Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s decision to re-enter the race for New York City Mayor after his decisive defeat in the Democratic primary in June has prompted plenty of discussion.
Cuomo, who conceded the race to progressive newcomer Zohran Mamdani of the Democratic Party, announced his return via a video statement on July 14, during which he shared he will now run as an Independent.
“I am in it to win it,” Cuomo said. “Only 13% of New Yorkers voted in the June primary. The general election is in November, and I am in it to win it. My opponent, Mr. Mamdani, offers slick slogans, but no real solutions.”
Mamdani responded to Cuomo’s video by commenting directly underneath it with a link to donate money to his own campaign. As of Saturday morning, Mamdani’s X response has over 180,000 likes, while Cuomo’s original post has just 5.5k.
Experts have queried if Cuomo has learned from the mistakes of his Democratic primary campaign and whether he can overcome the roadblocks facing him in order to stand a solid chance in the November election.
If Cuomo is to have a fighting chance, Boris Heersink, a political science professor at Fordham University, says he’ll have to find a new narrative for his campaign, decide the key issues upon which he wants to build his platform, and somehow fight back against the campaigns of Mamdani, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and current Mayor Eric Adams, who is also running as an Independent. It’s a delicate balancing act.
“It’s actually going to be a pretty tough thing for him to figure out how to present an aggressive Cuomo, that’s also a gentler Cuomo, and a more policy-focused Cuomo, all in one package,” says Heersink.
Furthermore, some of the high-profile billionaires who previously showed support to Cuomo have since decided to back current Mayor Adams in the general election, including…
