Cuomo Claims Fraud in Mayoral Election

Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York, believes that the recent election was lost due to Curtis Sliwa, the Republican mayoral candidate. During a radio interview, Cuomo described Sliwa as “a complete fraud who has been around for decades.” He mentioned that if Sliwa hadn’t participated, the Democratic candidate, Zoran Mamdani, “would have won” the election.

In a conversation with former Governor David Paterson, Cuomo expressed his disbelief over Sliwa’s role in the election. Paterson admitted he had only heard of Mamdani recently and questioned his effectiveness as a candidate.

“I always thought Sliwa would back down; there was no way for him to win,” Cuomo commented. He added that Sliwa ultimately played a spoiler role that contributed to Mamdani’s victory. “I couldn’t believe the Republican Party could accept Sliwa as the reason Zoran won,” he said.

Cuomo further stated, “If he had dropped out, I’m confident I would have won.” He reflected on the possibility that had he garnered just a few more points, the outcome could have been different. “The whole dynamic would have changed,” he remarked.

While Cuomo criticized Sliwa, he noted that most of the coverage on WABC radio focused on Sliwa rather than Mamdani. He pointed out that Sliwa’s relatives were calling into the station, suggesting a concerted effort to support him. Cuomo claimed that WABC had given Sliwa undue attention and accused them of not addressing Sliwa’s past misdeeds.

“Once again, in terms of election coverage, no one mentioned that Sliwa was a complete fraud for decades,” Cuomo said, recalling instances from Sliwa’s past where he allegedly fabricated stories. “He cost me the election,” he concluded, maintaining that he would have won had Sliwa not been in the race.

These comments followed Mamdani’s victory, who is identified as a democratic socialist. Reports indicated that consistent polling had shown him leading throughout the election process.

According to CNN, Mamdani secured 50.4% of the votes, while Cuomo received 41.6%, and Sliwa garnered 7.1%. Prior to the election, Sliwa had been warned about the likelihood of losing and reportedly became ill during an interview referencing Cuomo.

At one point during the interview, host Sid Rosenberg remarked, “You’ve been on this show for eight minutes so far, and all you’ve talked about is Cuomo.” He implied that Sliwa seemed to be more focused on Cuomo than on Mamdani.