Cuomo to remain in NYC mayoral race as independent after primary loss

Andrew Cuomo does not give up the race for the mayor of New York.

Cuomo, the former governor of New York State with three mandates who resigned from his duties in 2021 in the midst of several scandals, decided, for the moment, to move forward and to appear in the general elections as an independent candidate, two confirmed sources at Fox News on Thursday evening.

Cuomo’s announcement occurred three days after the progressive succeeded Zohran Mamdani shocked the political world, when he exceeded Cuomo and the rest of the field of 11 candidates in the primary mayor of the New York Democratic Party and took a big step to become the first Muslim mayor of the most popular city in the country.

Mamdani, an assembly of the 33 -year -old Democratic Socialist State from Queens, from Uganda, captured 43.5% of unofficial primary results, with CUOMO at 36.4%.

The Republicans use the victory of the bomb in Mamdani over Cuomo as ammunition to explode democrats as extremists

The Democratic candidate for town hall Zohran Mamdani goes on stage during his main electoral group on Wednesday June 25, 2025 in New York. (AP photo / Heather khalifa)

Although he recognized Mamdani’s victory in primary school, Cuomo left the door open to a November race as an independent candidate, who settles New York State rules.

“I want to look at all the figures as they arrive and analyze the vote on the choice of rank. I will then consult my colleagues on what is the best way for me to help the city of New York, because I have already qualified to appear to a mayor on an independent line in November,” Cuomo said in a statement.

Cuomo faced a deadline for the end of Friday for the candidates who had already qualified themselves to present themselves as independent to refuse this independent voting line.

The former governor will keep his place that he has already obtained earlier this year on the “Fight & Deliver” voting line. But the sources said that Cuomo had not yet committed to carrying out an active general electoral campaign throughout the summer and in the fall.

If Cuomo abandons the race on a later date, his name will remain on the general electoral bulletin.

The former governor of New York Andrew Cuomo, in a speech to the supporters, recognizes that the Rival Zohran Mamdani “ won ” The primary of the town hall of the Democratic Party of New York, on June 24, 2025, in New York, NY, NY (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News)

Formerly a long time in the race, Mamdani committed the gap with Cuomo during the last section of the primary race thanks to an energetic campaign which partly concentrated on the high cost of living in New York.

The approvals of the representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive rock star and the most eminent leader in New York on the left, and by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the progressive champion and the second candidate for the Democratic presidential election, helped Mamdani to consolidate a large part of the Democratic Democratic Party in New York.

What Mamdani’s main victory for Democrats means amazing national victory

And Mamdani led a wave of support from younger voters and for the first time to catapulate in first place.

“I will be the mayor of each New Yorker,” said Mamdani in his victory speech. “Whether you voted for me, or for Governor Cuomo, or you feel too disillusioned by a long broken political system to vote, I will fight for a city that suits you, which is affordable for you, which is safe for you.”

Since none of the candidates has exceeded 50%, technically counting is now heading in classified choice elimination cycles. But the combined totals of Mamdani votes and other progressive aligned candidates won are probably more than sufficient to overthrow Cuomo while the classified choice of choice begins on July 1.

Cuomo, seeing writing on the wall, admitted his defeat and completed Mamdani while the first main results flock on Tuesday, telling the supporters that “tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won”.

Cuomo, in an interview Wednesday with CBS New York, noted that “in the general elections, more people vote. It’s a wider basin, if you want, from New Yorkers, more New Yorks from New York.”

“There are around 5 million voters in New York, there are about 8 million people in New York, and around 1 million people vote in the Democratic primary. It is therefore not necessarily representative of the city as a whole,” said the former governor.

The former governor of New York State, Andrew Cuomo, the favorite of the primary race of the town hall of the New York Democratic Party, talks to a large crowd of union supporters, the day before, on June 23, 2025. (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News)

And a survey of a consulting and lobbying group which was aligned with an external group supporting Cuomo published a survey on Thursday which suggested that Mamdani and Cuomo equalized in a possible confrontation of the general elections, with the outgoing mayor Eric Adams – a democrat which takes place for a re -election as an independent – and the republican appointment Curtis Sliwa.

Sliwa, the founder of patrols to fight against voluntary crime known as the Guardian Angels, ran for a second consecutive electoral cycle. Former federal prosecutor Jim Walden is also in November in November as an independent.

When asked if Cuomo should abandon the race, Mamdani said in an interview with Fox News Affiliate Wnyw in New York on Thursday that “I think there is room for everyone because, in the end, we will win it”.

Cuomo, 67, has spent the last four years fighting to erase his name after 11 accusations of sexual harassment, which he denied several times, forced his resignation. He was also the subject of an investigation at the time for his management of the Pandemic COVID-19 in the midst of allegations of his administration, deaths linked to COVID in state nursing homes.

Last month, the Ministry of Justice opened a criminal investigation into Cuomo after the Republicans accused him of lying at the Congress on the decisions he took as governor during the coronavirus pandemic.

Cuomo, thanks to his name recognition, was the front of the ballot box even before he even announced his candidacy earlier this year. But he led a safe campaign based on union support, and he moved away from getting involved with local or national media.

Mamdani, on the other hand, has made intelligent use of social media platforms, including Tiktok, when he hired the main electorate. He proposed to eliminate the prices to set up the vast bus system from New York, making rents from Cuny (University of the City of New York), freezing rents on municipal housing, offering “free daycares” for children up to the age of five and the establishment of grocery stores managed by the government.

New York mayor Eric Adams is talking during a campaign launch rally at the Town Hall on Thursday June. 26, 2025, in New York. (AP photo / yuki iwamura) (AP photo / yuki iwamura)

Adams, officially by launching his campaign on Thursday on the markets of the town hall, said: “It is a city not of socialism”, in an obvious blow to Mamdani’s proposals.

“There is no dignity with someone who gives you everything for free. There is dignity to give you a job, so you can support your family and the opportunities you deserve. It is not a city of documents. It is a city in the city.”

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Adams survey numbers were still running before he was even charged last year with five counts, who accused the mayor of corruption and fraud as part of an alleged “long -term” regime to personally take advantage of contacts with foreign officials.

The mayor made repeated openings to the president Donald Trump, And the Ministry of Justice earlier this year rejected the accusations of corruption, so that Adams can potentially work with the Trump administration on its illegal immigration repression.

He announced in early April that he would present himself to his re -election as an independent and renounce the Democratic primary.