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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had a special request for New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo after the former Democratic governor joked that he would move to the Sunshine State if he loses to socialist Zohran Mamdani.
Cuomo’s joke appeared to raise alarms for many who took to social media to express their distaste for the idea. DeSantis, a Republican, was among those expressing concern in response to an article about Cuomo considering a change of scenery should he again be defeated by Mamdani.
“Don’t New York our Florida!” DeSantis posted on X.
DeSantis has predicted that property values in Palm Beach will “skyrocket” from New Yorkers moving if Democratic socialist nominee Mamdani wins the mayor’s race in New York City this November. Speaking shortly before the primary election in June, DeSantis said, “If this socialist mayor candidate wins in New York City, you’re going to see real estate values skyrocket in Palm Beach because people are going to get out of that city.”
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Cuomo appeared to be joking on Saturday when he said he would move to Florida.
The former New York governor lost to Mamdani in the Democratic primary but is planning to challenge him as an independent in the general election. The line, delivered at a Hamptons breakfast with political insiders, sparked laughter but also highlighted growing unease over the city’s political direction.
“It’s all or nothing. We either win or even I will move to Florida. God forbid,” Cuomo said, according to attendees at the event.
The remark came during a private gathering hosted by businessman John Catsimatidis at 75 Main in Southampton. Catsimatidis, a GOP donor and radio host, is also the owner of the Gristedes and D’Agostino supermarket chains, which could be directly affected by Mamdani’s proposal to create government-run grocery stores.
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The guest list included Ambassador George Tsunis and former top Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa. One attendee described the line as a “wow” moment. Multiple guests said it got the room’s attention.
Cuomo’s senior adviser, Rich Azzopardi, defended the comment to the New York Post.
“Governor Cuomo would never give up on New York,” he said. “The line underscored the stakes in this election and the risk of electing a dangerously inexperienced, hate-spewing 33-year-old socialist to lead the city.”
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The winner of the New York City Democratic primary for mayor is traditionally considered the overwhelming frontrunner in the general election.
A handful of polls conducted this month in New York City suggest that Mamdani is the frontrunner, but that he is far from running away with the race. The surveys indicate Mamdani ahead of Cuomo anywhere from around 15 points to as few as three points.
Trailing Mamdani and Cuomo in the surveys are Mayor Eric Adams, the embattled incumbent who announced earlier this year that he would seek re-election as an independent candidate, and Guardian Angels co-founder Curtis Sliwa, who for a second straight election is the Republican mayoral nominee.
Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
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