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Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is turning up the volume in his attacks on New York City mayoral rival Zohran Mamdani over the issue of prostitution.
Cuomo, who is running for mayor of the nation’s most populous city as an independent after Mamdani topped him by double digits in June’s Democratic Party primary, argues that if the 33-year-old democratic socialist state lawmaker from Queens wins in November, “New York City would become prostitution capital of the country.”
Mamdani, whose victory over Cuomo and nine other candidates in the Democratic mayoral primary sent political shock waves across the country, called for the decriminalization of sex work when he first ran for the state legislature in 2020.
And as a state assemblyman, Mamdani co-sponsored bills to decriminalize sex work statewide.
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But he has rarely spoken out on the issue during his 2025 run for mayor.
Asked at a campaign event on Sunday about criticism over his stance on decriminalizing prostitution from Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is also running as an independent candidate as he seeks re-election, Mamdani said “my focus on this campaign has long been to make this city one that every New Yorker can afford, where they are safe and where they live a life of dignity.”
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Pointing to those comments, Cuomo said at a news conference on Monday that Mamdani “was asked yesterday if he would direct the NYPD to stop making prostitution arrests. He didn’t say yes or no but suggested he’d emulate former Mayor Bill de Blasio.”
Cuomo, who has long been a loud critic of de Blasio, a former two-term progressive New York City mayor, noted that prostitution arrests cratered during de Blasio’s tenure in office.
“He’d emulate former Mayor Bill de Blasio when it came to prostitution arrests,” Cuomo claimed. “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.”
Proponents of decriminalizing prostitution argue that the move makes sex workers less susceptible to exploitation and violence. But studies suggest that in areas where prostitution is legal, there’s an increase in crime and human trafficking.
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Parts of New York City have seen an influx of sex workers since then-Gov. Cuomo signed a law in early 2021 that repealed statutes against loitering for the purpose of prostitution.
Asked about that bill, the former governor said, “The loitering bill, I’d have to check. I don’t remember that bill frankly.”
But Cuomo highlighted that earlier on Monday, he visited the Roosevelt Avenue corridor in Queens, one of the areas that’s seen a dramatic rise in sex workers.
“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.
Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and who would become New York City’s first Muslim and first millennial if he wins November’s election, has also been criticized over prostitution by Adams.
“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,” the mayor said as he spoke to reporters on Sunday.
Mamdani surged to a 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 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.
The latest polls indicate that Mamdani is the clear frontrunner in a city where Democrats vastly outnumber Republicans.
Guardian Angels co-founder Curtis Sliwa, who for a second straight election is the Republican mayoral nominee, is also on the ballot, as is Jim Walden, a former federal prosecutor running as an independent.
The Mamdani campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Monday’s criticism from Cuomo.
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