Andrew Cuomo simply received’t cease.
The disgraced former governor of New York introduced Monday that he’s pursuing a third-party run for New York Metropolis mayor, regardless of having confronted a tricky loss to Zohran Mamdani within the Democratic main final month.
“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,” Cuomo stated in a brand new marketing campaign video.
Democrat mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks throughout a rally in New York on July 2.
Cuomo will seem on the overall election poll below the unbiased “Fight and Deliver” celebration—a fallback identify he created in case he misplaced the Democratic nomination. His return units the stage for a busy five-way basic election in opposition to Mamdani, embattled Mayor Eric Adams (now operating as an unbiased), Republican Curtis Sliwa, and unbiased Jim Walden.
The previous governor is predicted to compete primarily with Adams for average and business-minded voters who is perhaps frightened about Mamdani’s democratic socialist platform, which features a lease freeze for stabilized flats and free citywide bus service.
Cuomo entered the Democratic main because the front-runner. He had widespread identify recognition, main labor endorsements, and backing from the true property business. However his limp comeback pitch, by which he not often engaged in interviews or unscripted interactions with voters, crumbled below Mamdani’s energized progressive base and a surge of grassroots assist.
A coordinated “Don’t Rank Cuomo” marketing campaign additionally damage his possibilities within the race, which used ranked-choice voting. (The overall election won’t use ranked alternative.) In the long run, Mamdani beat Cuomo by greater than 12 share factors within the remaining spherical of voting.
Now Cuomo is relying on a broader general-election coalition—independents, disillusioned Democrats, and institutional allies—to dam Mamdani’s path to Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence.
However the journey forward is tough. Cuomo carries baggage that led to his resignation as governor in 2021, together with quite a few sexual harassment allegations and a revived Justice Division probe into his COVID-19 disaster administration.
In his newest video, Cuomo targeted on Mamdani, ignoring the opposite candidates altogether.
“Only 13% of New Yorkers voted in the June primary. The general election is in November, and I am in it to win it,” Cuomo stated. “My opponent, Mr. Mamdani, offers slick slogans but no real solutions.”
In the meantime, Mamdani’s group brushed it off.
New York Mayor Eric Adams, proven on Feb. 11.
“While Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams are tripping over themselves to cut backroom deals with billionaires and Republicans, Zohran Mamdani is focused on making this city more affordable for New Yorkers,” stated a Mamdani marketing campaign spokesperson. “That’s the choice this November.”
Nonetheless, Cuomo’s spot on the poll isn’t assured. In accordance with The New York Occasions, sources near his marketing campaign say he would possibly withdraw by early September if polling exhibits he isn’t the strongest opponent to Mamdani. If that occurs, he’s anticipated to push different challengers to do the identical. (Adams and Sliwa have each stated they’ll keep in regardless.)
With Democrats outnumbering Republicans almost 6 to 1 within the metropolis, Mamdani stays the favourite. And a few of Cuomo’s former allies have jumped ship and backed Mamdani. Others, particularly among the many metropolis’s wealthiest and the luxurious actual property business, are nonetheless in search of one of the best ways to cease the democratic socialist and like to see the sector slim behind both Adams or Cuomo.
The overall election is scheduled for Nov. 4. Whether or not Cuomo will nonetheless be within the race by then stays to be seen.
