Cuomo says he will challenge progressive Zohran Mamdani in general election after being trounced in the Democratic primary.Andrew Cuomo has said that he will run as an independent in the race for New York City mayor, following a stinging loss to progressive upstart Zohran Mamdani in the Democratic Party primary last month.
The former New York State governor, who resigned in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations, vowed to continue his mayoral bid in a video posted to social media on Monday.
“As my grandfather used to say, when you get knocked down, learn the lesson and pick yourself back up and get in the game. And that is what I am going to do,” said Cuomo. “The fight to save our city isn’t over.”
Mamdani’s 12-point win over Cuomo in the Democratic primary has electrified progressives and pushed pro-business Democrats, wary of his embrace of progressive economic policies and critical stance towards Israel, to seek an alternative after the bruising primary defeat.
The general election will take place in November, with Mamdani facing off against Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who trails in most polls and whose tenure has been marred by a series of corruption scandals. Anti-crime figure Curtis Sliwa will also be in the race as the Republican nominee.
“I welcome everyone to this race, and I am as confident as I have been since three weeks ago on primary night, when we faced Andrew Cuomo and won that race by more than 12 points with the most votes of any Democratic nominee in New York City primary history,” Mamdani said in remarks responding to Cuomo’s entry into the general race. Advertisement
“And we did so because of the fact that while Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams trip ove …