House Dem gives Cuomo 11th-hour endorsement in break with party

• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) last week became the most recent top Democrat to back Mamdani, joining Gov. Kathy Hochul and several members of New York City's congressional delegation.
• There are still some key holdouts, however, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).

Driving the news: "I'm a Democratic Capitalist, not a Democratic Socialist. I endorse Andrew Cuomo," Suozzi said in a post on social media.

• "I can not back a declared socialist with a thin resume to run the most complex city in America. We need leaders who will fight crime, not undermine the police," Suozzi said.
• A high-profile centrist and co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, Suozzi represents a sliver of Queens but his district is primarily based on Long Island.
• Mamdani's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Zoom out: Suozzi's announcement comes just ahead of election day next Tuesday. Cuomo has positioned himself as Mamdani's main challenger, with Republican Curtis Sliwa generally polling in third.

• Cuomo lost in an upset to Mamdani in the Democratic primary in June but vowed to stay in the race.
• The Democratic ex-governor got a boost when incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, another Democrat running as an independent, dropped out of the race and later endorsed him.
• Still, Cuomo has mostly polled behind Mamdani in the general election, with his supporters trying unsuccessfully to pressure Sliwa out of the race.