{"id":68653,"date":"2025-07-17T01:41:26","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T01:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/68653\/"},"modified":"2025-07-17T01:41:26","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T01:41:26","slug":"andrew-cuomo-conceding-his-failed-primary-campaign-was-flawed-takes-to-nyc-streets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/68653\/","title":{"rendered":"Andrew Cuomo, conceding his failed primary campaign was flawed, takes to NYC streets"},"content":{"rendered":"

Andrew Cuomo is shifting gears and taking personal responsibility for running what he admits was a lackluster campaign in the Democratic mayoral primary<\/a>, acknowledging that any strategic mistakes ultimately fall on him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was my campaign, I take the responsibility \u2014 period,\u201d Cuomo told the Daily News in a series of interviews from the campaign trail Wednesday. \u201cThe buck stops with me, and we did not effectively communicate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now running as an independent in November\u2019s general election against Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani<\/a>, Cuomo said he will be taking a very different tact.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter use with social media, reaching out to more young people and touching more people,\u201d Cuomo said of his new focus while riding the Q train from 96th St. to 72nd St. in between stops to talk to voters on the Upper East Side, where he largely got a positive reception.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s for New York, and all that other stuff that happened with him doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d Annie Albarian, 65, a registered Republican and Upper East Side resident who plans to vote for Cuomo in November, said, a reference to his 2021 resignation as governor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Gov.Gov. Andrew Cuomo poses a step hanger in the 72nd St. Q Station Wednesday, July 16, 2025 in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams\/ New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

Cuomo, who resigned<\/a> amid sexual and professional misconduct accusations he denies, said he will during the general election campaign be doing more retail politics, like riding the trains, walking the streets and interacting directly with voters.<\/p>\n

Mamdani defeated Cuomo in the June 24 primary by a 12% margin<\/a> after running an energetic campaign grounded in that type of direct outreach.<\/p>\n

By contrast, Cuomo ran a \u201cRose Garden\u201d campaign of sorts during the primary, largely staying out of the public spotlight and relying on a supportive super PAC to spend heavily on ads for him, as nearly all polls projected he\u2019d easily defeat Mamdani and his other opponents.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the political geniuses said we had a big lead and the campaign played it safe, I played it safe, uncharacteristically, and that was a mistake,\u201d he said on the Q train.<\/p>\n

As part of Cuomo\u2019s general election bid revamp, a source familiar with the matter said he also plans to hire a new campaign manager, a new social media team and a new consulting firm to spearhead strategy for him. During the primary, Cuomo relied heavily on Mercury, a PR firm headed by longtime ally Charlie King<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Gov.Gov. Andrew Cuomo outside the 72nd St. Q Station Wednesday, July 16, 2025 in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams\/ New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

Though his style may change, Cuomo signaled Wednesday he will continue to pitch himself as a battle-tested manager who has the type of deep experience New York needs at a time of myriad challenges, like a housing crisis and federal funding cuts<\/a> from President Trump.<\/p>\n

He will also continue to paint Mamdani, a 33-year-old Queens Assembly member, as too inexperienced and his policy platform, which includes a promise to freeze rent for stabilized tenants, as too radical and unrealistic.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not a Democrat,\u201d Cuomo, a lifelong Democrat, said when asked how he justifies challenging the Democratic nominee in November\u2019s contest. \u201cA socialist won in the Democratic primary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cuomo\u2019s own policy platform remains a bit diffuse, with several of his proposals, including for addressing the local housing crisis<\/a>, light on details.<\/p>\n

Cuomo\u2019s Wednesday campaign jaunt, on the other hand, revolved around advantageous locations that showcased his record.<\/p>\n

In riding the Q, he was on a section of the Second Ave. subway<\/a> he as governor helped build \u2014 and while underground he touted it repeatedly as a major accomplishment, at one point stopping by a plaque with his name on it. Later in the day, he invited The News to join him at an apartment complex in East New York that he helped build in the late 1980s while running HELP, a low-income housing development firm.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s loving, he\u2019s kind, he\u2019s generous, he\u2019s the best landlord we had ever,\u201d Leotha McLean Chase, who has lived in the complex since it opened in 1992, said outside the building before affirming she\u2019s voting for Cuomo in November.<\/p>\n

No matter his strategy, Cuomo faces an uphill battle.<\/p>\n

\"Gov.Gov. Andrew Cuomo talks to MTA employees at the 96th St. Q station Wednesday, July 16, 2025 in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams\/ New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

As the Democratic nominee, Mamdani is polling as the favorite to win in November, given the city\u2019s overwhelmingly Democratic electorate. During the primary, Mamdani generated a groundswell of support from young voters by centering his campaign on a slate of policy proposals focused on affordability<\/a>, and he has racked up key institutional support since then, including from powerful unions<\/a> that used to back Cuomo.<\/p>\n

Cuomo\u2019s path to election is further complicated by Mayor Adams, who\u2019s also running as an independent in November and appeals to a similar constituency of moderates and conservatives, potentially cutting into the ex-gov\u2019s base of support.<\/p>\n

In formally entering the November race earlier this week, Cuomo proposed that all independent and Republican candidates in the running should commit to dropping out in September and coalesce behind the person who\u2019s polling best in a head-to-head matchup with Mamdani to maximize their chances of beating him.<\/p>\n

So far, Cuomo\u2019s polling as Mamdani\u2019s biggest threat. But Adams and Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa have already affirmed they will not entertain such a polling proposal, with the incumbent saying Cuomo\u2019s the one who should drop out.<\/p>\n

\"Gov.Gov. Andrew Cuomo greets supporters outside Genesis Homes in Canarsie, Brooklyn, New York Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (Barry Williams\/ New York Daily News)<\/p>\n

In speaking to The News on Wednesday, Cuomo said he\u2019s nonetheless hopeful Adams \u2014 who\u2019s hobbled by continued fallout<\/a> from his corruption indictment and relationship with Trump \u2014 will eventually come around to the idea that he should drop out if he\u2019s not polling as the most credible candidate to beat Mamdani.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, I\u2019m sure he believes he will be the stronger candidate, and, great, run your campaign, and if he\u2019s the stronger candidate, I will defer,\u201d Cuomo said. \u201cBut I\u2019m running my campaign, and if I\u2019m the stronger candidate, he should defer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frank Carone, Adams\u2019 campaign chairman, said that isn\u2019t going to happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I have said repeatedly there is no chance of that \u2014 none, zero, zilch. Any objective person can see that Mayor Adams and his administration have one of the best records in history in delivering for working class New Yorkers,\u201d Carone said, pointing to an increase in small businesses, drops in some crime categories and an uptick in housing construction. \u201cAny suggestion to the contrary is delusion and psychotic arrogance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally Published: July 16, 2025 at 4:36 PM EDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Andrew Cuomo is shifting gears and taking personal responsibility for running what he admits was a lackluster campaign…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":68654,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[48593,19042,5229,5297,5289,48121,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,5301],"class_list":{"0":"post-68653","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-2025-campain","9":"tag-2025-election","10":"tag-america","11":"tag-andrew-cuomo","12":"tag-eric-adams","13":"tag-frank-carone","14":"tag-new-york","15":"tag-new-york-city","16":"tag-newyork","17":"tag-newyorkcity","18":"tag-ny","19":"tag-nyc","20":"tag-united-states","21":"tag-united-states-of-america","22":"tag-unitedstates","23":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","24":"tag-us","25":"tag-usa","26":"tag-zohran-mamdani"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114866034081911555","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68653"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68653\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}