With two weeks to go until the Democratic primary for mayor, Andrew Cuomo picked up a major endorsement Tuesday from former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

In a statement, Bloomberg acknowledged his and Cuomo’s past differences, but maintained the former governor's “decades of experience” made him the right pick for the job.

"History holds endless examples of friction between mayors and governors. During my 12 years in City Hall, I served with four New York governors and had differences with all of them, including Cuomo,” he wrote. “But I also know his strengths as a leader and manager. Of all the candidates, Andrew has the skills our city needs to lead us forward.”

“The question before New Yorkers is not: Who is the perfect choice? No mayor is perfect. The question is: Who is the best choice?” he added. “To me, that choice is clear: Andrew Cuomo."

Speaking with NY1 after Bloomberg endorsed him, Cuomo said he had “great respect" for the former mayor.

“I think he understands that the city is at a point of crisis right now, that New York City is in real trouble, and whoever the next mayor is is going to make a major difference,” he said.

Cuomo has been leading the polls in the Democratic primary race, with Queens state Zohran Mamdani polling in second place.

While Michael Bloomberg successfully ran for mayor on the Republican line in three elections, he did have crossover support from some Democrats. The former governor said there are lessons to be learned from Bloomberg’s time in office.

“He wasn’t a politician before, but he had managed a very large organization. He brought those management skills and that’s what we have been sorely lacking for many, many years,” said Cuomo.

Winning as a registered Republican in 2002 and 2005, then as an independent in 2009, Bloomberg overlapped with Cuomo during Cuomo’s first term as governor in 2011 through 2013 when Bloomberg left City Hall.

They worked together during the pandemic when Bloomberg was back in the private sector.

While many politicians called for Cuomo to resign when he was hit with multiple sexual harassment allegations in 2021, Bloomberg wasn’t one of them.

Before the general election in 2021, Bloomberg backed Eric Adams and later donated to his legal defense fund to help with legal bills tied to his now-dropped criminal indictment. Now, Cuomo hopes Bloomberg’s pivot helps send a message to moderate Democrats and Jewish New Yorkers.

He also hopes that experience matters.

“You can't have a person who has no management experience become mayor of New York City, then don’t be surprised when they don’t get the job done, which is what we have had for many, many years,” Cuomo told NY1.

Responding to the endorsement news, Mamdani’s campaign released a statement saying the “billionaires are consolidating around Andrew Cuomo because they know he will preserve the broken status quo.”

“New Yorkers are rallying behind Zohran Mamdani because they are ready for a new generation of leadership that puts working people first,” the campaign said. “On June 24, we will shock the political establishment and win a city we can all actually afford."

Mamdani also scored number one on the Working Families Party ranked-choice ballot.