Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is warning voters that Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani supported decriminalizing prostitution during his 2020 run for state legislature, Fox News reported. Cuomo is running as an independent against Mamdani after losing to the 33-year-old democratic socialist in the primary.
Cuomo shared a video of Mamdani on X, formerly Twitter, of the mayoral hopeful from Queens speaking about his belief that "sex work is work" during his 2020 campaign. "Yesterday, @ZohranKMamdani refused to say where he stands on prostitution," Cuomo charged in his post on Saturday.
"Thankfully, we can consult an expert on the subject. him…Registering his support for decriminalizing sex work, legislation he’s supported for years. Where does Zohran Mamdani stand on this? Where does he stand on anything? We need to build a new NYC that works for everyone, not just those who will say anything to get elected. That takes commitment. And a spine," the former governor concluded.
Yesterday, @ZohranKMamdani refused to say where he stands on prostitution.
Thankfully, we can consult an expert on the subject. him…Registering his support for decriminalizing sex work, legislation he’s supported for years.
Where does Zohran Mamdani stand on this? Where does… pic.twitter.com/GuyrQ3916M
— Andrew Cuomo (@andrewcuomo) August 16, 2025
Cuomo was prompted to make this post after Mamdani wouldn't answer a question about whether he was in favor of legalizing prostitution during a news conference last week. The former governor, who resigned his office in disgrace in 2021 over allegations of sexual misconduct, warned that "New York City would become the prostitution capital of the country" if Mamdani becomes mayor.
"He’d emulate former Mayor Bill de Blasio when it came to prostitution arrests. If you listen to him, and you look to his policies, he’s going to be de Blasio 2.0, and I believe that’s the last thing this city needs," Cuomo said.
This warning certainly seems warranted based on Mamdani's statements, but Cuomo left out the part where his 2021 bill repealing laws against loitering for the purpose of committing prostitution has caused a surge in the number of so-called sex workers. Cuomo couldn't remember that, even when a reporter pointedly asked about that bill.
"The loitering bill, I'd have to check. I don't remember that bill frankly," the former governor claimed. This came after Cuomo stated that he observed an uptick in the number of prostitutes loitering on Roosevelt Avenue in Queens and said he was quite concerned about it.
"There were signs of prostitution on the street. I spoke to store owners. They are very concerned about it. They think it's destructive for their business, destructive for their neighborhood, it's a bad influence on children," Cuomo said.
Cuomo doesn't have the moral high ground considering his past legislation and personal shortcomings when it comes to women. However, he has a point about Mamdani, the Ugandan-born Muslim, and his hypocrisy on the issue. The city's current Democratic Mayor Eric Adams criticized Mamdani for this as well.
"I don’t know where in his Quran it states that it’s OK for a woman to be on the streets selling their body. I don't know what Quran he is reading," Adams told reporters on Sunday. The issue of legalized prostitution is only one of a slew of stances that make Mamdani a problematic candidate.
He has come out in favor of extreme positions, such as setting up state-run grocery stores and putting a freeze on rents for municipal housing, both of which would create shortages of the very things already in short supply now. He is also in favor of "free childcare" up to age 5, making New York City buses free of charge to ride, and eliminating tuition for the City University of New York.
For these socialist policies, Mamdani has received the support of fellow extremists like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D). His political clout and use of social media helped propel Mamdani to the top of the heap for Democrats, while the Republican side has only Curtis Sliwa, co-founder of the Guardian Angels and conservative commentator, and independent candidate Jim Walden.
These lifestyle issues are important to voters, and something must be done as New York is already becoming a cesspool of poverty, vice, and crime. Cuomo is correct in his warning, but his candidacy underscores the bleakness of New Yorkers' hopes for a solid leader willing to do what's necessary to clean up the city.
