Cuo-no more.<\/p>\n
Andrew Cuomo will drop out of the mayor\u2019s race after his humiliating defeat <\/a>against socialist Zohran Mamdani, sources told The Post \u2014 as the ex-governor\u2019s donors and backers desert him and weigh whether to boost Eric Adams.<\/p>\n Several insiders close to the Cuomo camp said Wednesday that the thrice-elected Democrat will almost certainly not run in the general election as an independent candidate, seeing no obvious path to victory.<\/p>\n Andrew Cuomo admitted defeat in Tuesday\u2019s Democratic mayoral primary. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cThe understanding is he\u2019s not running, every indication is that he doesn\u2019t want to do it and the money wouldn\u2019t be there even if he did want to do it,\u201d said one of the sources, a leader from a prominent union.<\/p>\n Cuomo\u2019s bruised backers are eyeing shifting their support \u2014 to Adams or even an independent candidate \u2014 after the former gov faceplanted in Tuesday\u2019s Democratic mayoral primary to dark-horse left-wing hopeful Mamdani.<\/p>\n But Cuomo still insisted to The Post on Wednesday<\/a> that he was waiting to see the full results of the ranked-choice voting contest before making an official decision about November.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m looking at the numbers from last night. I want to get an idea of what the general election looks like and what landscape looks like, and what the issues are, and then make the decision,\u201d he said\u00a0outside of his home in Midtown East.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s one step at a time, and we haven\u2019t even gotten all the numbers from last night.\u201d<\/p>\n Cuomo\u2019s stunning admitted defeat to Mamdani<\/a> has sparked frenzied talks among business and union leaders about whether to back the untested presumptive Democratic nominee or rally behind Adams \u2014 who is running on an independent line to be called either \u201cEnd AntiSemitism\u201d or \u201cSafe and Affordable.\u201d<\/p>\n One New York City business insider said it\u2019s unlikely the well-to-do will get behind Mamdani \u2014 who has vowed to get taxes raised on businesses and billionaires to pay for his $10 billion in proposed freebies.<\/p>\n But whether Adams receives their backing is also an open question, especially if Hizzoner\u2019s abysmal polling doesn\u2019t improve as the general race heats up.<\/p>\n Zohran Mamdani is the presumptive Democratic mayoral nominee. Stephen Yang<\/p>\n \u201cI think if Eric Adams is still polling awful, there has to be a reckoning,\u201d the insider ominously warned.<\/p>\n Two real estate sources said they weren\u2019t sure they would back Adams because of how poor his polling was \u2014 and several meetings are expected to take place over the coming days among business industry leaders.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t make something out of nothing,\u201d one of the sources quipped.<\/p>\n Billionaire hedge fund titan Bill Ackman \u2014 who had backed Cuomo \u2014 is preparing to support Adams<\/a> and hopes other candidates drop out to clear the lane in the fight against Mamdani.<\/p>\n Other business leaders told Post columnist Charles Gasparino that Adams, despite being politically tainted goods after his controversially dismissed corruption case<\/a>, may well be their best option after Cuomo whiffed the primary.<\/p>\n Mamdani\u2019s win created a political shockwave.<\/p>\n \u201cHe got destroyed \u2014 our best shot is Adams,\u201d said one prominent city business leader about Cuomo.<\/p>\n But one well-placed business insider said that well-heeled commercial leaders are unlikely to slam the door on Mamdani just yet by getting behind another candidate.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a wait and see,\u201d the source told The Post. \u201cHe does deserve the opportunity, the benefit of the doubt that he will work with business. He does deserve that. He hasn\u2019t said he won\u2019t. I think jumping to conclusions would hurt business at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n