Cuomo to stay in New York mayoral race despite losing Democratic primary
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Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo concedes to state lawmaker Zohran Mamdani at a Democratic primary in New York on June 24.
PHOTO: HIROKO MASUIKE/NYTIMES
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NEW YORK - Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo will stay in the New York City mayoral race as an independent candidate despite his stunning loss in the Democratic Party’s primary election to self-described democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani.
“The fight to save our city isn’t over,” Mr Cuomo said in a video published on July 14 on the X social media platform. “The general election is in November and I’m in it to win it.”
Mr Mamdani, a little-known member of the New York state assembly when he launched his campaign, scored a surprise victory
Mr Mamdani, a 33-year-old Uganda-born Muslim of Indian descent, won 56 per cent of votes versus Mr Cuomo’s 44 per cent in the ranked-choice voting system used in June’s primary.
Mr Cuomo, 67, a veteran politician who became an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump during the global pandemic of 2020-21, said in the video that only a small percentage of the electorate voted in the primary.
He also hopes to make Mr Mamdani’s lack of experience into a campaign issue.
“My opponent Mr Mamdani offers slick slogans, but no real solutions,” Mr Cuomo said in the video.
Mr Mamdani and Mr Cuomo will face the current mayor, Eric Adams, and the Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels anti-crime patrol, in November’s general election.
Mr Adams decided against running in the Democratic primary, with his popularity sliding in the wake of a series of corruption scandals and the perception that he was beholden to Mr Trump after the administration dropped federal charges against him.
Mr Mamdani’s victory has caused unease among some Democrats, worried that his left-of-center political views may make New York City an easy target for Republican attacks.
Some Democrats are also concerned that Mr Mamdani may trigger an exodus of businesses and wealthy residents from the city, the nation’s financial capital and its largest population center.
The day after Mr Mamdani’s victory, Mr Trump called him a “100% Communist Lunatic,” while the Republican party’s congressional campaign arm promised to tie him to every vulnerable Democrat in next year’s midterm elections.
Minutes after Mr Cuomo’s video was released, Mr Mamdani responded by posting a link to a donation page for his campaign. Within an hour, his post received over 26,000 likes, compared with around 800 for Mr Cuomo’s video. REUTERS
