Disgraced former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that he plans to stay in the NYC mayoral race after getting beat in the Democrat primary by radical leftist Zohran Mamdani.
Cuomo is attempting a political comeback and will now run as an independent candidate for New York City mayor.
However, Cuomo is already signaling he may bow out if he can’t beat Mamdani, a self-described Democratic socialist.
Cuomo resigned in scandal as New York governor in 2021 following allegations of sexual misconduct and corruption during his Covid response.
He announced Monday that he would run as an independent after losing the June Democrat primary to Mamdani.
Yet, the former governor quickly hedged his position, saying he would abandon the race if he’s not seen as the strongest alternative to the socialist nominee.
Referencing former Democrat Governor David Paterson, Cuomo said:
“Governor Paterson put forth a very good idea with [independent mayoral candidate] Mr. Walden.
“We get to September, who’s the strongest candidate, and the other candidates defer and don’t compete.
“Put forth the strongest candidate because it’s about stopping Mr. Mamdani.”
Cuomo added, “Whoever the strongest candidate is, that person should go forward.
“If it’s me, fine. If it’s not me, I will defer.”
WATCH:
Andrew Cuomo says he will exit mayoral race if he can’t beat Zohran Mamdani https://t.co/5bRGnS8zgZ pic.twitter.com/3jc50yrdBc
— New York Post (@nypost) July 14, 2025
The statement comes across as both a reluctant admission of weakness and a veiled plea to be viewed as the establishment’s last line of defense against a hard-left takeover of City Hall.
Paterson, who has emerged as a broker among the centrist wing of New York Democrats, has been vocal in warning that multiple independent candidates splitting the vote would hand Mamdani an easy victory in November.
At a recent press conference, he urged independents to consolidate around whichever candidate polls best against the socialist in the general election.
That press conference didn’t sit well with Mamdani’s far-left supporters.
According to Paterson, the backlash was immediate and personal.
“I got a whole lot of nasty, negative phone calls — really vitriolic — from Mamdani supporters,” Paterson said during an interview.
“[They] called my home. They called my wife.
“It was really kind of difficult for those 48 hours after the press conference.”
Cuomo’s return to the spotlight comes despite his deep baggage and widespread public distrust.
His resignation amid a cascade of credible accusations, and a Covid nursing home scandal that left thousands of elderly New Yorkers dead, left many in his own party eager to distance themselves.
Yet Cuomo seems to believe there’s enough dissatisfaction with the current political climate to warrant another run.
This time, Cuomo is styling himself as a bulwark against the radical Left.
Paterson, meanwhile, remains uniquely connected to all sides of the race.
As Politico’s Jeff Coltin noted:
“David Paterson really is the man in the middle — a friend of [incumbent Mayor Eric] Adams, endorsed Cuomo, worked for Walden, stepfather to [GOP candidate] Curtis Sliwa’s son.”
The real question for New York voters is whether Democrats, especially disaffected moderates, will coalesce around a viable alternative to Mamdani or allow another far-left ideologue to seize the reins of America’s largest city.
For now, Cuomo’s message is clear: vote for me, or I’ll step aside and let someone else stop the socialist surge.
Whether New Yorkers believe he’s the answer or just another relic of Democrat corruption remains to be seen.
Unfortunately for the people of NYC, Cuomo may emerge as the better choice over Mamdani.
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