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New York City mayoral candidates Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander stopped by The Late Show to reflect on their campaigns so far and to explain why they are endorsing each other.
Host Stephen Colbert kicked off the lengthy interview by asking why exactly they decided to collaborate to ensure they are ranked number one and two on the ballot. “We both agree, for starters, that corrupt, abusive Andrew Cuomo should not be allowed anywhere near City Hall,” Lander said. “And we know that by teaming up a majority of New Yorkers won’t choose him. At the same, we have a positive vision.”
Mamdani added, “Brad has been a principled and progressive leader in this city for years. So many of the laws that we celebrate in this city are ones that he actually brought to bear… It’s exciting to know that while each of us think we will make the next best mayor of New York City, we also understand that it’s time for a politics of the future. And that means a politics of collaboration, a politics of sincerity, a politics of principle.”
The duo also addressed why this particular mayoral race has become news on a national level rather than just in New York. Mamdani noted that it’s because it feels like a “referendum” on where the Democratic party goes from here, calling it a “battle of organized money versus organized people.”
“Ultimately, it’s a question for our own party of how do we move forward,” he said. “Do we move forward with the same politicians of the past, the same policies of the past that delivered us this present, or do we move forward with a new generation of leadership, one that is actually looking to serve the people?”
Elsewhere in the interview, Colbert asked each candidate about their views on Israel, anti-semitism, and their own religious views. Notably, he urged Mamdani to explain how he would aim to build a bridge between the city’s Jewish community and its Muslim community. Mamdani that he would bring humanity to the forefront, which is “the most New York City thing we can do.”
“For so many of us who have grown up in this city, difference is something that we celebrate,” he said. “It’s something that we know is actually a part of the fabric of this place that we call home.”
Colbert also asked Lander about being handcuffed by ICE for linking arms with an immigrant named Edgardo they attempted to detain. Lander explained that he had been volunteering to help families walk out of the building and had previously done it successfully five times before. “In this case, you saw they grabbed us, separated us,” he said. “I was detained for four hours. Edgardo remains in ICE detention today.”
Lander and Mamdani are running for New York City mayor against Cuomo, who has a known history of sexual harassment. Earlier this year, it was revealed that in the four years since Cuomo resigned as governor, New York taxpayers have paid $60 million in legal expenses related to Cuomo’s conduct in office, including efforts to defend the former governor in lawsuits concerning his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, his book deal, and the sexual harassment accusations.The vast majority of that total — $46.9 million —is related to the investigation and litigation of the numerous harassment claims.
