NEW YORK (AP) — Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he will campaign for mayor of New York City as an independent candidate, staying in a crowded field running against surging left-wing Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani.
In a video, Cuomo, who last month suffered a bruising loss to Mamdani in the Democratic primary, announced he was making another run to combat the progressive Mamdani, who he said “offers slick slogans but no real solutions.”
“The fight to save our city isn’t over,” Cuomo said. “Only 13 percent of New Yorkers voted in the June primary. The general election is in November and I am in it to win it.”
Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams also is running as an independent in the general election and Curtis Sliwa — founder of the 1970s-era Guardian Angels anti-crime patrol — is again on the Republican line.
People opposed to Mamdani’s progressive agenda, which includes higher taxes on the wealthy, have called on donors and voters to unite behind a single candidate for the November election. They fear multiple candidates will splinter the anti-Mamdani vote, increasing the Democrat’s chances to win.
The decision to continue on in the race is the latest chapter in Cuomo’s comeback attempt, launched almost four years after he resigned as governor following a barrage of sexual harassment allegations. He denied wrongdoing during the campaign, maintaining that the scandal was driven by politics.
