House Republican says supporting Cuomo over Mamdani is a ‘no-brainer’

EXCLUSIVE: A prominent Empire State Republican is supporting former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo in next week’s New York mayoral race in an effort to derail Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani.

Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., a House lawmaker who previously chaired the New York State Republican Party, told Fox News Digital it was “a no-brainer” to support Cuomo, despite their disagreements, over Mamdani.

“It’s a simple choice. I mean, a candidate has a chance to win. I mean, there are polls that put him 10 points behind in a very fluid situation,” Langworthy said.

“It’s about saving the city from communism. I’ve had many disagreements – very publicly over the years – and I’ve fought tooth and nail with Governor Cuomo. But there’s no doubt in my mind that he would be a far superior mayor than a communist.”

MAJOR NEW YORK PAPER APPROVES ANDREW CUOMO FOR MAMDANI “CALLOW AND FEALY-MOUTHED”

Zohran Mamdani, Democratic candidate for mayor of New York, accepts the endorsement at United Bodegas of America in the Bronx, NY on October 29, 2025. (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)

He is one of several prominent New York Republicans who publicly supported Cuomo in the final days before the election.

Early voting began last weekend in New York City’s mayoral race. Mamdani is the presumptive frontrunner in the deep blue Democratic stronghold, with Cuomo running as an independent candidate and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa running as a Republican.

However, both Cuomo and Sliwa have made overt moves to court independent and Republican voters, with Mamdani’s critics fearing the two could cancel each other out.

Langworthy wouldn’t say if it was a mistake on Sliwa’s part not to drop out of the race sooner, but said: “Everyone really needs to check, is this a vanity project?” Or is this something you’re trying to do to seriously become mayor?

“There’s only one candidate against Mamdani who has a credible path to winning. And there’s Andrew Cuomo. And, you know, he knows how to run a government,” he said. “I may have political disagreements with him, but he is certainly a better option than the alternative of Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America running the city without checks and balances.”

Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Oct. 30, 2025. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

This comes as other New York Republicans also make last-minute overtures to voters in the Big Apple.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., the only House Republican representing part of New York City and who ran for mayor in 2017, said she thought Sliwa was “the better choice” but said polls showed “Cuomo had the best chance of beating Mamdani.”

“I’ll take either one, frankly. I’ll take anyone except the communist,” she said.

“He doesn’t have the experience. You know, 34 years old. His only job was as a hip-hop artist – a bad one, at that. And if we have another hurricane, another pandemic, another terrorist attack, this guy is not capable of running this city through it.”

ZOHRAN MAMDANI RECEIVES LONG-AWAITED KEY SUPPORT IN NEW YORK MAYOR RACE

Mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo speaks during a Democratic mayoral primary debate on June 4, 2025 in New York. (Yuki Iwamura/Pool/AP Photo)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

But House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., who represents part of the New York suburbs of Long Island, said he thought a Mamdani victory was likely a “foregone conclusion.”

“The Democrats, the way they set up the system for themselves – somehow the primary is ranked choice, but the general isn’t. I mean, it’s ridiculous,” Garbarino said. “But we’ll see. I mean, the polls have been wrong before.”

Election Day in New York is Tuesday, November 4.