Mamdani, Cuomo clash over who is better at supporting law enforcement after Manhattan mass shooting

New York City mayoral contenders Zohran Mamdani and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo are facing off over who is a better supporter of law enforcement after Monday's mass shooting in a midtown Manhattan office building.

Mamdani is the 33-year-old democratic socialist state lawmaker from Queens who shocked the political world last month by coming from behind to top Cuomo and nine other candidates to capture the Democratic Party mayoral nomination in the overwhelmingly blue city. He has been facing criticism after the shooting over his past comments calling to defund the NYPD. 

Cuomo has called Mamdani "anti-police," arguing he "doesn't understand the need for public safety."

"He has said the NYPD are racists, the police are a threat to public safety," Cuomo charged Wednesday morning ahead of a press conference held by Mamdani, during which he addressed the criticism f...