On Monday, New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani (D-N.Y.) fired back at Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk after the billionaire endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) in the New York City mayoral race.
Mamdani Fires Back At Musk's Cuomo Endorsement
Earlier in the day, Musk urged New Yorkers to vote for Cuomo, who is running an independent campaign against Mamdani, the Democratic nominee and Republican contender Curtis Sliwa (R-N.Y.).
"Bear in mind that a vote for Curtis is really a vote for Mumdumi or whatever his name is," Musk wrote on X, referring to Mamdani. "VOTE CUOMO!"
The Queens-based lawmaker quickly hit back, posting on X, "Another big endorsement for @andrewcuomo. And it only cost $959 million in tax breaks."
Mamdani's jab referred to a deal in which Cuomo's administration approved $959 million in state funding for a solar panel company tied to Musk's family, which was later acquired by Tesla, according to Politico.
The project failed to deliver on its economic development goals and became entangled in one of the most significant corruption scandals to hit a New York governor's administration.
The New York City mayoral election is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2025.
Trump Also Weighs In On NYC Mayoral Race
President Donald Trump also endorsed Cuomo on Monday, calling him the only viable option to defeat Mamdani.
"Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!"
In September, Trump brushed off Republican mayoral candidate Sliwa — his own party's contender — calling him "not exactly prime time" and mocking his well-known fondness for cats.
According to Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings, TSLA continues to exhibit a solid price trend over short, medium and long-term periods. You can explore more detailed performance insights here.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
