.
The New York Times reports Jeff Blau, the developer of Hudson Yards, and his wife Lisa Blau, an investor, sent an email blast yesterday evening to their peers in the city’s real estate industry to convene this morning to plan a support strategy on behalf of Cuomo, the former New York governor who is seeking a political comeback.
“Sorry for the late notice, but there is no more time for delay, discussion, or dithering — we must act decisively to ensure that the next mayor of New York is Andrew Cuomo,” the Blaus wrote in their email. “The only viable candidate with the experience, support and gravitas to defeat Zohran Mamdani is Governor Andrew Cuomo. We cannot afford hesitation. Every one of us must get involved immediately.”
The Blaus’ email included signatures by Aby Rosen, a co-owner of the Seagram Building, billionaire philanthropist Laurie M. Tisch; and hedge fund executive Gregg Hymowitz.
Mamdani, a self-described Democratic Socialist, scored an upset victory over Cuomo in the Democratic Party primary for mayor with a platform that included pledges for rent freezes and tax hikes on the city’s wealthiest residents. Cuomo opted to press ahead in the election as an independent – incumbent Mayor Eric Adams is also running as an independent, along with Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa as the Republican candidate. A fifth candidate, lawyer Jim Walden, ended his independent campaign for mayor and called for the rival candidates to unite against a single rival to challenge Mamdani, who has a wide lead in the polls.
Adams and Sliwa announced they have no plans to suspend their campaigns. For the Blaus, Cuomo is the only viable candidate to defeat Mamdani.
“The time to act is now,” the Blaus’ email continued. “If we fail to mobilize, the financial capital of the world risks being handed over to a socialist this November. We cannot — and will not — let that happen.”
Photograph courtesy of the Mamdani campaign’s Instagram page
