Asian Wave Alliance Endorses Andrew Cuomo for Mayor
In Stark Contrast to Mamdani, Cuomo Would Protect & Expand NYC's Gifted and Talented Program; Double Number of Specialized High Schools, and Hire 5,000 Police Officers
New York, NY – The Asian Wave Alliance today proudly announced its endorsement of Andrew M. Cuomo for Mayor of New York City in the upcoming general election, citing his strong record and clear commitment to the issues that matter most to New York’s Asian American communities.
The organization is a nonpartisan political club that advocates for common-sense candidates to safeguard the future of Asian communities across the five boroughs. Asian Wave Alliance centers on quality of life and advocacy work for the Asian communities in New York City, including public safety, excellence in schools, thriving businesses, language support, and care for seniors.
“The Asian American community represents the best of New York—hard work, resilience, and a deep commitment to education and family," Cuomo said. "This community is tired of lip service and deserves a fighter who will strengthen the programs that matter most to them while ensuring their voices are heard. I am deeply honored to have the support of Yiatin Chu, Justin Yu, and the Asian Wave Alliance. Together, we will continue to protect specialized high schools, expand opportunities for our children, and fight for safer, stronger neighborhoods across our city.”
Yiatin Chu, President of the Asian Wave Alliance, praised Cuomo for his leadership on education while criticizing Zohran Mamdani for pledging to eliminate the Gifted and Talented program, which has served as a bright spot for middle-class families in public schools. Cuomo has pledged to expand the program with more seats in each borough.
“Governor Cuomo has been a steadfast supporter of quality education for all New Yorkers. He has fought to preserve and strengthen the SHSAT, protect and expand the Gifted and Talented program, and ensure families have access to charter schools,” said Chu.“These are the programs that have helped countless Asian American families pursue the American Dream. By contrast, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani’s announcement that he would phase out the Gifted and Talented program is a direct attack on opportunity and excellence in our schools. We cannot afford that kind of reckless policy. That is why we stand proudly with Andrew Cuomo for Mayor.”
Education: Cuomo v. Mamdani
Gifted & Talented Program
- Cuomo knows the path to real social justice is expanding opportunity, not eliminating it. He will expand the Gifted and Talented program in every borough, providing more opportunities for students to thrive.
- Mamdani wants to end New York City’s Gifted and Talented program -- denying opportunities for specialized high quality public education for hard working children of working New Yorkers. However, last year more than half of NYC students couldn’t read at grade level — and Mamdani has no plan to fix that. His vision is to pull excelling students down instead of lifting struggling students up.
SHSAT & Specialized High Schools
- Cuomo will preserve the SHSAT admission exam, expand access to test prep in every neighborhood, and double the number of specialized high schools from 9 to 18.
- Mamdani ran on abolishing the SHSAT test, then reversed himself amid public outcry. He's presented no plan for specialized schools, or an education plan at all for the 938,000 public school students.
Charter Schools
- Cuomo has always fought for charter schools, and as governor successfully raised the charter cap in New York City and cut red tape that prevented new community run charters from opening and operating. He's presented a plan to use charters as an alternative for persistently underperforming schools. He is the candidate who will deliver excellence, opportunity, and fairness for all New Yorkers.
- Mamdani would abandon students in struggling schools and crush the charter school section. New York’s charter schools are not an experiment. After 20 years, the results are undeniable. On state tests, Black students in charter schools outperform their peers in district schools by wide margins — 61.5% proficiency in math versus 34.3%, and 58.6% in ELA versus 40.3%.
Public Safety: Cuomo vs. Mamdani
Police Staffing, SRG & Crime Response
Andrew Cuomo:
- Proposes hiring 5,000 additional NYPD officers, a 15% increase that would raise the force to nearly 39,000 officers, reversing years of decline.
- Will strengthen neighborhood patrols, precision policing, fund youth workforce and employment programs, improve subway safety, and ensure faster response times.
- Would expand the NYPD's Strategic Response Group (SRG)
Zohran Mamdani:
- Has a long record of calling the NYPD racist and has repeatedly pushed to defund, disarm, and dismantle the department.
- Supports disbanding the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group (SRG) — the specialized unit that responds to terror incidents, mass shootings, and large-scale emergencies.
- Wants to replace police with civilians on domestic violence calls and traffic stops — even though 70% of DV calls involve violence or threats of violence and many illegal guns are seized during traffic stops.
- Mamdani’s plan would weaken crisis response and put ideology ahead of safety.
Retail Theft & Quality of Life Crimes
Andrew Cuomo:
- Would dedicate more police resources to cracking down on retail theft and dismantling fencing operations.
- Targets repeat offenders who drive organized theft rings.
- Will shut down both street-level resale markets and online e-commerce fencing, protecting small businesses and restoring neighborhood safety.
Zohran Mamdani:
- Opposes NYPD resources for quality-of-life crimes, framing enforcement as “over-policing.”
- Has not advanced a specific plan to combat organized retail theft or fencing operations.
- Mamdani’s stance leaves small businesses — especially immigrant-owned shops — exposed to theft and economic devastation.
E-Bike & Delivery Regulation
Andrew Cuomo:
- Outlined a comprehensive plan to regulate e-bikes and e-scooters:
- Eliminates delivery pay incentives that encourage reckless riding.
- Holds delivery platforms financially liable for damages caused by their riders.
- Requires mandatory registration of all e-bikes and e-scooters with NYC DOT.
- Mandates delivery platforms record registration numbers before assigning jobs.
- Supports Priscilla’s Law, requiring license plates for e-bikes and scooters.
Zohran Mamdani:
- Opposes broad crackdowns on e-bike use
- His platform has not included substantive safety or regulatory measures, despite rising accidents and public safety concerns.
- Prioritizes ideological posturing over common sense safety rules, leaving pedestrians, riders, and neighborhoods at risk.
Throughout his career in public service, Governor Cuomo has been a champion for working New Yorkers, raising wages for millions of workers, passing the strongest gun violence prevention and paid family leave laws in the nation, advancing the most substantial infrastructure program in a generation, including the Second Avenue Subway, the Moynihan Train Hall, the new Kosciuszko Bridge and the new JFK and LaGuardia airports and codifying Roe vs. Wade in state law years before the Supreme Court overturned it, all while cutting taxes and reining in spending.
The endorsement from Asian Wave Alliance adds to a growing coalition of community leaders and organizations supporting Andrew Cuomo as the candidate best prepared to lead New York City forward.
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