On Monday, former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced his decision to return to New York City’s mayoral race, this time running as an independent. He announced his bid through a video on social media, stating in the post to X, “I’m in it to win it.”
After losing to Zohran Mamdani 56% to 44% in the third round of last month’s Democratic primary, the decision comes following much deliberation.
Andrew Cuomo stepped down as New York Governor in 2021, following numerous allegations of sexual harassment. In the 90-second video on social media, Cuomo said, “I am truly sorry that I let you down. But as my grandfather used to say, when you get knocked down, learn the lesson and pick yourself back up and get in the game. And that is what I’m going to do. The fight to save our city isn’t over.”
Cuomo joins New York City’s current mayor, Eric Adams, and Jim Walden as independent candidates in the mayoral race. He also faces Curtis Sliwa as the Republican nominee, and Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist who currently leads the polls.
According to people close to Cuomo’s campaign, he will pledge to drop out of the race by early September if the polls do not show him as the highest-ranked challenger to Zohran Mamdani by then. Andrew Cuomo will encourage the other candidates to do the same.
In the social media post, Cuomo criticized Mamdani as offering “slick slogans but no real solutions.” He continued, “You deserve a mayor with the experience and ideas to make it happen again and the guts to take on anybody who stands in the way.”
Cuomo is grounding much of his renewed bid for mayor in everyday issues for New Yorkers, including affordability, a central tenet of Zohran Mamdani’s campaign, which led to his convincing victory.
“We need a city with lower rent, safer streets, where buying your first home is once again possible, where childcare won’t bankrupt you. That’s the New York City we know, that’s the one that’s still possible.”
He also seemed to acknowledge complaints about his “lackluster campaign” in the primary, where he avoided appearing onstage at forums with his opponent. “Every day I’m going to be hitting the streets, meeting you where you are, to hear the good and the bad, problems and solutions, because for the next few months it’s my responsibility to earn your vote. So let’s do this,” Cuomo said.
Zohran Mamdani responded to the news on X, stating, “while Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams trip over each other to win the approval of billionaires in backrooms, our campaign remains focused on working New Yorkers and their clear desire for a different kind of politics.”
Andrew Cuomo is expected to run in November in the general election on the ballot line belonging to the “Fight and Deliver” party, the very party he created months ago in the case that he lost the Democratic Nomination.
