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Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has raised volumes on the issue of prostitution with an attack on New York City mayor’s rival Zohran Mamdani.
After Mamdani topped him in double digits in the Democratic primary in June, Cuomo, running for mayor of the country’s most populous city, argues that “New York City will be the nation’s capital of prostitution” if the 33-year-old democratic socialist lawmaker from Queens wins in November.
Mamdani sent a political shockwave across the country to win over Cuomo and nine other candidates in the Democratic mayoral primary, but called for the decriminalization of sex work when she first ran to the state legislature in 2020.
And as a state legislator, Mamdani co-hosted the bill to decriminalize sexual labour throughout the state.
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However, he rarely spoke about this issue during his 2025 Mayoral run.
Asked at Sunday’s campaign event about criticism over Mayor Eric Adams’ stance on non-criminal prostitution, who runs as an independent candidate for re-election, Mandani said, “My focus on this campaign is to create a city that New Yorkers provide, and they can take their lifespans and create a place of dignity.”
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Pointing to these comments, Cuomo said at a press conference on Monday that Mamdani was asked yesterday whether he would instruct the NYPD to stop arresting prostitution.
Cuomo, a loud critic of former two-term progressive New York City mayor, de Blasio, noted that a prostitution arrest was arrested, in which prostitution was cratered during de Blasio’s tenure.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is running for New York mayor as an independent candidate, but is targeting Democratic mayoral candidate Zoran Mamdani on the issue of non-criminal prostitution. (Paulsteinhauser – Fox News)
“He emulated former mayor Bill de Blasio when it comes to prostitution arrests,” Cuomo claimed. “Learn him, look at his policy, he’s going to be de Blasio 2.0, and I think that’s the last thing the city needs.”
Advocates of non-criminal prostitution claim the move makes sex workers more susceptible to exploitation and violence. However, research suggests that there is an increase in crime and human trafficking in areas where prostitution is legal.
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Parts of New York City have since seen an influx of sex workers. Cuomo signed a law in early 2021 that abolished statues from lo bullets for the purposes of prostitution.
Asked about the bill, the former governor said, “Lototering bill, I have to check it out. I honestly don’t remember.”
But Cuomo emphasized early Monday that he visited the Roosevelt Avenue corridor in Queens, one of the areas where there is a dramatic rise in sex workers.
“There were signs of prostitution on the streets. I told the store owners. They’re very concerned about it. I think they’re destructive to their business, destructive to their neighborhood and have a negative impact on the kids,” Cuomo said.
Mamdani, born in Uganda and will become New York City’s first Muslim and first millennial if he wins the November election, has also been criticized for prostitution by Adams.
Mayor Eric Adams arrives at a public safety announcement on Staten Island on Monday, August 18th, 2025 (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)
“I don’t know where he is in the Quran. He says it’s okay to be on the street where a woman sells her body. I don’t know what he’s reading,” the mayor told reporters on Sunday.
Mamdani surged to major victories thanks to an energetic campaign focused on affordable prices and high cost of living in New York City. It received grassroots troops from supporters, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Mamdani has made smart use of social media platforms, including Tiktok. He proposed eliminating fares for taking New York City’s vast bus system, creating rent to freeze Cuny (City University in New York) into “tuition-free” municipal housing, providing “free childcare” for children up to five years old, and establishing a government-run grocery store.
The latest poll shows that Mamdani is the clear frontline for a city where Democrats are far ahead of Republicans.
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Guardian Angels co-founder Curtis Swawa is also the Republican mayoral candidate in his second consecutive election and is taking part in the poll. Also in the general election vote is Jim Walden, a former federal prosecutor who runs an independent.
The Mamdani campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comments on Monday’s criticism from Cuomo.
Paul Steinhauser is a political reporter based in swing state in New Hampshire. He covers campaign trails from coast to coast. ”
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