After Mamdani admitted he would rank Sliwa second in the spin room following Wednesday’s debate, Fox News Digital asked Sliwa if he would be willing to collaborate with Mamdani and help his administration if the 34-year-old assemblyman is elected mayor in less than two weeks.

“The only thing I would do if, God forbid, Zohran Mandami was the choice of the people, and we will leave it up to them, is I will organize resistance because I will improve. I will not move. Zohran Mamdani could bet that I will be his worst nightmare,” Sliwa said.

Sliwa said that unlike former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent candidate after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani in June, the founder and CEO of the Guardian Angels, isn’t going anywhere.

TRADING BARBS FROM LIGHT-HEARTED TO VICIOUS, MAYORAL CANDIDATES MAKE FINAL APPEAL TO NEW YORKERS

Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani and Republican Curtis Sliwa have found unlikely common ground with less than two weeks until Election Day. (Fox News Digital/Getty)

“Because, unlike Andrew Cuomo with his billionaire friends in the Hamptons, who said, ‘Oh, if Zohran’s elected, I’m fleeing to Florida,’ I’m not going anywhere. I was born in New York. They tried to kill me in New York. I’ll die in New York. I’ll be buried in New York,” Sliwa confirmed.

TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM FIERY NYC MAYORAL DEBATE: ‘HE LITERALLY HAS NEVER HAD A JOB’

“If somehow Zohran Mandami is elected by the people, boy, he is gonna regret ever knowing the name of Curtis Sliwa because I’m gonna be on his case 24 hours a day,” Sliwa said.

Sliwa also compared Mamdani to Pinocchio, but instead of his nose growing, “his smile just gets bigger and bigger and bigger.”

“That’s how you know that Zohran Mamdani is telling another lie, another whopper, fantasy, rather than reality,” Sliwa said, referencing Mamdani’s near-constant smile.

When asked if Mamdani regretted his answer about ranking Sliwa second if the general election had ranked-choice voting, the Democratic socialist doubled down on his response.

Supporters for New York City Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa gathered outside LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City ahead of the final debate on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025.  (Fox News Digital/Deirdre Heavey)

“I believe it’s important to rank those who actually love New York City, and there was only one other candidate on that stage who seems to love this city,” Mamdani said, in an apparent jab at Cuomo.

With less than two weeks until Election Day, Mamdani and Sliwa have landed on unlikely common ground by rejecting billionaire influence in the New York City mayoral election.

Two billionaires, Red Apple Media CEO John Catsimatidis and hedge fund CEO Bill Ackman, have called on Sliwa to drop out of the mayoral race in order to clear a pathway to victory for Cuomo.

“The billionaires can conspire to pick their candidate,” Sliwa said during a press conference in Manhattan on Monday. “I trust the people. They will make the decision. I will not drop out.”

Several blocks downtown at his own press conference Monday morning, Mamdani admitted his surprise at agreeing with Sliwa.

New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani answers reporter questions after the final debate on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, ahead of Election Day.  (Fox News Digital/Deirdre Heavey)

“I never thought I would say this, but here we are, where the only candidates who agree that billionaires shouldn’t control the future of this city are the Republican nominee and the Democratic nominee,” Mamdani said.

A recent Fox News survey of the mayoral race, conducted Oct. 10–14, asked voters about their second-choice candidate. If both Adams and Sliwa are out, the results show Mamdani keeping a significant lead, even as support for Cuomo increases.

With Sliwa out, the poll found Mamdani would pick up 50% compared to 37% for Cuomo. But Sliwa has maintained for weeks that he has no intention of ending his mayoral campaign.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

New York City mayoral contenders relentlessly criticized their opponents as they made their final pitch to voters Wednesday night in the last debate at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City before early voting starts Saturday.

Election Day is coming up on Nov. 4, and with Mayor Eric Adams suspending his re-election campaign last month, New Yorkers are set to elect a new mayor to lead the city.

Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital. 

The post Curtis Sliwa vows to be Zohran Mamdani's 'worst nightmare' if the Democratic socialist wins NYC mayoral race appeared first on My Blog.

Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, Independent candidate and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa once again traded barbs on the debate stage, meeting for the second time in less than a week.

Wednesday’s debate at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City came as billionaires called for Sliwa to drop out of the mayoral race this week to consolidate support for Cuomo against Mamdani and as more than 650 rabbis nationwide, including those from the largest New York City synagogues, signed an open letter condemning Mamdani for what they said was anti-Israel rhetoric.

‘TIME FOR A CHANGE’: OUTSIDE 30 ROCK, NEW YORKERS TRADE CHANTS AND ARGUMENTS DURING TENSE MAYORAL SHOWDOWN

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa participate in the second New York City mayoral debate at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens, New York City, Oct. 22, 2025.  (Hiroko Masuike/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Both issues were on full display Wednesday night as Mamdani fielded questions about his support for Israel. When asked if Mamdani has any regrets about his “longstanding” anti-Israel views, the democratic socialist affirmed his commitment to protecting Jewish New Yorkers.

TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM FIERY NYC MAYORAL DEBATE: ‘HE LITERALLY HAS NEVER HAD A JOB’

“You won’t denounce ‘globalize the intifada,’ which means, ‘Kill Jews.’ There’s unprecedented fear in New York. It was not several rabbis. It was 650 rabbis who signed the letter, not several,” Cuomo said. While Mamdani refused to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada” during the primary, he has since said he would “discourage” others from using the slogan.

“I’ve heard from Jewish New Yorkers about their fears about antisemitism in this city, and what they deserve is a leader who takes it seriously, who roots it out of these five boroughs, not one who weaponizes it as a means by which to score political points on a debate stage,” Mamdani fired back in a fiery moment.

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa participated in the second New York City mayoral debate at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens, on Oct. 22, 2025, in New York City. (Hiroko Masuike/Pool/Getty Images)

Sliwa also chimed in, telling Mamdani that Jewish New Yorkers are “frightened” and “scared.”

“They view you as the arsonist who fanned the flames of antisemitism,” Sliwa charged, accusing him of being in support of a “global jihad.” New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand issued an apology earlier this year for “mischaracterizing Mamdani’s record” when she made the same suggestion.

“I have never, not once, spoken in support of global jihad,” Mamdani said. “That is not something that I have said and that continues to be ascribed to me. And, frankly, I think much of it has to do with the fact that I am the first Muslim candidate to be on the precipice of winning this election.”

Moderators for the final New York City mayoral debate were Spectrum News NY1 Political Anchor Errol Louis, WNYC’s Brian Lehrer and The City’s Katie Honan.

The first question posed to candidates during Wednesday’s debate focused on the federal raid in New York City’s Chinatown neighborhood on Tuesday that led to the arrest of nine migrants from West Africa who were in the United States illegally, according to the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani’s supporters gathered outside LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City in New York City Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025.  (Fox News Digital/Deirdre Heavey)

All three candidates agreed that the Trump administration was beyond its jurisdiction on Tuesday. Cuomo called the raid “dangerous.”

“You don’t send ICE in without coordinating with our police,” Cuomo said, arguing he would have personally called President Donald Trump if he was mayor to tell him the administration was “way out of bounds.” Sliwa agreed that the matter should have been left up to the NYPD.

Mamdani took the criticism a step further, calling ICE a “reckless entity that cares little for the law and even less for the people that they’re supposed to serve,” urging an “end to the chapter of collaboration between City Hall and the federal government, which we’ve seen under” Mayor Eric Adams. Adams is no longer seeking re-election after he built a reputation for his willingness to collaborate with the Trump administration on immigration reform.

At one point, candidates were allowed to ask their opponents a question, sparking a tense moment between Cuomo and Mamdani. Cuomo asked how Mamdani could pose for a photo with an anti-LGBTQ advocate. Mamdani said had he known, he wouldn’t have agreed to take the picture.

Mamdani clapped back, asking Cuomo, “What do you say to the 13 women that you sexually harassed?” Cuomo has continued to deny the allegations and said the cases were dropped.

The latest Fox News survey, conducted Oct. 10-14, ahead of the first general election debate last week, revealed that Mamdani has gained a substantial lead in the race because voters see him as the best candidate to tackle the city’s top problems.

According to the poll, Mamdani has a 21-point lead among New York City registered voters with 49% of voters backing Mamdani, while 28% go for Cuomo and 13% favor Sliwa. Mamdani also rose above the 50% threshold among likely voters, garnering 52% support, while Cuomo picked up 28%, and Sliwa received just 14%.

Supporters for New York City Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa gathered outside LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City ahead of the final debate Wednesday, Oct. 22.  (Fox News Digital/Deirdre Heavey)

But as Mamdani, ever the social media-savvy candidate, warned his followers on Wednesday, it was Cuomo who was the favorite to win the nomination just weeks before the Democratic primary. By consolidating support with New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, cross-endorsing each other to topple Cuomo through ranked-choice voting, Mamdani pulled the political upset that has since landed him on the national stage.

Since winning the primary, Trump has labeled Mamdani a “100% Communist Lunatic” and “my little Communist.” Mamdani has rejected that moniker, affirming he is a democratic socialist.

Nevertheless, the odd-year election has captivated a national audience at a time when Democrats are still grappling with devastating losses last year. And with Trump back in the White House, Democrats nationwide are seeking to capitalize on growing discontent over his sweeping, second-term agenda.

Less than two hours before candidates took the stage Wednesday, The New York Times reported that Mamdani intends to keep New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica Tisch on as his police commissioner if elected in November, citing two senior campaign aides and two more sources who were briefed on the plans.

New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani answers reporter questions after the final debate on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, ahead of Election Day.  (Fox News Digital/Deirdre Heavey)

“I can confirm that reporting,” Mamdani said on the debate stage. “My administration will be relentless in its pursuit of safety and affordability for every New Yorker, and the delivery of that will require us to put together a team of the best and the brightest.”

Mamdani applauded Tisch for taking on a “broken status quo charter to deliver accountability, rooting out corruption and reducing crime across the five boroughs.” Cuomo and Sliwa also confirmed they would keep her on as commissioner if elected.

The Democratic nominee has faced a slew of criticism on the campaign trial for his past comments, including calling the NYPD “racist, anti‑queer & a major threat to public safety” in 2020, among other insults. Mamdani made a public apology to the NYPD during a Fox News interview last week.

Ahead of those competitive midterm elections expected next year, Republicans have already seized on Mamdani’s progressive politics, including Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who is considering a run for governor. Her campaign said in a recent statement, “Kathy Hochul literally has endorsed a full blown jihadist pro-terrorism Mayor of New York City.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., endorsed Mamdani last month after previously withholding her support. Fellow New York Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have still yet to coalesce behind the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, although Jeffries indicated this week that a decision is imminent.

This week, Red Apple Media CEO John Catsimatidis and hedge fund CEO Bill Ackman urged Sliwa to drop out of the race, arguing that a vote for Sliwa is a vote for Mamdani. The New York Post editorial board even joined the calls for Sliwa to drop out, but the Republican nominee has maintained he is staying in the race.

Fox News’ Kirill Clark contributed to this report.

Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital. 

The post Trading barbs from light-hearted to vicious, mayoral candidates make final appeal to New Yorkers appeared first on My Blog.

With Election Day closing in, Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the top Democrat in the U.S. House, on Friday announced his support for Mamdani, the 33-year-old democratic socialist state lawmaker from the New York City borough of Queens, in a statement to the New York Times.

“Zohran Mamdani has relentlessly focused on addressing the affordability crisis and explicitly committed to being a mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who do not support his candidacy,” Jeffries said.

Jeffries added: “In that spirit, I support him and the entire citywide Democratic ticket in the general election.”

MAMDANI LANDS CRUCIAL ENDORSEMENT IN NYC MAYORAL SHOWDOWN

Democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City, speaks at an endorsement event from the union DC 37 on July 15, 2025, in New York City.  (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Jeffries acknowledged in his statement that he has “areas of principled disagreement” with Mamdani.

Jeffries, whose congressional district covers much of neighboring Brooklyn, becomes the second major New York State Democrat to back Mamdani, following a late September endorsement from Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The endorsement from Jeffries comes the day before early voting begins in New York City on Saturday.

The top two Democrats in the New York State legislature backed Mamdani days after the governor announced her support.

The endorsements from Jeffries and Hochul may put intense pressure on longtime Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, who is the top Democrat in the Senate, to also back Mamdani in an election that is a little over a week away.

Mamdani shocked the political world in June with his convincing win over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates to capture the Democratic Party’s mayoral nomination in the nation’s most populous city.

The Ugandan-born Mamdani, if elected, would become the first Muslim and first millennial mayor of the nation’s most populous city. He is the clear frontrunner in the latest public opinion polls in the mayoral race in the Democrat-dominated city.

Mamdani is sitting on a large double-digit lead over Cuomo in the latest New York City public opinion polls.

TRUMP REVEALS NEW NICKNAME FOR MAMDANI

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks during his weekly press conference in Washington, D.C., on May 13, 2025. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu/Getty Images)

Guardian Angels co-founder Curtis Sliwa, who for a second straight election is the Republican mayoral nominee in the Democrat-dominated city, is a distant third in the polls.

New York’s current mayor, the embattled incumbent Eric Adams, had decided to run as an independent but announced late last month that he would no longer pursue the office amid anemic polling. President Donald Trump’s advisors had floated administration roles for both mayoral hopefuls.

This week, Adams endorsed Cuomo, even though the two had repeatedly clashed earlier this year on the campaign trail.

POLL POSITION: JUST HOW LARGE IS MAMDANI’S LEAD IN THE NYC MAYORAL RACE?

New York City mayoral candidates, from left to right: Zohran Mamdani, Eric Adams, Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa. (Getty Images)

Mamdani surged to the Democratic primary victory thanks to an energetic campaign that put a major focus on affordability and New York City’s high cost of living. It was fueled by a massive grassroots army of supporters and backing from top national progressive champions, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Mamdani made smart use of social media platforms, including TikTok, as he engaged low-propensity voters. He proposed eliminating fares to ride New York City’s vast bus system, making CUNY (City University of New York) “tuition-free,” freezing rents on municipal housing, offering “free childcare” for children up to age 5 and setting up government-run grocery stores.

Mamdani has been heavily criticized by his rivals for his far-left platform, as well as his verbal attacks on Israel, his past critical comments about the New York City Police Department (NYPD), and his proposal to shift certain responsibilities away from the NYPD and focus on social services and community-based programs.

“Assemblyman Mamdani has promised to focus on keeping every New Yorker safe, including the Jewish community that has confronted a startling rise in antisemitic incidents as well as Black and Latino neighborhoods that have battled deadly gun violence for years,” Jeffries said in his statement on Friday.

Trump, a native New Yorker who now calls Florida home, has derided Mamdani ever since his primary victory as a “communist” and earlier this month came up with a new derogatory nickname.

“I call him my little communist. He’s my little communist mayor,” Trump said during an extended Fox News interview on “Fox and Friends.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Video

Republicans have worked overtime the past three months to anchor the mayoral nominee to vulnerable congressional Democrats up for re-election in next year’s midterms.

“‘Leader’ Hakeem Jeffries just bent the knee to the socialist left, and now the only place he’s leading his party is down a cold, dark tunnel toward electoral humiliation. Every single Democrat owns the socialist agenda and is now a willing accomplice in their own party’s collapse,” National Republican Congressional Committee national press secretary Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital in a statement.

Jeffries met with Mamdani for the first time in July, with a second meeting last month. While Jeffries praised Mamdani’s affordability emphasis on the campaign trail, neither meeting resulted in an endorsement.

Most House Democrats, including many progressives, have given Jeffries plenty of latitude and have declined to criticize his lack of an endorsement.

Among the exceptions is Ocasio-Cortez, who said earlier this summer that “we use our primaries to settle our differences, and once we have a nominee, we rally behind that nominee,”

Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, a former House Democrat, similarly chastised congressional leaders for failing to rally around Mamdani.

While Jeffries joins Hochul in endorsing Mamdani, New York State Democratic Party chair Jay Jacobs said that he — as an individual — wouldn’t endorse his party’s mayoral nominee.

And Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, whose suburban swing congressional district includes a small portion of Queens, has previously announced that he wouldn’t support Mamdani.

Rumors of the Friday endorsement earned immediate criticism from Republicans suggesting that Jeffries is succumbing to pressure from his far-left base to endorse Mamdani despite his socialist policies that will certainly become a target during next year’s midterms.

“Hakeem is bending the knee!!!,” Maureen O’Toole, National Republican Congressional Committee Eastern Regional press secretary, posted on X.

Mamdani released a statement on Friday afternoon welcoming the support from Jeffries.

“This campaign has always been about bringing people together to improve the quality of life for every New Yorker,” Mamdani said.

“I welcome Leader Jeffries’ support and look forward to delivering a city government, and building a Democratic Party, relentlessly committed to our affordability agenda — and to fighting Trump’s authoritarianism. Our movement to turn the page on the politics of big money and small ideas grows stronger by the day.”

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.”

The post Zohran Mamdani lands long-waited key endorsement in New York City mayoral race appeared first on My Blog.

“Early voting starts this Saturday. We turn out, we win. Let’s finish strong,” Ciattarelli told supporters at a packed diner in this small city in north-central New Jersey.

Ciattarelli, aiming to pump up the Republican base as the polls tighten, was joined on the campaign trail Wednesday morning and afternoon at three diner stops by Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, a top House ally of President Donald Trump.

“Jack’s been running a great campaign. I’ve been watching it from down in the Sunshine State. But it’s about winning. We got to help everybody get across the line,” Donalds said in a joint Fox News Channel and Fox News Digital interview.

BATTLE FOR GOVERNOR IN THIS CLOSELY WATCHED RACE MAY BE HEADED FOR A PHOTO FINISH

Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli, left, is joined by GOP Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida at a diner in Linden, New Jersey. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News )

Ciattarelli, who’s making his third straight run for Garden State governor, and who nearly upset Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy four years ago, says things are different this time around.

“Because of the closeness of that race in ’21, people are paying closer attention this time around,” Ciattarelli said.

In a state where registered Democrats still outnumber Republicans despite a GOP surge in registration this decade, four public opinion polls released over the past two weeks — from Fox News, Quinnipiac University, Fairleigh Dickinson University and Rutgers-Eagleton — indicated Ciattarelli narrowing the margins with Sherrill in the race to succeed the term-limited Murphy.

FIVE KEY RACES TO WATCH WITH TWO WEEKS UNTIL ELECTION DAY

“I think we’re in a great position,” Ciattarelli emphasized. ” As you know, many of these polls have a dead heat. And that’s in a state in which Republicans typically under poll because we are the minority party. And when you have the endorsement of Democratic mayors across the state, it says people want change. That’s exactly what we’re going to deliver when we win this race.”

Donalds, who has Trump’s backing as he runs for Florida’s governor next year, touted that in New Jersey, “the wind is at our back.”

Asked why he made the trip, the congressman said, “It’s about New Jersey and making sure that the people of the Garden State get out and vote. That’s all that matters right now.”

Donalds was the second major MAGA star to parachute into New Jersey. Last week, Ciattarelli was joined at a diner packed inside and outside with supporters by Ohio gubernatorial candidate and former White House contender Vivek Ramaswamy.

Republican gubernatorial candidate in Ohio Vivek Ramaswamy headlines a campaign event for Jack Ciattarelli, on Oct. 15, 2025, in Saddle Brook, New Jersey. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

“A lot of Trump voters do not vote for anybody else, so getting guys out that they like will get them out to vote,” former Rahway, New Jersey, GOP chairman Patrick Cassio told Fox News.

“Four years ago, 400,000 Republicans didn’t vote. So, think about that. He picks up half of that, he wins. The math is pretty simple,” Cassio said.

Democrats took aim at Ciattarelli for teaming up with MAGA surrogates.

“Jack Ciattarelli is ramping up his outreach to the furthest MAGA fringes, this time with Byron Donalds — who doesn’t think people need health insurance and wants a 6-week abortion ban. With two weeks to go until Election Day, Jack’s choice to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him tells you everything you need to know about why he couldn’t be more wrong for New Jersey,” New Jersey Democratic State Committee spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki charged in a statement.

New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states to hold gubernatorial showdowns in the year after a presidential election, and the contests traditionally grab outsized attention and are viewed as political barometers ahead of the following year’s midterm elections.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS

And this year, they’re being viewed, in part, as ballot-box referendums on Trump’s unprecedented and explosive second-term agenda.

While Democrats have long dominated federal and state legislative elections in blue-leaning New Jersey, Republicans are very competitive in gubernatorial contests, winning five out of the past 10 elections.

And Trump made major gains in New Jersey in last year’s presidential election, losing the state by only six percentage points, a vast improvement over his 16-point deficit four years earlier.

President Donald Trump, seen speaking at a campaign event in Wildwood, New Jersey, May 11, 2024, will headline a tele-rally for Jack Ciattarelli, the 2025 Republican gubernatorial nominee in the Garden State. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

While it’s still not clear if Trump will physically hit the campaign trail in New Jersey sometime during the next two weeks, Fox News confirmed that the president will hold a tele-rally with Ciattarelli ahead of Election Day.

Asked if he wants Trump to join him in person on the campaign trail, Ciattarelli didn’t directly answer.

THE POLITICAL BOMB TRUMP EXPLODED IN THE NEW JERSEY SHOWDOWN FOR GOVERNOR

“The White House is working in close partnership with us, and what they’ve said is ‘we’ll do whatever it is that we think we can do to win.’ The president is very busy. So he’s got a lot going on. We’re happy to work in partnership with the White House to deliver a win here,” Ciattarelli said.

While Trump isn’t on the ballot, he’s loomed large over the New Jersey gubernatorial election.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Jack Ciattarelli, on the stage moments at the start of their second and final gubernatorial debate, on Oct. 8, 2025, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News Digital)

At this month’s second and final debate, Sherrill charged that her GOP rival had “shown zero signs of standing up to this president. In fact, the president himself called Jack 100% MAGA, and he’s shown every sign of being that.”

FINAL FACEOFF: CIATTARELLI, SHERRILL, CLASH ON DEBATE STAGE

Asked whether he considered himself part of the MAGA movement, Ciattarelli said he was “part of a New Jersey movement.”

When asked to grade the president’s performance so far during his second term, Ciattarelli said, “I’d certainly give the president an A. I think he’s right about everything that he’s doing.”

“I think that tells us all we need to know about who Jack Ciattarelli’s supporting. I give him an F right now,” Sherrill responded, as she pointed to New Jersey’s high cost of living.

In the weeks since the final debate, Sherrill has highlighted that Ciattarelli gave Trump an A rating.

Rep. Byron Donalds joins Jack Ciattarelli on the campaign trail at a diner in Linden, New Jersey, on Oct. 22, 2025. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

But Donalds argued that Sherrill’s focus on linking Ciattarelli to Trump would backfire.

“I think that’s a stupid strategy,” Donalds said. “Let me tell you why. He secured the border. That’s what the American people want, even people in New Jersey. He’s done that. Our economy is sound and getting better every single day. That’s what all Americans want.”

Sherrill, a Naval Academy graduate who flew helicopters during her military service and who was first elected to Congress in 2018, is getting plenty of company on the campaign trail. This past weekend she was joined by two of the biggest names in the party — Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Wes Moore of Maryland — who are considered potential 2028 White House contenders. And former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, two more potential presidential candidates, are on deck.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill holds a news conference at a commuter rail station in Secaucus, New Jersey, on Oct. 16, 2025. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

And Sherrill’s campaign announced on Tuesday that the most popular Democrat in the country — former President Barack Obama — will headline a rally with her in Newark on Nov. 1, the final weekend before Election Day.

But Ciattarelli’s campaign claimed that Obama’s upcoming appearance on the New Jersey campaign trail is a sign of weakness for the Democrats.

“National and New Jersey Democrats are in full-blown panic. At this point, we expect them to import anyone they think can excite Democrats because Mikie Sherrill excites no one,” Ciattarelli campaign chief strategist Chris Russell argued in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Former President Barack Obama speaking at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced on Tuesday that it’s upping the ante, infusing more money into the New Jersey Democratic Coordinated Campaign, on top of the $3 million it’s already dished out in the Garden State.

“This November will set the tone for years to come, and it’s our moment to show Donald Trump and the Republicans that their time in power is coming to an end,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

New Jersey traditionally elects a governor from the party out of power in the White House, which this year would favor the Democrats.

But Garden State voters haven’t elected a governor from the same party in three straight elections in over a half century, which would favor the Republicans.

One of those political trends will be derailed in two weeks.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.”

The post MAGA star joins Ciattarelli on campaign trail in New Jersey as Republicans aim to flip governor's office appeared first on My Blog.

Mamdani and Sliwa took the opportunity during Wednesday’s debate to drill down on past sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo, the former governor of New York, ahead of an impeachment inquiry that preceded Cuomo’s 2021 resignation. Cuomo was also hit by Mamdani over accusations he has – while in public office – failed to meet with Muslim constituents and only began doing so amid pressure from his mayoral campaign, and over his alleged poor handling of the COVID-19 virus in New York after Cuomo was party to issuing guidance forcing nursing homes and long-term care facilities to admit COVID-19 positive patients.

Meanwhile, Cuomo did not hold back on targeting Mamdani over alleged controversies that have embattled his campaign. Cuomo blasted the self-proclaimed socialist over his lack of experience, ties to radical politics, and past radical comments about law enforcement, Israel and the situation in Gaza.

FBI AGENTS FROM ’93 WTC ATTACK BLAST MAMDANI FOR EMBRACING RADICAL IMAM

All three candidates for New York City governor debated Wednesday night. From left to right: Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa and Zohran Mamdani. (Photo by Angelina Katsanis-Pool/Getty Images)

“My main opponent has no new ideas. He has no new plan. … He’s never run anything, managed anything. He’s never had a real job,” Cuomo said of Mamdani during the debate. Cuomo also branded Mamdani as someone who has proven to be “a divisive force in New York,” pointing to past incidents that have garnered Mamdani heat from critics.

One of those incidents included a picture he took with a hard-lined Ugandan lawmaker who has pushed policies of imprisoning people for being gay, which Mamdani took while taking a break from the campaign trail to visit his home country of Uganda for a wedding. Cuomo also hit the controversy over whether Mamdani supports Jewish New Yorkers, as his critics have claimed he is anti-Israel pointing to statements he has made, like “globalize the intifada.”

Cuomo also accused Mamdani of disrespecting Italian Americans after a video of him surfaced giving the middle finger to a statue of Christopher Columbus, while also pointing to criticism the self-proclaimed socialist candidate has garnered from 9/11 first-responders after posting a photo with a Muslim cleric who served as a character witness for the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 attacks.

TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM FIERY NYC MAYORAL DEBATE: ‘HE LITERALLY HAS NEVER HAD A JOB’

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (left) shakes hands on the debate stage with Democratic Party candidate for New York City mayor (right) Zohran Mamdani. Cuomo is running as an Independent after losing to Mamdani in the primary election. (Photographer: Angelina Katsanis/AP)

“You have been a divisive force in New York, and I believe that’s toxic energy for New York. It’s with the Jewish community. It’s with the Italian American community – when you give the Columbus statue the finger. It’s with the Sunni Muslims when you say decriminalize prostitution, which is Haram. It’s the Hindus,” Cuomo continued. “Then, you take a picture with Rebecca Kadaga, deputy prime minister of Uganda. … She’s known as Rebecca ‘Gay Killer.’ … You’re a citizen of Uganda. You took the picture. You said you didn’t know who she was. It turns out you did. How do you not renounce your citizenship or demand BDS against Uganda for imprisoning people who are gay just by their sexual orientation? Isn’t that a basic violation of human rights?”

Mamdani shot back that his politics have remained “consistent” and that they are built on a belief in human rights for all people, including LGBTQ+ folks. Had he known Kadga’s role in drafting legislation to imprison gay folks, Mamdani said, he never would have taken the picture.

“This constant attempt to smear and slander me is an attempt to also distract from the fact that, unlike myself, you do not actually have a platform or a set of policies,” Mamdani shot back at Cuomo before introducing his own claims about the former governor regarding past accusations of sexual harassment.

MAMDANI RIPPED BY RIVALS FOR UNPOPULAR STANCE DURING FIERY NYC DEBATE: ‘YOU WON’T SUPPORT ISRAEL’

New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo slammed his democratic socialist opponent Zohran Mamdani during Wednesday’s debate for a variety of alleged scandals he has been involved in. (Angelina Katsanis/Getty; Angelina Katsanis/Getty)

“Mr. Cuomo. In 2021, 13 different women who worked in your administration credibly accused you of sexual harassment. Since then, you have spent more than $20 million in taxpayer funds to defend yourself, all while describing these allegations as entirely political,” Mamdani said while attacking Cuomo Wednesday night.

“You have even gone so far as to legally go after these women. One of those women, Charlotte Bennett, is here in the audience this evening. You sought to access her private gynecological records. She cannot speak up for herself because you lodged a defamation case against her. I, however, can speak. What do you say to the 13 women that you sexually harassed?”

Cuomo, in 2021, was accused of multiple incidents of sexual harassment that preceded his resignation as governor that year. A subsequent report from New York Attorney General Letitia James confirmed Cuomo “sexually harassed multiple women from 2013 through 2020,” while in January 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it had reached a nearly $500,000 settlement with Cuomo’s executive office over one of the claims. However, no criminal charges were ever filed against Cuomo, with some district attorneys citing insufficient evidence.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Cuomo defended himself against Mamdani’s accusations, noting the cases were eventually dropped, before returning to questions about Mamdani’s alleged past.

Meanwhile, Sliwa didn’t skip an opportunity to slam Cuomo over the sexual assault allegations either, saying early in the debate during a discussion about homelessness that Cuomo “fled” the governor’s office amid an impeachment inquiry that was investigating him.

“Andrew, you didn’t ‘leave.’ You fled from being impeached by the Democrats in the state legislature,” Sliwa began before getting into the homelessness issue, earning him a round of applause from the audience.

“‘Leave?’ You fled!” Sliwa continued to applause. “But let’s get back on topic.”

The post Sparks fly as Cuomo, Mamdani tear into each other during fiery debate: 'Toxic energy' appeared first on My Blog.

With just weeks until the election, socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani is highly favored to win. Despite this, the debate on Wednesday was every man for himself, with each candidate lobbing attacks and insults at one another.

Here are the top five moments from Wednesday night’s debate.

1. ‘Knock him on his tuchas’

Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, who led the state as a Democratic governor from 2011 until he resigned amid controversy in 2021, took aim at Mamdani’s lack of leadership experience, predicting that President Donald Trump would make short work of him if he were elected mayor.

“[Trump] has said he’ll take over New York if he wins, and he will, because he has no respect for him. He thinks he’s a kid and he’s going to knock him on his tuchas,” said Cuomo.

‘TIME FOR A CHANGE’: OUTSIDE 30 ROCK, NEW YORKERS TRADE CHANTS AND ARGUMENTS DURING TENSE MAYORAL SHOWDOWN

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Zohran Mamdani and Curtis Sliwa participate in the second New York City mayoral debate at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens, on Oct. 22, 2025. (Hiroko Masuike/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Mamdani immediately shot back by calling Cuomo “Donald Trump’s puppet himself.”

“You could turn on the TV any day of the week, and you will hear Donald Trump share that his pick for mayor is Andrew Cuomo, and he wants Andrew Cuomo to be the mayor, not because it will be good for New Yorkers, but because it will be good for him,” said Mamdani.

2. ‘You fled!’

Though far and away the dark horse candidate in the race, Republican Curtis Sliwa landed some of the hardest punches of the night. Early on in the debate, he fired at Cuomo’s controversial exit from office, saying, “Andrew, you didn’t leave. You fled from being impeached by the Democrats in the state legislature. You fled!”

Cuomo, meanwhile, reserved most of his ire for Mamdani. At another point in the debate, he addressed the 34-year-old socialist New York assembly member, saying, “You don’t know how to run a government, you don’t know how to handle an emergency, and you’ve literally never proposed the bill on anything that you’re not talking about in your campaign.”

“You had the worst attendance record in the assembly, and you gave yourself the highest raise in the United States of America,” he said, exclaiming, “Shame on you! Shame on you!”

MAMDANI RIPPED BY RIVALS FOR UNPOPULAR STANCE DURING FIERY NYC DEBATE: ‘YOU WON’T SUPPORT ISRAEL’

Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo participates in the New York City mayoral debate at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens, on Oct. 22, 2025. (Hiroko Masuike/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

In response, a grinning Mamdani said, “It is always a pleasure to hear Andrew Cuomo create his own facts at every debate stage.”

“We just had a former governor say in his own words that the city has been getting screwed by the state. Who was leading the state? It was you!” said Mamdani. “You were leading the state for 10 years, screwing the city!”

Cuomo immediately denied this accusation, blaming the current Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and saying, “That’s the past four years.”

3. The meme moment

Chaos erupted on the debate stage after Mamdani attempted to skirt around a question on whether he supports a set of housing ballot initiatives, with Cuomo, Sliwa and the moderators immediately pressing him to answer.

“What is your opinion, Zohran? Come on!” Sliwa shouted as Cuomo droned, “Yes or no?!”

Cuomo rocked back and forth with his hands, mocking Mamdani, saying, “It’s a TikTok dance,” producing the most meme-worthy moment of the night.

Andrew Cuomo taunts Zohran Mamdani with a dance during the last New York City mayoral debate on Oct. 22, 2025. (Spectrum News NY1)

“They’re pointing out what I was about to say. Would you please answer the question?” a moderator asked.

Mamdani continued to deflect, saying, “I think on this stage you can see two people appealing for the Republican Party votes and myself speaking directly to New York City.”

“Answer the question for once,” Cuomo continued prodding as Sliwa waved his arms and smacked his forehead with his palm.

“My question to you was, do you support the three ballot amendment questions?” the moderator pressed.

Mamdani finally answered, “I have not yet taken a position on those ballot initiatives,” as both Cuomo and Sliwa moaned in protest.

“What a shocker!” Cuomo teased. “Don’t worry, once he takes it, he’ll change it anyway.”

TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM FIERY NYC MAYORAL DEBATE: ‘HE LITERALLY HAS NEVER HAD A JOB’

Zohran Mamdani speaks during the debate at LaGuardia Community College in Queens on Oct. 22, 2025. (Hiroko Masuike/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

4. Support for global jihad?

Moderators and candidates alike pressed Mamdani on his controversial positions on Israel and rising fears among New York’s Jewish community.

Citing two sons who he said were raised Jewish, Sliwa said, “This issue is personal for me.”

“Let me speak on behalf of my two sons when they’ve heard some of the statements you’ve made, like in support of global jihad, and I hear some people out there saying, ‘the Jews that time is due,’ which means the same thing. They’re frightened; they’re scared. They view you as the arsonist who fanned the flames of antisemitism,” said Sliwa.

“You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, a lot of apologizing to do,” Sliwa went on. “My sons are afraid. Their family, their friends, many in the Jewish community are concerned if you become mayor, because they don’t think when antisemitism rears its ugly head, which it’s now doing more than ever before, that you will have the ability to come in and put out those flames of hate.”

Mamdani shot back, “I think there is room for disagreement on many positions and many policies, but I also want to correct the record: I have never, not once, spoken in support of global jihad.”

“That is not something that I have said, and that continues to be ascribed to me. And frankly, I think much of it has to do with the fact that I am the first Muslim candidate to be on the precipice of winning this election,” Mamdani went on, adding, “All the same, Curtis, I do still want to be the mayor that will keep your sons safe, that will keep every single New Yorker safe.”

TRADING BARBS FROM LIGHT-HEARTED TO VICIOUS, MAYORAL CANDIDATES MAKE FINAL APPEAL TO NEW YORKERS

Thousands of demonstrators hold a pro-Palestinian rally in protest of Israel on Oct. 13, 2023, in Times Square, New York City. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

5. A stage full of scandal

Sparks flew when Cuomo and Mamdani were given free rein to question each other and, unsurprisingly, chose to press each other on their most controversial scandals.

Cuomo knocked Mamdani, who is an immigrant to the U.S. from Uganda, for being a “toxic” force in New York City, and pressed him for not advocating for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Uganda for its laws against homosexuality.

“You take a picture with Rebecca Kadaga, deputy prime minister of Uganda… She’s known as Rebecca ‘gay-killer’ Kadaga,” said Cuomo, asking, “How do you not renounce your citizenship, or demand BDS against Uganda for imprisoning people who are gay just by their sexual orientation, is that not a basic violation against human rights?”

Mamdani answered that “had I known that the first deputy minister was the architect of that legislation, I would not have taken that photo.”

In turn, Mamdani grilled Cuomo on 13 sexual harassment allegations filed against him while he was governor. Cuomo brushed this aside, saying, “The cases were dropped” and pressing further, “You have no problem with BDS against Israel, but no BDS against Uganda.”

Andrew Cuomo, Zohran Mamdani and Curtis Sliwa debate on Oct. 22, 2025. Millions of dollars are pouring into the mayoral election with less than two weeks to go until New Yorkers go to the polls. (Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

At another point in the debate, Mamdani attempted to turn the question of experience on Cuomo, saying, “The issue is that we have all experienced your experience.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“The issue is that we experienced you taking a $5 million book deal while you sent seniors to their deaths in nursing homes. The issue is that we experienced you cutting funding for the MTA to send money to upstate ski resorts. The issue is that we saw you give $959 million in tax breaks to Elon Musk. The issue is your experience,” said Mamdani.

“The issue is you have no experience,” insisted Cuomo, adding, “You’ve accomplished nothing.”

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

The post Top 5 moments from final New York City mayoral debate: ‘Knock him on his tuchas’ appeared first on My Blog.

Fredrica-Maame Ama Deegbe, whose now-deleted Linkedin profile said she was a “Campaign Organizer for Spanberger 2025” for the Democratic Party of Virginia, bemoans the choices presented to voters in a video obtained by Fox News Digital. In the video, she cited concerns about not only Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears but also about Spanberger’s law enforcement background.

“CIA agent, literally, which is crazy, like yeah, vote for the CIA agent, guys, like what the f—,” said Deegbe.

“I don’t know what happened. We’re in, like, the darkest timeline,” she said. “Our only choices are between a Black woman, which ordinarily all for, but this time you think we should bring back slavery, Winsome. … Even with that, it’s like either vote for the Black woman who thinks that slavery should be brought back or vote for the White woman who was in the CIA.”

WINSOME SEARS RESPONDS TO JMU FAN TELLING HER TO ‘GO BACK TO HAITI’ AFTER WEEKEND OF LEFTIST INVECTIVE

Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger cheers with a crowd, not pictured, in Henrico County, Va., in September 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In spite of these concerns, the Democratic operative said of the Spanberger campaign, “They pay me really, really good money.

“Working on the campaign made me realize that this all a really big pyramid scheme,” Deegbe admitted. “We’re all working for the betterment of not really a person but for what the person represents and what that representation is going to be for the rest of the nation.

“Focusing so much on the representation, it kind of feels like I’m in The Wizard of Oz … like all of this is behind the smoke and mirrors and curtains.

“There’s such a disconnect between the person that we’re voting for, the work that we do, like the numerical aspect of it, like all of it doesn’t feel cohesive, copacetic. It feels like I’m a sales representative.”

OBAMA ENDORSES SPANBERGER, ATTACKS REPUBLICANS IN VIRGINIA GOVERNOR’S RACE ADS

Winsome Earle-Sears, Republican gubernatorial candidate for Virginia, center, during a campaign event at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department in Vienna, Va., July 1, 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Pressed by the undercover journalist on her true views on Spanberger, Deegbe said, “I think she represents the idea. I know she represents the idea as best of an idea as we can find right now.”

Sears and Spanberger, who left the House of Representatives earlier this year, are locked in a tight race with just weeks until the November election. The face-offs are viewed as political bellwethers ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Most polls indicate that Spanberger is enjoying a lead over Earle-Sears. However, Spanberger has been hit with blistering criticisms in recent weeks for refusing to rescind her endorsement of embattled fellow Democratic candidate Jay Jones, who is running for Virginia attorney general.

In recently resurfaced text messages, Jones fantasized about the murder of Republican then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert and his young “fascist” children.

JAY JONES MURDER TEXTS LATEST CASE OF DEMOCRATS CIRCLING THE SCANDAL WAGONS

Jay Jones, who is running to become Virginia’s attorney general in 2025, has come under fire for a series of text messages calling for the death of political opponents and remarks about police officers.  (Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post/Getty Images)

Jones texted Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Hopewell, in 2022, imagining a scenario where he would choose to “fire two bullets” into then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert’s head, describing Gilbert as worse than dictators Pol Pot or Adolf Hitler.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Jones also referred to Gilbert’s young children as “fascists” in the exchange.

Fox News Digital reached out to Deegbe, the Democratic Party of Virginia, the Spanberger campaign and the Earle-Sears campaign for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

The post Undercover video exposes what Spanberger’s campaign organizer really thinks of her: 'What the f—' appeared first on My Blog.

Fox News Digital compiled key deadlines for early in-person voting as it comes to a close.

The 2025 election season is mild compared to the whirlwind federal election cycle of 2024, but will feature major races, including statewide elections for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, and New York City’s high-profile mayoral election, the ballot proposition over congressional redistricting in California, and three state Supreme Court contests in Pennsylvania.

VOTING UNDERWAY IN 2025 ELECTION THAT MAY DETERMINE IF REPUBLICANS HOLD HOUSE IN 2026 MIDTERMS

Voters cast their ballots on the first day of early voting at the polling place at the Western Government Center on Sept. 19, 2025, in Henrico, Virginia.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The races have seen a handful of political surprises in recent weeks as key races hit hot water — from Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones’s leaked text scandal to controversy over military records in New Jersey’s governor’s race, and backlash against Zohran Mamdani’s left-wing policies as the self-identified Democratic socialist works to secure Gracie Mansion.

Voter enthusiasm is high across the country — and there’s still time for people to cast their ballots early.

Here’s when in-person early voting ends in each high-profile 2025 election:

New Jersey

New Jersey’s in-person early voting began Saturday and will conclude Nov. 2. Early in-person voting is held from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with Sunday hours running from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Appointments are not necessary to vote early.

FIVE RACES TO WATCH WITH 5 WEEKS TO GO UNTIL ELECTION DAY 2025

A campaign volunteer hands out sample ballots outside an early voting location on the first day of early voting, at the Loudon County Office of Elections and Voter Registration in Leesburg, Virginia. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

New York City

Big Apple residents began early in-person voting Saturday and will have until Nov. 2 to cast early in-person votes.

TRUMP’S SHADOW LOOMS LARGE OVER HEATED RACES ONE MONTH BEFORE ELECTION DAY

“I Voted” stickers are stacked at a polling place. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Virginia

Early in-person voting kicked off in the Old Dominion State Sept. 19 and will run until Nov. 1. All localities in the state offer early voting.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

California

The Golden State is holding a special election in 2025 to decide ballot proposition 50, which would redraw state congressional district maps in response to efforts in Republican states to redraw congressional districts ahead of the midterms. Early in-person voting begins Saturday and will run through Election Day.

Pennsylvania 

Pennsylvanians can vote early and in-person by returning mail ballots to their local election offices until 8 p.m. on Election Day. Voters must apply for a mail-in ballot by Tuesday or vote on Election Day.

Kiera McDonald is a Production Assistant for Fox News Digital.

The post Here's when 2025 Election Day early in-person voting comes to a close across the US appeared first on My Blog.

The New York State Board of Elections said early voters are given nine days to vote in person prior to Election Day, starting on Oct. 25 and ending Nov. 2. The race to become the next mayor of the Big Apple is drawing national attention.

On Friday, Democrat mayoral nominee and frontrunner Zohran Mamdani scored an endorsement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. Earlier this week, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent mayoral candidate, was formally endorsed by current New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

“Tomorrow, I vote on the first day of early voting,” Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa said Friday on “The Will Cain Show.” “That should put a nail into the coffin for anybody who thinks I’m dropping out.”

MAMDANI ACCUSES CUOMO OF ‘ISLAMOPHOBIC RHETORIC’ AS CONTENTIOUS NYC MAYORAL RACE COMES DOWN TO THE WIRE

Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, center, speaks during a mayoral debate with the independent candidate, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, left, and Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in New York. (Angelina Katsanis/AP)

Sliwa has been facing pressure to drop out of the race to boost the chances of Cuomo defeating Mamdani.

Meanwhile, the New Jersey Division of Elections said every county in the state “will designate in-person early voting locations that will be open Saturday, October 25, 2025 – Sunday, November 2, 2025 (the in-person early voting period).

“In 2021, historic legislation established in-person early voting in New Jersey. This law makes our state even more voter-friendly and strengthens our democracy by expanding opportunities to exercise your right to vote.”

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SENDS FEDERAL ELECTION WATCHERS TO CALIFORNIA AND NEW JERSEY COUNTIES AMID REPUBLICAN REQUESTS

Democrat Mikie Sherrill, left, and Republican Jack Ciattarelli are competing to become the next governor of New Jersey. (Getty Images)

In the Garden State, Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli are competing for the governorship. Current Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy leaves office in January.

“Our polling’s looking good. I think we’re feeling really good right now,” Sherrill touted as she spoke with Fox News Digital after headlining a major party gathering this week in this northern New Jersey township.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, left, and independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor, pose during the second half of an NBA basketball game between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, at Madison Square Garden in New York.  (Frank Franklin II/AP)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“I think we’re in a great position,” Ciattarelli also said in a Fox News interview after a campaign stop at a diner in Linden, New Jersey.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

The post Early voting underway in New York, New Jersey amid hotly contested mayor and governor races appeared first on My Blog.

Outside the Islamic Cultural Center in the Bronx on Friday afternoon, Mamdani seized on the latest campaign trail controversy as an opportunity to condemn what his campaign described as the “renewed wave of Islamophobic rhetoric and fear-mongering.”

“While my opponents in this race have brought hatred to the forefront, this is just a glimpse of what so many have to endure every day across the city,” Mamdani said. “And while it would be easy for us to say that this is not who we are as a city, we know the truth. This is who we have allowed ourselves to become.”

During an appearance on WABC’s “Sid & Friends in the Morning” on Thursday, Cuomo questioned Mamdani’s ability to lead the city through a crisis situation, if elected. When host Sid Rosenberg implied that Mamdani would be “cheering.”

SPARKS FLY AS CUOMO, MAMDANI TEAR INTO EACH OTHER DURING FIERY DEBATE: ‘TOXIC ENERGY’

New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani (left) criticized independent candidate former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (right) for his “Islamophobic rhetoric” on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.  (Richard Drew/AP Photo; Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)

“Any given moment, there’s a crisis, and people’s lives are at stake. God forbid, there’s another 9/11. Can you imagine Mamdani in the seat?” Cuomo asked the host.

NEW POLL REVEALS MAMDANI’S LEAD IS SHRINKING AS CUOMO GAINS GROUND IN NYC SHOWDOWN

“He’d be cheering,” Rosenberg retorted.

“That’s another problem,” said Cuomo, before returning to his hypothetical question: “But could you imagine that?”

During a Mamdani campaign event in Manhattan later on Thursday, a reporter asked the leading mayoral candidate if Cuomo’s comments were Islamophobic.

“Yes, I believe that they were,” Mamdani said, before adding, “We’re speaking about a former governor who, in his final moments in public life, is engaging in rhetoric that is not only Islamophobic, not only racist, it’s also disgusting.”

Video

That afternoon, Cuomo was endorsed by Mayor Eric Adams, who told reporters that his reason for doing so, in part, was to fight “Islamic extremism” in New York City.

“I don’t know what is wrong with people. You see what’s playing out in other countries because of Islamic extremism. Not Muslims, let’s not mix this up. But those Islamic extremisms that are burning churches in Nigeria, that are destroying communities in Germany, that have taken over the logical thinking, and that’s what I’m fighting for,” Adams said Thursday.

The Mamdani campaign called Adams’ remarks “Islamophobic reasoning.”

In response to both comments, the leading mayoral candidate wiped tears on Friday, while flanked by members of the Islamic Cultural Center, as he told the story of Muslims, like his aunt, whom Mamdani said stopped riding the subway after Sept. 11, 2001, because she “did not feel safe in her hijab.”

Video

“We know that in less than two weeks we will say goodbye to a disgraced former governor and our current indicted mayor,” Mamdani said. “The bigger question is whether we are willing to say goodbye to something much larger than either of these two men,” Mamdani said.

“It is whether we are willing to say goodbye to anti-Muslim sentiment that has grown so endemic in our city that when we hear it, we know not whether the words were spoken by a Republican or a Democrat,” Mamdani continued. “We know only that it was spoken in the language of the politics of the city. In an era of ever diminishing bipartisanship, it seems that Islamophobia has emerged as one of the few areas of agreement.”

With less than two weeks until Election Day, Mamdani on Thursday criticized Cuomo for his “closing argument.”

“Andrew Cuomo’s message is to smear and slander the first Muslim candidate on the verge of leading this city, to look at a city where 1 in 8 New Yorkers are Muslim and say that, by virtue of your faith, you are worthy of suspicion,” Mamdani added.

New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani delivers remarks in the Bronx, New York City, on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.  (Fox News Digital/Deirdre Heavey)

When pressed by reporters during the endorsement event Thursday, Cuomo clarified that he was not the one who made the comment that Mamdani would be “cheering” if there was another terrorist attack like Sept. 11, 2001.

Cuomo hosted a press conference days before the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City, where speakers criticized Mamdani for associating with a Twitch streamer, Hasan Piker, who once declared, “America deserved 9/11.”

“I have a problem with the fact that Zohran pals around with Hasan Piker,” Cuomo clarified Thursday.

The latest Fox News survey, conducted Oct. 10-14, revealed that Mamdani has a substantial lead in the race. According to the poll, Mamdani has a 21-point lead among New York City registered voters with 49% of voters backing Mamdani, while 28% go for Cuomo and 13% favor Sliwa.

Independent candidate former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a mayoral debate, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in New York City.  (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, Pool)

Mamdani also rose above the 50% threshold among likely voters, garnering 52% support, while Cuomo picked up 28%, and Sliwa received just 14%.

If Mamdani wins the mayoral election on Nov. 4, he will become the first Muslim mayor of New York City.

Religion has become a defining issue in the mayoral race, as Jewish New Yorkers have rejected Mamdani’s positions on Israel, including calling the war in Gaza a “genocide” and his refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

This week, prominent New York City rabbisjoined more than 650 rabbis to sign “A Rabbinic Call to Action: Defending the Jewish Future,” declaring their position that Jewish Americans “cannot remain silent” on discrimination against Jewish people.

Rabbi Joshua M. Davidson, Temple Emanu-El’s senior rabbi, told Fox News Digital that his concern about Mamdani’s candidacy “is absolutely not about Islamophobia.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“It is about legitimate alarm over Assemblymember Mamdani’s positions, and I think it’s important to draw that distinction,” Davidson said. “New York is the most culturally diverse city in the world, and we pride ourselves on that diversity. And as I wrote, I think it would be an extraordinary achievement for New York to elect a Muslim mayor. But Mr. Mamdani causes me great concern, and he has caused many in the Jewish community great fear.”

Rosenberg and Cuomo did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s comment request.

Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital. 

The post Mamdani accuses Cuomo of 'Islamophobic rhetoric' as contentious NYC mayoral race comes down to the wire appeared first on My Blog.