Progressive groups withdraw their support for Ramos following her endorsement of Andrew Cuomo
In a surprising turn of events during the 2025 Democratic mayoral primary, State Sen. Jessica Ramos found herself on the receiving end of a series of endorsement withdrawals from progressive organizations, labor unions, and elected officials. Ramos, who had previously positioned herself as part of an anti-Cuomo progressive coalition, endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a move that was controversial among progressives and seen as a sharp reversal.
The endorsement flip-flop was particularly striking as Ramos had spent much of her mayoral campaign criticizing Cuomo. This political about-face was viewed as contrary to the values of the progressive groups that had initially supported her, prompting them to distance themselves from her.
The Working Families Party (WFP) leaders, who had earlier expressed regret for leaving Ramos off their slate of endorsed candidates, removed her as their 5th ranked choice. Other organizations that rescinded their endorsements include the United Auto Workers Region 9A, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice Action, the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, the Professional Staff Congress of the City University of New York, and Assembly Member Emily Gallagher.
The WFP did not replace their 5th choice with any other candidate, while most of the dropped endorsers have added Michael Blake to their slate instead. It's unclear how much influence these shifts will have on the state of the race overall.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, and former Assembly Member Michael Blake are now in the ranked order of some of these organizations' slates. Downtown Women for Change bumped up Adrienne Adams to their No. 1 ranked choice.
When reached for comment, Michael Blake was in good spirits. However, it's not clear that the Working Families Party plans to replace Ramos' spot on their slate with him or anyone else. The party did not issue a statement following their truncated slate announcement on Friday.
The withdrawal of these endorsements significantly impacted Ramos' standing within the progressive community and contributed to a contentious primary challenge. Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas, who garnered support from key progressives like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is now seen as a potential primary challenger to Ramos.
[1] Source: The New York Times [3] Source: Gotham Gazette
- The labor unions' decision to withdraw their endorsements from State Sen. Jessica Ramos, driven by her controversial endorsement of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was a significant blow to her stance within the progressive community, potentially leading to a primary challenge from Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas.
- The shifts in policy-and-legislation-related endorsements, including those from the Working Families Party, the United Auto Workers Region 9A, and others, have influenced the 2025 Democratic mayoral primary race, with several candidates, such as City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Assembly Member Michael Blake, gaining endorsements from those who withdrew their support for Ramos.
