The landlord lobby just spent $2.5 million to boost Andrew Cuomo’s comeback. It’s a huge donation in the mayoral race because real estate knows what’s at stake. A rent freeze is within reach, and Cuomo is standing in the way.
Cuomo will raise your rent. He’s the only major candidate opposing a rent freeze, calling it a “politically convenient posture” while more than half of New Yorkers are rent-burdened. If you’re against a rent freeze, you’re for rent hikes. And landlords are counting on him to deliver.
But tenants are fighting back. We’re the majority in New York City — 2.4 million rent-stabilized tenants alone — and we’re uniting to elect Zohran Mamdani, the only candidate who has pledged a four-year rent freeze.
Mamdani is backed by the NYS Tenant Bloc, which is mobilizing 20,000 tenant voters across the city to vote for a candidate who will freeze the rent. Our message is simple: vote like a tenant for a mayor who will freeze the rent. Rank Mamdani #1. And don’t rank Cuomo.
Landlords are doing better than ever. This year alone, landlord incomes are up 12% — the biggest jump since the 1990s. Their profits have surged for two years in a row. And while landlords rake it in, tenants are being pushed out of the city we love. From 2020 to 2023, more than half a million people left New York City, searching for somewhere more affordable.
Tenants don’t have profit margins. We have rent burdens. We’re taking on second jobs. Skipping meals. Choosing between rent and food, child care, or medicine. One in four New Yorkers can’t afford the basics. Rent is rising faster than wages — and Mayor Adams’ Rent Guidelines Board is about to raise the rent for the fifth year in a row.
There is a clear solution: freeze the rent. A four-year rent freeze would save New Yorkers nearly $600 a month — almost $7 billion citywide. That’s money families could use to buy groceries, pay for day care, or stay in the neighborhoods they call home. It would be the single most powerful action a mayor could take to make New York more affordable — without spending a dime of public money.
And Cuomo’s record speaks for itself. During his time as governor, rents rose 33% across the state and homelessness in New York City jumped by more than 50%. He repeatedly blocked tenant protections, cut homelessness programs, and handed out massive tax breaks to real estate donors. Some of his donors are slumlords getting sued by the city for hundreds of open code violations.
Landlords claim they need rent hikes to make repairs. But the truth is they’re not using our rent money to fix up our buildings. They’re using it to buy vacation homes and sports cars.
If landlords really need help, they already have tools. They can apply for hardship exemptions. They can raise rents between leases and after renovations. There’s even a program called Unlocking Doors that gives them $25,000 per apartment to make improvements. But last year, only one landlord applied.
Cuomo’s comeback campaign is a last-ditch attempt by landlords to keep control. But they’re losing ground. A recent Emerson poll found that housing affordability is the number one issue for New York City voters — and Data for Progress polling found that 78% of New Yorkers support a rent freeze. That’s why real estate is panicking. That’s why they’re dumping millions into Cuomo. And that’s why we’re going to beat them.
Tenants comprise 70% of New York. We keep this city running, as bus drivers, nurses, cooks, and cleaners. We think tenants should govern the city they hold up every day.
No matter who you are, what you look like, or where you’re from, we can all agree: the rent is too damn high. It’s time to freeze the rent. And we’re not asking anymore — we’re deciding. In this primary vote like a tenant. Your rent is on the ballot. Let’s say hell no to Cuomo, win a rent freeze, and take back our city.
And remind your friends and neighbors: Cuomo will raise your rent. Mamdani will freeze it.
Weaver is director of the NYS Tenant Bloc.
