Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo enters race for NYC mayor
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his long-expected NYC mayoral bid Saturday — a late entry threatening to eclipse a crowded Democratic primary and deal embattled incumbent Eric Adams a political death blow.
Cuomo enters the crowded race widely considered the front runner after a monthslong shadow campaign, in which he coyly avoided officially announcing his political comeback while ruthlessly capitalizing behind-the-scenes on Adams’ scandal-plagued first term.
“The city just feels threatening, out of control,” Cuomo said in his 17-minute, 30-second long announcement video posted on YouTube.
“These conditions exist not as an act of God, but rather as an act of our political leaders. Or more precisely, the lack of intelligent action by many of our political leaders.”
Cuomo’s backroom maneuvering quietly amassed key support and siphoned off many of Adams’ prominent backers, even before the three-term governor jumped into the race.
“I know we can turn the city around, and I believe I can help, and that is why I announced my candidacy today for mayor of New York City,” he said in the lengthy video, in which he doesn’t mention Adams directly at all.
Adams — a former NYPD captain and Brooklyn borough president who was widely considered a Democratic star nationally when elected in 2021 — saw his political clout plummet following his historic corruption indictment and a swirl of scandals that ensnared some of his closest confidantes.
The mayor dodged questions about Cuomo’s candidacy Saturday while leaving an unrelated event in Lower Manhattan, telling the Post “Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on!…Democracy!” before hopping in a black SUV with his NYPD police detail.
Cuomo, meanwhile, is making a return to public life following his own scandals — he resigned from the governor’s office in 2021 while facing a slew of sexual harassment accusations, which he has vigorously denied.
Cuomo briefly addressed the embattled end to his governorship during his announcement.
“Did I always do everything right in my years of government service?” he said. “Of course not. Would I do some things differently knowing what I know now? Certainly.
“Did I make mistakes? Some painfully. Definitely. And I believe I learned from them and that I am a better person for. And I hope to show you that every day.”
Though scandal-scarred, few expected the ambitious and formidable Cuomo to stay out of politics for long. And opportunity opened when Adams’ polling hit record lows last year.
The speculation eventually coalesced into an open secret Cuomo would run for mayor, especially as Adams cozied up to President Donald Trump and the U.S. Department of Justice moved to toss his criminal case.
Cuomo, 67, enters the race an early favorite in polls, benefiting from his name recognition while sitting on the sidelines as Adams’ administration grabbed increasing negative headlines.
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He will have to fend off a slate of city Democrats with plenty of fodder to attack, including the sexual harassment claims, handling of nursing homes during the pandemic, signing the controversial bail reforms into laws, and paving the way for congestion pricing.
“Andrew Cuomo is running for Eric Adams’ second term: the same donors, the same agenda, the same chaos. Time and again, Cuomo put billionaires and book deals before the working people of New York,” said state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a Queens Democratic socialist and mayoral candidate.
Ex-NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, another candidate in the Dem primary, accused Cuomo of using the Big Apple as a “personal punching bag” while governor by “slashing MTA funding and wrecking the subway while funneling money to upstate ski resorts, and trying to cut billions in funding for public school kids and Medicaid for city residents.”
“Andrew Cuomo is now officially running to lead the city he repeatedly threw under the bus as governor,” he said. “And now he wants New Yorkers to rehabilitate his reputation? Give me a break.”
City Comptroller Brad Lander, a Democratic socialist also running for mayor, sarcastically welcomed Cuomo to the fold on X.
“In honor of your sad attempt to get attention, let’s remember your time as Governor of New York—before you resigned for sexually harassing 13 women and leading thousands of elderly New Yorkers to their deaths during Covid-19,” he wrote.
A recent poll showed Cuomo grabbing a 51% majority of ranked-choice votes after seven rounds.
Adams lagged far behind Lander and Mamdani, who’d finish with 31% and 18%, respectively, in the final round of ranked-choice voting. Adams would get eliminated in the fifth round with 9% of the vote, the poll found.
Others Dems declared in the mayoral race include state Sens. Jessica Ramos and Zelnor Myrie, former Obama aide Michael Blake and Wall Street investor Whitney Tilson.
The desire for a moderate Dem — and growing doubts about Adams’ viability — have pushed many power brokers publicly and privately toward a Cuomo candidacy.
Frank Seddio, the former Brooklyn Democratic Party boss, this week backed Cuomo.
His endorsement was all the more noteworthy because he’s the law partner of Adams’ political adviser and former City Hall chief-of-staff Frank Carone.
“I have been friends with Eric all these years,” he said “But looking at the circumstances, I don’t see a path where Eric could win.”
Cuomo, despite his powerful backers and favorable polling, still needs to quickly raise a war chest to campaign across the Big Apple.
The winner likely will face Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa — currently the frontrunner for the Republican mayoral nomination — November’s general election. Adams beat Sliwa badly in the 2021 general election.
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi defended the former governor against the blistering criticism over his administration’s nursing home scandal and sexual harassment allegations.
“Several civil court lawsuits over the nursing home scandal were dismissed and probes by the feds and Manhattan district attorney’s office were closed without findings of wrongdoing,” he said.
“As we said from day one, the governor didn’t harass anyone – and years later, the facts have borne that out.”
“New Yorkers aren’t naive and understand that ugly political situation for exactly what it was,” he continued.
“Today, New York City is in crisis – a crisis of affordability, public safety and leadership, and that’s what Gov. Cuomo is focused on: The fight to save our city.”
Additional reporting by Georgett Roberts and Jonathan Levine
