Overview

• Running as an independent, Andrew Cuomo is attacking Democrat Zohran Mamdani by claiming he would legalize prostitution and worsen public safety.
• Zohran Mamdani calls the accusation a smear, says he has not supported legalization, and has not said whether he would pursue legislation removing penalties for consensual adult sex work.
• Mamdani’s record includes saying “sex work is work,” opposing the Nordic model, co-sponsoring decriminalization bills that never advanced, and voting to repeal a 2021 anti-loitering law that Cuomo signed.
• Prostitution is illegal in New York City, with Manhattan and Brooklyn declining to prosecute most cases while Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island bring cases with a trafficking focus, and the NYPD says it prioritizes services for victims over enforcement.
• Arrests tied to prostitution rose from 162 in 2022 to 439 in 2024, with 485 recorded through mid-July 2025 as the Adams administration increased actions against illegal brothels, particularly along Roosevelt Avenue in Queens.