“Hello, and unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that the Democratic primary did not go the way I had hoped,” said former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was recently bested in the NYC Democratic mayoral primary by Zohran Mamdani, a political unknown who energized a young and diverse electorate to emerge as the party’s contender in the upcoming Nov. 4 election.
Conceding the loss after the late June primary, Cuomo praised his rival for running “a really smart and good and impactful campaign.”
However, in a video posted on X Monday announcing his run, the former governor, sounding and looking rather subdued, said, “My opponent, Mr. Mamdani, offers slick slogans, but no real solutions.” He spoke standing in front of some green in Central Park interspersed with handshaking around the city and promised New Yorkers they’d soon be seeing a lot more of him.
“Every day, I’m going to be hitting the streets meeting you where you are, to hear the good and the bad, problems and solutions, because for the next few months, it’s my responsibility to earn your vote. So let’s do this. I’ll see you out there.”
Mamdani’s victory was a major upset. The self-declared Democratic socialist and state assemblyman ran a campaign focused on affordability, proposing a rent freeze and city-owned grocery stores, among the ideas. In a campaign heavy on both social and traditional media, he contrasted himself with the Democratic establishment. That would be Cuomo, who is seeking a political comeback after leaving the New York governor’s office under a cloud of sexual harassment allegations. He denied the claims and has said that he regretted his decision to step down.
Current New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who’s also had rocky tenure, is running also as an independent.
The indefatigable Curtis Sliwa ran uncontested in the Republican primary.
Mamdani has endorsements from progressive figures including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and some moderates including Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.).
Cuomo had the backing of former President Bill Clinton and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Mamdani’s political stance has appeared to spooked some in the business world with financiers from Bill Ackman and JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon opposing a self-described socialist candidate.
The Ugandan-born Queens lawmaker, 33, is the son of, filmmaker Mira Nair and political scientist Mahmood Mamdani, a Columbia University professor. He’s engaged with the most controversial issues of the day, using his victory speech to say that he would “stop masked ICE agents from deporting our neighbors.”
Asked about that at a press conference, President Donald Trump responded, “Well then, we’ll have to arrest him.”
Mamdani strongly criticized the Israel amid the Gaza war and has been criticized for comments around the term intifada. He has also spoken out against antisemitism, calling anti-Jewish sentiment an issue the next mayor should focus on.
“Don’t kid yourself. The billionaires will spend endlessly to defeat him. This is an election of national significance. Either we develop a strong progressive working class movement, or we end up with Oligarchy & authoritarianism,” said Sanders on X today.
Cuomo’s video steered away from the controversial. “We need a city with lower rent, safer streets, where buying your first home is once again possible, where Child Care won’t bankrupt you. That’s the New York City we know that’s the one that is still possible. You haven’t given up on it, and you deserve a mayor with the experience and ideas to make it happen again and the guts to take on anyone who stands in the way.”
Mamdani’s campaign is out fundraising on the news.
“Today, Andrew Cuomo announced that he’s staying in the Mayor’s race and will be on the ballot as an independent in November. He’s not fighting for you—he’s running only to repair his soiled reputation and protect the billionaire Trump donors who fund his campaigns,” reads an email from Zohran For New York City. “Will you stand with Zohran in the fight to keep Cuomo out once and for all?”