Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned Democrats on Thursday that the party could lose the general election in November if it does not unite on key issues like the border crisis.
Cuomo, who is a Democrat and former ally of President Joe Biden, claimed Democrats must lead in order to win and must unite around a better response to the border crisis.
“To me, the Democratic Party, at its best, doesn’t deny problems, it solves them,” Cuomo wrote in an op-ed. “It is ideologically driven, but also realistic. It is the ‘progressive’ party because it actually makes progress. … For example, the migrant issue is creating mayhem across the country and showing the ineffectiveness and schisms in the Democratic Party.”
Cuomo said Gov. Greg Abbott‘s (R-TX) ploy to bus migrants to sanctuary cities showed how ill-prepared the party was for the consequences of the Biden administration’s border policies and its failure to find a solution.
The former governor urged Democrats in the federal government, neighboring states like New Jersey, and the state of New York to unite on the issue instead of relying on cities like New York City to handle the influx. New York City has seen more than 150,000 migrants enter its city and housing system since the spring of 2022.
“This is not New York liberals taking a different position than southern Blue Dog Democrats,” Cuomo said. “It’s New York taking a different position than New Jersey, upstate Democrats taking a different position than downstate Democrats, and the Democratic governor taking a different position than the Democratic mayor. The lack of logic, practicality, sustainability and fairness in managing the migrant issue is obvious to all. The president, governor and mayor are all blamed by the public for the obvious failure. It must be resolved.”
Cuomo said the division spreads beyond the border crisis to other important Democratic issues, including homelessness, policing, criminal justice, housing, and the war in Israel.
The former governor added that it is not enough for Democrats to rely on former President Donald Trump being unelectable; the party needs to give voters a reason to keep a Democrat in the White House.
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“Donald Trump cannot win the election, but Democrats can lose the election. We cannot wager that citizens will vote against Trump, but rather give them a reason to vote for Democrats. We must make the positive case for a Democratic future — the negative case against Trump makes itself.”
Cuomo served as the governor of New York from 2011 to 2021 but has faced backlash over sexual assault allegations and allegations that his COVID-19 policies killed thousands of seniors in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
