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Just when you thought New York politics couldn’t get messier, the Andrew Cuomo NYC mayoral race twist has arrived. The scandal-plagued ex-governor, fresh off a primary loss to Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani, may stay in the race as an Independent.
Cuomo has until July 18 to officially withdraw, and sources say he’s in “active discussions” about remaining in the race. If he stays, it could split the vote—and crack the whole thing wide open.
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will stay on the New York City mayoral ballot in November on the independent ballot line that he qualified for, a source close to the campaign confirmed to ABC News.
Cuomo qualified in May to run on the “Fight and Deliver” ballot line in the general election through an independent nominating petition submitted to the New York City Board of Elections, which at the time he said was meant to reach voters disillusioned with the Democratic Party. He would have been allowed to appear on both the Democratic Party and “Fight and Deliver” lines on the general election ballot if he had won the Democratic primary. – ABC News
The general election could now feature three very different candidates:
Zohran Mamdani: The far-left Democratic Socialist and AOC-backed rising star who unseated Cuomo in the primary.
Eric Adams: The current mayor, who broke with his own party and lost the support of much of the Left, is now running as an Independent.
Andrew Cuomo: The establishment heavyweight with name recognition, donor clout, and a burning grudge.
It’s a political traffic jam. And in a city where voter turnout is notoriously low, the fractured field might mean someone wins with just 30–35% of the vote.
Zohran Mamdani’s surprise win was a shot across the bow from the far left, powered by activist organizing and AOC’s endorsement. But if Cuomo stays in, Mamdani’s clean narrative of “progressive vs. the machine” gets murky.
Cuomo’s presence could peel off enough disillusioned Dems and older voters who don’t want another Adams term—but aren’t ready to gamble on a socialist. That’s bad news for Mamdani, who needs a binary race to seal the deal.
For Eric Adams, Cuomo staying in is both a curse and a lifeline. On one hand, they’re fishing in the same pond: moderates, business types, older Black voters, and law-and-order Democrats.
But if Cuomo siphons off enough centrist votes from Mamdani without entirely steamrolling Adams, the current mayor could squeak through on name ID alone. That is, if voters don’t punish him for New York’s rising crime, migrant chaos, or his absence during the campaign.
And then there is Curtis Sliwa, who is still in the race, barely. He’s not polling high, but the Republican is still throwing punches, especially at Cuomo.
Andrew Cuomo ruled like a king and left New York in ruins. Now he wants a second chance and acts like none of it was his fault. We don’t need a king.
We need a People’s Mayor. I will always fight for you. pic.twitter.com/4IgtlHsg6i
— Curtis Sliwa (@CurtisSliwa) June 24, 2025
Andrew Cuomo doesn’t lose quietly, especially not to a 32-year-old socialist with no executive experience and a bullhorn full of slogans. But here’s the irony: Cuomo barely campaigned. He didn’t hit the trail, didn’t hold rallies, and seemed to think name recognition alone would carry him. It was a half-hearted bid from a man who may have expected to be begged back into power.
Now, after sleepwalking through the primary, he’s weighing an Independent run. Not because he lit a fire under voters, but because he can’t stomach being upstaged. He still believes he was forced out of Albany over manufactured scandals, and this comeback attempt reeks more of revenge than redemption.
Yes, he’s got money. Does he still have loyalists? Meh, hard to tell. But in a fractured race, 34% could be enough. If Cuomo really wants the job, he’d better start acting like it.
The assessment now hangs over Mr. Cuomo as he deliberates whether to renew his campaign in the fall against Mr. Mamdani on a third-party ballot line. Some wealthy New Yorkers alarmed by Mr. Mamdani’s left-wing views and others are urging Mr. Cuomo to keep running.
But many of his allies said there would be no real point in carrying on if Mr. Cuomo treated the general election like the primary. People who worked on his campaign, who insisted on anonymity for fear of retribution, used words like “entitled,” “arrogant” and “aloof” to describe the former governor’s attitude. Another called the campaign “astonishingly incompetent.” – New York Times
This isn’t just a messy local election—it’s a full-blown civil war inside the Democratic Party. On one side, you’ve got the old guard—Cuomo, Adams—clinging to a centrist identity that no longer excites their base. On the other hand, a younger, more radical class of Democratic Socialists, led by candidates like Zohran Mamdani, is riding a wave of online activism, influencer politics, and a zero-tolerance approach to compromise.
This is a big win for the democratic socialist insurgency and, by extension, its charismatic leader and likely Newsom’s 2028 presidential rival, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y). On the upside for mainstream Democrats, the more energy there is on the radical left, the more likely it is to spawn Ocasio-Cortez imitators and divide that vote in the 2028 nominating process. – The Hill
Mamdani’s win wasn’t a fluke. It was a warning shot. These aren’t fringe candidates anymore; they’re reshaping city halls and statehouses from the inside out. If a Democratic Socialist can dominate in America’s largest city, the establishment isn’t just losing control, it’s already lost it. And in blue strongholds across the country, this same insurgency is gaining speed, while moderates keep sleepwalking through the collapse.
Cuomo says he’s “looking at the landscape”? Hon, you’ll need more than a long gaze and a legacy, especially one as messy as yours, to stay in this race.
And Eric? Don’t get comfortable. The winds are shifting, and you might want to borrow some of that energy the kids are running on before you get swept out with the rest.
If Cuomo stays in, New York becomes the canary in the coal mine for every major city grappling with crime, socialism, identity politics, and party loyalty. It’s not just about who wins—it’s about the kind of leadership voters are willing to accept. And if New Yorkers aren’t careful, they might get stuck with the chaos they vote for.
And before you say, “Good for them, let it burn,” remember: what happens in New York doesn’t stay in New York. The city sets cultural and political trends. Policies get copied, and politicians get promoted. If a Democratic Socialist takes the reins of America’s biggest city, don’t be surprised when copycats pop up in Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, or even your own backyard.
Do I sound like an alarmist? Well, maybe I am. I can’t vote in the NYC elections, but this isn’t just a local shake-up—it’s a warning sign for the rest of us. What starts in New York rarely ends there.
Feature Image: Andrew Cuomo by Pat Arnow.jpeg: Pat Arnowderivative work: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons/Krystalb97, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons/Karamccurdy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons/collaged and edited with Canva Pro
Hate_me says: That beret looks ridiculous.
Mad Celt says: It’s NYC, no matter who wins the voters lose.
rbj1 says: Cuomo and Sliwa both need to drop out and coalesce around Adams as the con-commie candidate.
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