New York
CNN
—
Fresh off losing New York’s Democratic primary for mayor to Zohran Mamdani, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday ramped up his efforts to push the incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, out of the race.
Cuomo’s latest gambit to keep alive his mayoral bid — and his political comeback after resigning as governor — is backing a proposal that all Mamdani challengers adhere to the results of a poll that would be taken in September, weeks before the November election. Whichever candidate is deemed by the survey to be the strongest challenger to Mamdani would continue their campaign. The rest of the field would agree to suspend their campaigns and endorse that challenger.
The proposal would need the approval of the city’s campaign finance board.
Speaking on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Monday, Adams said Cuomo recently called him to suggest he should step aside and clear a lane for him to compete against Mamdani, the 33-year-old state assemblyman and democratic socialist.
“I’m the sitting mayor of the city of New York and you expect me to step aside when you just lost to Zohran?” Adams said during the interview.
Adams, who opted to sit out the Democratic primary and is running as an independent, described Cuomo’s request as “the highest level of arrogance.”
Cuomo remains on the November ballot as the candidate of the “Fight and Deliver Party” but has not held any public events since primary night or committed to campaigning through November.
In a statement issued by Cuomo campaign spokesperson Rich Azzopardi on Monday, the former governor’s campaign did not appear any closer to bowing out of the race.
“Mayor Adams did not run in the Democratic primary because he knew he was anathema to Democrats and unelectable. Nothing has changed. We do not see any path to victory for Mayor Adams,” Azzopardi said.
New York City’s political establishment, which was shaken by Mamdani’s resounding win, has struggled to coalesce behind a single candidate.
For now, observers think Cuomo could split the city’s Black vote with Adams. Also in the field is a third independent candidate, Jim Walden, who originally pitched the survey idea.
Curtis Sliwa, a radio personality and founder of the Guardian Angels, a crime-prevention group, is running as the Republican nominee. He has also declined requests to drop out to send GOP support to Adams, who has drawn closer to President Donald Trump and had his corruption charges dismissed by Trump’s Department of Justice.
The scramble was on display Monday during a news conference in Midtown Manhattan. Former Gov. David Paterson, who endorsed Cuomo in the primary, said a single independent candidate should challenge Mamdani in the general election. But he refused to answer when asked who he thought the candidate should be.
“We can do this, but it’s going to take a united effort, and it’s going to take some sacrifice that someone is going to have to make,” Paterson said.
