Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo will run in New York City’s mayoral race as a third-party candidate, after losing the primary for the Democratic nomination last month.
“The fight to save our city isn’t over. 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 said in a video posted to X.
Cuomo will appear on the “Fight and Deliver” ballot line, an independent party he created. In May, Cuomo said he would run on this third-party line regardless of whether he won the Democratic primary or not, because his “campaign will work to build the largest possible coalition and secure the biggest possible mandate. We will be responsive to those who want to support my candidacy, but who would like an alternate way to do it.”
Cuomo staying in the game pegs the mayoral race as a rematch between him and State Rep. Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who achieved an upset win for the Democratic nomination after running a campaign focused on the city’s cost-of-living crisis. Cuomo was supported by some of the Democratic establishment, including many who had previously called for his resignation as governor after numerous accusations of sexual harassment and allegations he covered up nursing home deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Several House Democrats who endorsed Cuomo in the primary, like Reps. Adriano Espaillat and Jim Clyburn, said they would support Mamdani as the Democratic nominee after the June primary.
Mamdani is scheduled to meet with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries this week. Jeffries has yet to endorse Mamdani.
Mamdani’s success has been compared by some to U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s upset win in 2018 against a 10-term incumbent that launched her national political career. (Mamdani has received Ocasio-Cortez’s endorsement and she will be hosting a breakfast for him this week.)
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is also running an independent candidacy — and would very likely be Cuomo’s competition for moderate voters. But Cuomo’s video Monday made clear who he felt the main competition was.
“My opponent, Mr. Mamdani, offers slick slogans, but no real solutions. We need a city with lower rent, safer streets, where buying your first home is once again possible, where childcare won’t bankrupt you,” Cuomo said. “That’s the New York City we know. That’s the one that is still possible. You haven’t given up on it, and you deserve a mayor with the experience and ideas to make it happen again and the guts to take on anyone who stands in the way.”