New York City Mayor Adams said Monday that ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo is privately urging him to drop out of November’s mayoral election, as their moderate wing of the party scrambles to find a way to maximize their chances of beating Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.
In an appearance on CNBC Monday, Adams said he has no intention of heeding Cuomo’s call — arguing that Cuomo’s the one who should end his campaign so he can take on Mamdani, a democratic socialist, in the Nov. 4 contest.
“I said, Andrew: ‘Are you that level of arrogance?’” Adams said, describing a recent conversation in which he alleged Cuomo encouraged him to drop out. “I’m the sitting mayor, I’m the sitting mayor of the City of New York and you expect for me to step aside when you just lost to Zohran by 12 points?
“They heard your message and you lost,” the mayor continued. “Now let a fresh set of legs that has produced for this city” run the race.
Adams, who dropped out of the June 24 Democratic mayoral primary this spring amid continued political fallout from his federal corruption indictment, is running for reelection on an independent line in November.
Cuomo’s name will also appear on November’s ballot on an independent line, as the deadline has passed to remove it.
Cuomo hasn’t definitively said yet whether he’s going to mount a genuine general election effort, as his team says he continues to consider his options after his stunning loss in the primary against Mamdani, who defeated him by a 12% margin.
As the Democratic nominee, Mamdani holds a major advantage in November, given that registered Democrats vastly outnumber other voters in the city.
However, Cuomo, Adams and other moderate forces in New York have painted Mamdani as too left-leaning and are working behind the scenes to figure out a strategy for defeating him. As they share similar moderate bases of support, Cuomo and Adams would likely hamper each other’s chances if they both actively campaign in the November contest.
Asked for a response to Adams’ latest comments, Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi texted a screen grab of a new poll of the November election showing Mamdani winning the race with 35% of the vote, while the ex-governor finished second, holding 29%. In that survey, Adams finished fourth with 14% of the vote, behind Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa’s 16%.
A spokesman for Mamdani, an Assembly member representing western Queens, didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid sexual and professional misconduct accusations, has largely stayed out of the public spotlight since his primary loss.
His team, though, has continued to maintain the ex-gov remains a prolific candidate for mayor in the November showdown. In making that case, his team has noted Cuomo received 24,000 more votes in this year’s race than Adams did in the 2021 Democratic mayoral primary.