Cuomo stays in NYC mayor’s race despite losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani

Former Gov Andrew Cuomo launched an independent run for New York City mayor on Monday restarting his campaign after a bruising loss to progressive Zohran Mamdani in the Democratic primary In a video Cuomo communicated he would remain in the race to combat Mamdani a democratic socialist state lawmaker while previewing a strategic reset that would bring a more personal approach to a campaign that had been criticized as distant from voters The fight to save our city isn t over Cuomo stated Only percent of New Yorkers voted in the June primary The general voting process is in November and I am in it to win it Critics of Mamdani s progressive agenda which includes higher taxes on the wealthy have called on donors and voters to unite behind a single candidate for the November poll But the field is crowded and Cuomo along with current Mayor Eric Adams who is also running as an independent now face a complex task in cobbling together enough voters in an overwhelmingly Democratic city where Mamdani has amassed notable momentum In a comment Jeffrey Lerner a spokesperson for Mamdani criticized Cuomo and Adams while emphasizing that the Democratic nominee is focused on making this city more affordable for New Yorkers Cuomo s decision to press on is the latest chapter in his comeback attempt launched almost four years after he resigned as governor in following a barrage of sexual harassment statements He denied wrongdoing during the campaign maintaining that the shame was driven by politics The former governor was the presumed frontrunner for much of the primary His juggernaut campaign drew heavily on his deep political experience universal name recognition and a powerful fundraising operation but at the same time limited media interviews held limited unscripted events and avoided mingling with voters The guarded strategy was in heavy contrast with Mamdani s energetic run which was centered around making the city a more affordable place to live and amassed a legion of contributors all while the candidate s savvy social media persona won him national acclaim Mamdani s massive win sent a lightning bolt through the Democratic party energizing young progressives but also unnerving moderates who worried the candidate s criticisms of Israel and socialist label could alienate centrist voters Cuomo in his video Monday appeared to acknowledge his campaign s shortcomings splicing his latest pitch to return to the political stage with clips of him shaking hands with people and a vow to run a more grounded campaign 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 he mentioned because for the next sparse months it s my responsibility to earn your vote Mamdani had been relatively unknown when he launched his mayoral candidacy but picked up heavy momentum before trouncing the former governor by more than percentage points Cuomo conceded the race on the night of the vote Despite the loss Cuomo had qualified to run on an independent ballot line in November under a party he created called Fight and Deliver Cuomo began losing assistance from traditional allies as he weighed whether to remain in the race with key labor unions and political leaders starting to line up behind Mamdani Rev Al Sharpton an influential Black leader has urged Cuomo to step aside Several deep-pocketed contributors have meanwhile aligned behind Adams Although he s still a Democrat Adams pulled out of the primary shortly after a federal judge dismissed a corruption occurrence against him at the request of President Donald Trump s Justice Department arguing that the scenario had sidelined him from campaigning Adams in a announcement published by his campaign disclosed Cuomo is wasting time and dividing voters The people spoke loudly he lost Yet he continues to put himself over the number one goal beating Mamdani and securing our city future explained Adams Jim Walden a former prosecutor is also running as an independent candidate Curtis Sliwa founder of the s-era Guardian Angels anti-crime patrol is on the Republican line Cuomo s campaign distributed a declaration later Monday that disclosed the former governor had agreed to a proposal by forward by Walden that in mid-September we will determine which candidate is strongest against Mamdani and all other candidates will stand down rather than act as spoilers and guarantee Mamdani s ballot Both Adams and Sliwa have insisted they would not drop out of the race