Andrew Cuomo has announced that he will run for New York City mayor as an independent candidate. He stated on Monday that he plans to drop out if he does not lead in the race to defeat socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani in the upcoming September election.
Cuomo formally revealed his campaign intentions in a video on X, claiming that the turnout for the Democratic primary in June was quite low. He noted that Mamdani had won that primary but suggested that only a fraction of New Yorkers participated.
In his words, “The general election is in November, and I’m in it to win it.” This declaration follows his prior commitment last September to withdraw if he wasn’t leading the anti-Mamdani candidate.
Cuomo mentioned outside his Manhattan apartment, “If it’s me, if it’s fine… if it’s not me, I’d postpone.” His strategy was initially proposed by independent candidate Jim Walden, aiming to create a more competitive two-person race and enhance the opportunity to defeat Mamdani.
Mayor Eric Adams criticized Cuomo’s commitment, asserting that Cuomo had previously acknowledged he wasn’t in the Democratic primary and understood that Mamdani would be backed by the Working Families Party.
Adams expressed his disdain for what he described as Cuomo’s tactics, suggesting this was typical of Cuomo’s playbook—making independent announcements to appear forthright.
He remarked that Cuomo had led in polls prior to the primary, where Mamdani went on to defeat him with 56% to Cuomo’s 44% in the first round of ranked-choice voting.
Adams further questioned the rationale behind trusting someone with a track record of inconsistency. “Why should we trust him now when he has consistently failed to keep his word?” he asked. “He can’t help himself, and you can’t trust him with his words.”
