Ahead of the June 24 Democratic primary, here’s a roundup of Bronx endorsements for Mayor and BP

With only two weeks to go before the Democratic primary—and just days before early voting begins—the mayor’s race appears to have come down to two frontrunners: former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Queens Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani.

Though Cuomo has led the pack since early 2025, his margin seems to have narrowed recently. A May 28 poll showed Mamdani 12 percentage points behind in first-choice ranked votes, whereas an earlier poll from March put him as many as 23 points behind.

However, in the Bronx, Cuomo continues to have a solid lead. In fact, the Bronx appears to be Cuomo’s strongest borough, with 50% of likely Democratic voters ranking the former governor first, compared to 48% in Queens and Staten Island, 32% in Manhattan and 25% in Brooklyn, according to a Marist Poll from early May.

A slate of Bronx electeds, most notably U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, have come out in support of Cuomo.

“When it comes to confronting the crisis of crime, we need not a nice guy but a tough guy like Andrew Cuomo,” Torres said during a TV interview in February.

In a May 16 statement posted to the Cuomo campaign website, Bronx Assembly Member Michael Benedetto (AD-82), who represents the Northeast Bronx, praised Cuomo for pledging to add 5,000 officers to the NYPD and for his role as governor in passing state laws on marriage equality, abortion rights, gun control and the $15 minimum wage.

“Now, when there’s a crisis of confidence in our City government and the stakes couldn’t be higher, it’s even more important to put someone in City Hall who has a strong track record of delivering for New Yorkers. That person is Andrew Cuomo,” Benedetto said.

However, Sen. Gustavo Rivera (SD-33), who is supporting Mamdani and canvassed for him in the Bronx, has been outspoken in encouraging voters not to include Cuomo in any of their top five choices.

“What should be next for NYC is NOT to go backwards, and that is what [Cuomo] truly represents,” Rivera said in a June 4 post on X, adding the hashtag “#HellNoToCuomo.”

Mamdani also has the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a political powerhouse among progressives who represents parts of Queens and the Bronx, who came out in support of Mamdani on Thursday.

“Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani has demonstrated a real ability on the ground to put together a coalition of working-class New Yorkers that is strongest to lead the pack,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement when she made the announcement. “In the final stretch of the race, we need to get very real about that.”

RANKING CUOMO #1:

U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres
Assembly Member Michael Benedetto
Assembly Member Yudelka Tapia
Assembly Member George Alvarez
Assembly Member John Zaccaro
Former Bronx Borough President Ruben Díaz Jr.
Liberty Democratic Association of the Bronx
1199SEIU (representing healthcare workers)
32BJ (representing building service workers)
Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, AFL-CIO
Teamsters Local 237 (representing city government workers)

RANKING MAMDANI #1:

U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Former U.S. Representative Jamaal Bowman
State Senator Robert Jackson
State Senator Gustavo Rivera
Working Families Party
NYC Kids PAC (Pro education PAC)
Teamsters Local 804 (UPS and City Harvest)
ITASE Local 161 (representing film and TV workers
NYS Tenant Bloc

The silence of both Rafael Salamanca Jr., a candidate for Bronx Borough President, and incumbent Vanessa L. Gibson regarding their support for a Mayoral candidate is notable. Neither offered an endorsement during the Sunday BP primary debate, which was hosted by BronxNet and Bronx Times.

In terms of the Borough President’s race, a chorus of elected officials have weighed in on who they’ll support, largely leaning toward Gibson.

However, Salamanca Jr. has proved a serious contender, narrowly topping Gibson’s campaign contributions as of June 10 with significantly more private campaign donations than the current beep. Salamanca Jr. (D-17), a term-limited council member representing the South Bronx, currently serves as the chair of the Land Use Committee, a position that has equipped him with both the influence and expertise necessary for navigating the BP’s role in the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP).

Salamanca Jr., a South Bronx native, has said that Bronxites are unhappy with current leadership and branded himself as a more competent “manager” to handle the borough’s toughest problems, such as gun violence and quality of life issues. He challenged his opponent on her leadership of the borough’s 12 community boards during Sunday’s debate.

“There are community boards that need guidance in the Bronx and I’m hearing that as I’m speaking to my district managers that they’re not getting any guidance from Borough Hall,” Salamanca said.

Salamanca has allocated $35 million in city funds for schools and playgrounds since taking office in 2016 and has overseen the construction of 10,000 affordable housing units in his district. He is also backed by Airbnb-funded PAC, Affordable New York, which has spent over $100,000 on his behalf.

Meanwhile, Gibson also touts her record of bringing funds to the borough, including $50 million for schools. She also says she has played a role in bringing the Bronx unemployment rate down to 6.8% after it was 26% during the pandemic. However, the rate still remains slightly higher than the citywide figure of 5%.

Gibson has built a reputation for being highly visible, often seen throughout the borough at events. She is often described by constituents as “approachable” and by her colleagues in government as “tireless.”

A coalition of Bronx elected officials released statements together endorsing Gibson’s reelection last month.

“As Borough President, Vanessa has delivered results on the issues Bronx residents care about: housing, public safety, and education,” said NYC Council Member Oswald Feliz in a statement (CD-15). “She understands our challenges and fights tirelessly for progress.”

The impact of race and identity on voters’ decisions remains uncertain. While Gibson made history as the first Black woman to serve as Bronx Borough President, there are currently no Latino representatives holding borough-wide elected office.

Former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer released a Spanish-language ad endorsing Salamanca Jr. and adopted his endorsee’s terminology around borough “management.”

“I know what it takes to manage this borough and help our families succeed. That’s why I’m proud to endorse Rafael Salamanca,” Ferrer said in a statement.

VOTING GIBSON: