Dan Pfeiffer, a former staffer for former President Obama and co-host of the podcast “Pod Save America,” slammed a campaign ad for former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo as he seeks to clinch the 2025 mayor’s race in New York City.
“This is one of the least compelling campaign videos that I have ever seen. No message. No charisma. No compelling visuals,” Pfeiffer said in a post on the social platform X in response to a campaign video from Cuomo.
“Just a visibly annoyed man wearing an ill-fitting shirt saying things he clearly doesn’t believe,” he added.
Cuomo has formally announced he is running as an independent in the Big Apple’s mayoral race this fall, following a primary loss to Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.
“Only 13 percent of New Yorkers voted in the June primary. The general election is in November, and I am in it to win it. My opponent, Mr. Mamdani, offers slick slogans, but no real solutions,” Cuomo said in the campaign video Pfeiffer criticized, which was posted Monday on X.
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“We need a city with lower rent, safer streets, where buying your first home is once again possible, where child care won’t bankrupt you. That’s the New York City we know,” he added.
When reached for comment about Pfeiffer’s remarks, Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi told The Hill that “If we upset the pod guys, we must be on the right track.”
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Pfeiffer previously took a swing at Cuomo prior to the Democratic primary, when he said it was “insane” to think the former governor was better than a democratic socialist in the New York City mayoral race.
During a previous episode of “Pod Save America,” Pfeiffer said support for Cuomo from the Democratic Party establishment “is really unforgivable.”
“Like this isn’t — you’re not doing it for another good Democrat,” Pfeiffer continued. “You’re doing it for someone that the entire Democratic Party leadership, including the president of the United States at the time, wanted to resign from the governorship because he sexually harassed 11 women, he abused his power, involved in this nursing home scandal, and everyone’s getting behind that?”
