New York City’s mayoral race has erupted into a storm of controversy, with Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani at its center. The 33-year-old state assemblyman, who has built a campaign persona as a champion of the working class, now faces withering criticism for living in a rent-stabilized Astoria apartment — a benefit his critics say should go to New Yorkers in genuine need.
The debate ignited on August 8, 2025, when former Governor and current independent mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo took to X (formerly Twitter) to lambast Mamdani. Cuomo’s post, which quickly went viral, declared, “Somewhere last night in New York City, a single mother and her children slept at a homeless shelter because you, assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, are occupying her rent controlled apartment.” Cuomo urged Mamdani to “move out immediately and give your affordable housing back to an unhoused family who need it,” arguing that “leaders must show moral clarity.”
Cuomo didn’t stop there. He highlighted Mamdani’s affluent background, noting that the assemblyman’s mother, Mira Nair, is an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker, while his father, Mahmood Mamdani, holds a prestigious professorship at Columbia University. Cuomo also pointed out Mamdani’s international property holdings in Uganda — a country with anti-LGBT laws — and referenced Mamdani’s recent lavish wedding celebrations in Dubai and Uganda. “No matter which way you cut it: Zohran Mamdani is a rich person,” Cuomo wrote, adding, “You are actually very rich. Yet you and your wife pay $2,300 a month, as you have bragged, for a nice apartment in Astoria. That should be housing for someone who needs it.”
The criticism resonated with some New Yorkers, especially those struggling with the city’s soaring rents. The median rent in New York City has reached $3,397, according to Realtor.com, while the average for a one-bedroom in Astoria hovers near $3,000. By paying $2,300 a month, Mamdani saves about $8,400 annually compared to the average tenant in his neighborhood. Critics argue that such savings for someone with a six-figure salary — Mamdani earns $142,000 as a state assemblyman, with additional household income from his wife, illustrator Rama Duwaji — undermines the intent of rent-stabilization policies.
Neighbors have voiced frustration as well. Jerry DeFazio, a mechanical engineer who lived in the same building, told The New York Post, “It’s unfortunate that he supports policies that are great for the fortunate few [who] get these apartments. It makes it harder for everyone to afford … since landlords raise the other rents, like mine, to pay for his.”
Mayor Eric Adams, himself no stranger to New York’s housing struggles, joined the chorus of critics. “This is not public service; this is self-service,” Adams told The New York Post. “It is outrageous that … a man who presents himself as a champion of the poor would occupy an apartment intended for public housing while thousands of New Yorkers sleep in shelters or on the streets. I was born in Brownsville and understand firsthand what it means to fight for a roof over your head.”
Jim Walden, an independent mayoral candidate and lawyer, called it “obscene for wealthy people like Mamdani to get rent-stabilized apartments [and] for elected officials to benefit from programs they vote on.” He added, “Good government can’t be based on bad policy and conflicts of interest.”
Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, never one to miss a jab, quipped to The New York Post, “Only in New York do we have two nepo babies, Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani, arguing over an apartment while the city falls apart because of both of them.” Sliwa accused Mamdani of hypocrisy, saying, “Mamdani talks a big game about being for the people but plays by a different set of rules, and New Yorkers are sick of the hypocrisy.”
Mamdani, for his part, has not shied away from discussing his living situation. During a Democratic primary debate in June 2025, he openly stated his rent was “shockingly affordable.” He claimed he found the listing years ago, when he was earning $47,000 as a foreclosure prevention housing counselor, and did not realize it was rent-stabilized at the time. “In that time since, I’ve become an assemblymember and I’m now able to pay for that apartment and able to also move out of that apartment and I plan on doing so. I don’t plan on living in that apartment for perpetuity,” he told the New York Editorial Board in February.
Still, Cuomo’s spokesperson, Richard Azzopardi, dismissed Mamdani’s explanations, telling The New York Post, “The truth hurts and the truth is Mamdani is gaming a system meant to help those with way less privilege.” Cuomo’s campaign further accused Mamdani of “talking like Bernie but living like Bezos,” and warned against handing the city “to a no-show, do-nothing assemblyman hypocrite.”
Mamdani’s campaign has tried to redirect the conversation, with spokesperson Dora Pekec stating, “Andrew Cuomo isn’t just working with Donald Trump — he’s becoming him. Ranting to reporters, firing off unhinged social media posts, lodging personal attacks — all to avoid talking about the corruption, sexual harassment, and abuse of power that drove him from office. The only thing missing is a red hat.”
Beyond the apartment saga, Mamdani faces another challenge: winning over Black voters, a crucial Democratic constituency. As The New York Times reported on August 10, 2025, Mamdani received less than 30% of the vote in predominantly Black precincts during the June 24 Democratic primary, and only 42% citywide in majority-Black areas. Conversely, he found overwhelming support in gentrifying neighborhoods where Black populations have declined sharply, such as central Harlem and Fort Greene. The shifting political landscape, shaped by decades of displacement, has complicated traditional assumptions about the Black vote in New York City.
To address these gaps, Mamdani has pledged to “make this city affordable and to make a good and dignified life possible for each and every New Yorker.” His campaign is working to deepen ties in Black communities, meeting with trusted leaders and emphasizing policies like expanding Black homeownership and halting the exodus of Black New Yorkers from their neighborhoods. Still, skepticism remains. Black business leaders and homeowners worry that Mamdani’s proposals, such as freezing rents in rent-stabilized apartments, could undermine generational wealth and make it harder for families of color to maintain their homes.
Mayor Adams, himself a landlord, echoed these concerns in a recent interview, warning that Mamdani’s rent policies would “hurt Black landlords and make it more difficult for families of color to afford upkeep expenses on their homes.” Public advocate Jumaane Williams, an ally of Mamdani, countered that Adams and Cuomo are “exploiting Black voters’ fears of displacement to turn them against Mr. Mamdani — efforts that he characterized as a misinformation campaign.”
Despite the uproar, Mamdani continues to campaign on a platform of affordability and inclusion. Whether he can weather the storm of criticism over his apartment — and bridge the divide with skeptical Black voters — may well determine the outcome of New York City’s most contentious mayoral race in years.
