Cuomo staying in New York mayoral race, bashes Mamdani's "slick slogans"
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Former Governor Andrew Cuomo holds a rally at the Carpenters Union on the eve of the Democratic primary on June 23, 2025, in New York City. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday he'll run as an independent in the New York City mayoral race, after Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani soundly defeated him in the Democratic primary.
The big picture: Cuomo's decision after conceding to Mamdani sets up a more competitive general election, with current Mayor Eric Adams also running as an independent in a city with a majority of Democratic voters.
- "My opponent Mr. Mamdani offers slick slogans but no real solutions," Cuomo said in a video announcement touting his experience and ideas.
- In response to Cuomo bid, Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, replied to Cuomo's video with a link to contribute to his own campaign.
Driving the news: Cuomo wrote in a post alongside the video, "In it to win it." He thanked the New Yorkers who voted for him while saying he's "truly sorry" for letting them down.
- Footage shows him interacting with New Yorkers and calling for lower rent, safer streets, easier access to home ownership and more affordable child care.
- Cuomo is also planning to ask all other candidates other than Mamdani to pledge that "whoever is not in the lead come mid-September drop out of the race, himself included," according to NewsNation, which first reported his renewed bid for mayor.
The other side: During a press conference on Monday, Mamdani said that his campaign remains focused on working New Yorkers "while Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams trip over themselves to make deals in the backrooms with billionaires."
- "I understand it is difficult for the former governor to come to terms with that because it is a repudiation of the politics he has practiced and he has known for so many years," Mamdani added.
Context: Mamdani's landslide victory over Cuomo has alarmed establishment Democratic leaders and donors as well as Wall Street. The 33-year-old quickly gained a national profile with his perfect-storm campaign and has been endorsed by some fellow members of the state legislature.
- Neither House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries nor Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have endorsed Mamdani's bid for mayor, but Jeffries said on ABC's the View that he's scheduled to meet with him.
- New York Rep. Laura Gillen, from Nassau County, called Mamdani the "absolute wrong choice for New York."
- Rep. Tom Suozzi, also from Nassau County, said he had "serious concerns."
Zoom out: So far, no candidate has expressed interest in dropping out of the race.
- Adams told CNBC that Cuomo had asked him to drop out of the mayoral race, which Adams called "the highest level of arrogance."
- Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa said during an interview with PIX 11 on Saturday that he's "not going anywhere."
Go Deeper: Democratic establishment melts down over Mamdani's win in New York
Editor's note: This story has been updated with comments from Mamdani.
