Former Governor Andrew Cuomo, after enduring another defeat against newcomer Zoran Mamdani, framed the loss as a rejection of socialist ideas, asserting that his campaign was “the right fight to fight.”
Speaking in Manhattan alongside his daughters, Cuomo highlighted the historic turnout of over 2 million voters, which hadn’t been seen in more than five decades.
“This campaign is a righteous fight, and I’m proud of what we did together,” he remarked.
Cuomo also pointed out that nearly half of New Yorkers chose to support an administration whose promises, he claims, are unrealistic, criticizing Mamdani’s ambitious promises of socialist policies.
“We support an economy of jobs and opportunities for entrepreneurship. That’s what New York means to me,” he added.
Follow the latest updates on the 2025 New York City Mayoral Election.
As an independent candidate, Cuomo garnered 41.6% of the vote, falling short by nine points to Mamdani.
Mamdani had previously defeated Cuomo decisively in the Democratic primary, and then proceeded to the general election.
“He got up from the mat the night after the primary and made it a real campaign,” Cuomo said, reflecting on the nearly 850,000 votes he received, which he noted were somewhat overlooked in the ballot count.
Cuomo mentioned that his vote percentage was actually higher than that of his father, Mario Cuomo, who ran as an independent in 1977 and received around 40% of the vote before losing to Ed Koch.
“We are a nation of laws. We believe in law and order, and we need police to keep our communities safe,” he stated. “We value diversity and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind, and we condemn acts that fuel anti-Semitism.”
“This campaign was necessary to make those points. It serves as a warning that we’re on a dangerous path,” he told Mamdani.
