Andrew Cuomo took part in his first public event since announcing his campaign for mayor in the beginning of March, attending a forum for Democratic party candidates held at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn. Cuomo took the stage after the seven other candidates competing against him in the primary—Scott Stringer, Zohran Mamdani, Michael Blake, Adrienne Adams, Brad Lander, Jessica Ramos, and Zellnor Myrie—who each gave a brief speech to the audience before taking questions from NY1 reporter Ayana Harry for roughly 15 minutes each. While the former governor’s attendance might already have been the most notable aspect of the event given his reluctance to make public appearances so far, a group of activists interrupting him during his Q&A made sure of it.
Cuomo was answering a question from Ayana Harry about gentrification when around half a dozen protesters stormed the stage. One of the activists called the governor a “sick freak,” and others chanted “Cuomo lies, people die” as security forced them off the stage. They also attempted to unfurl a banner, but it was unclear what it might have said, as they were swiftly taken off stage. La Voce captured video of the incident. Among them was Walter Masterson, a comedian and activist who has garnered a large social media following for his sharp-witted confrontations with conservatives, having disrupted a Hudson Valley business luncheon featuring Republican Congressman Mike Lawler on March 20th. After the protesters were escorted out, one of the organizers took to the lectern and bemoaned the presence of “white progressive” activists from outside of the community disrupting the event. Other than Masterson, the activists who stormed the stage were all people of color.
“Just like live news, you never know what’s going to happen,” Harry said as they resumed the discussion. “When people don’t want to let you speak, and they want to play political games, that’s part of the problem in this system right now,” the former governor commented on the disruption. As the questions returned to housing, Harry asked the former governor what steps he would take to support smaller landlords who might not be able to take the economic hit of missed rent payments from tenants. Cuomo brought up a “landlord assistance program that can actually help if there’s a shortfall,” although his campaign’s nearly thirty-page housing plan does not elaborate such a policy. Cuomo also spoke in favor of down payment assistance, and ensuring that there be a affordable housing units he plans to build go to people in the local community “rather than have outsiders come in and get those units.”
The NY1 reporter’s final question was about the polarized feelings among the electorate towards Cuomo, pointing to the earlier disruption by protesters. “If I don’t get protested about something, it’s a slow day,” he quipped, recalling protests against various moves when he was governor, including rebuilding New York City’s airports and passing a law on marriage equality. “It’s just par for the course.” The latest polling still shows Cuomo leading the field of Democratic hopefuls by 18 points, with his closest rival, Zohran Mamdani, at 16%.
