Andrew Cuomo Decides to Run for NYC Mayor Against Democratic Socialist After Conceding Election

Andrew Cuomo, the former Governor of New York, has acknowledged his defeat in the Democratic Primary election for the mayor of New York City. The surprising upset victory went to 33-year-old socialist Zohran Mamdani, dealing a blow to Cuomo’s expensive $25 million campaign.

The city’s ranked choice voting system means that the official winner won’t be announced until the following week. However, in the initial round of voting, Cuomo is trailing Mamdani by a margin of seven points.

In a speech to his supporters, Cuomo conceded the race to Mamdani, acknowledging Mamdani’s victory by stating, “He won. We are going to take a look and make some decisions. Tonight is his night,” Cuomo graciously remarked.

Mamdani — a firebrand lefty who has won the backing of progressives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders — says he wants to tax the wealthy and dole out free childcare and bus rides and cheaper groceries and rents.

After midnight, supporters were still awaiting Mamdani’s appearance at his election party. 

He would be the city´s first Muslim and Indian American mayor if elected. Cuomo is trying to make a comeback from a sexual harassment scandal.

Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams skipped the primary. He´s running as an independent against the Democrat nominee and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, Sliwa painted Mamdani as dangerous for the future of New York

‘Zohran Mamdani is too extreme for a city already on edge,’ the longshot candidate said.

The race´s ultimate outcome could say something about what kind of leader Democrats are looking for during President Donald Trump´s second term. 

The vote takes place about four years after Cuomo, 67, resigned as governor following a sexual harassment scandal. 

Yet he has been the favorite throughout the race, with his deep experience, name recognition, strong political connections and juggernaut fundraising apparatus.

The party´s progressive wing, meanwhile, had coalesced behind Mamdani. 

A relatively unknown state legislator when the contest began, Mamdani gained momentum by running a sharp campaign laser-focused on the city´s high cost of living and secured endorsements from two of the country´s foremost progressives, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders.

The primary winner will go on to face incumbent Adams, a Democrat who decided to run as an independent amid a public uproar over his indictment on corruption charges and the subsequent abandonment of the case by Trump´s Justice Department. 

Republican Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, will be on the ballot in the fall´s general election. 

There is also a possibility that Cuomo runs on the November ballot as an independent candidate if he loses the primary but the former governor made no promises in a statement.

‘I called Assemblyman Mamdani to congratulate him on tonight’s victory. I also thank my team, which did a great job during this campaign. I want to look at all the numbers as they come in and analyze the rank choice voting. I will then consult with my colleagues on what is the best path for me to help the City of New York, as I have already qualified to run for mayor on an independent line in November.’ 

The mayoral primary´s two leading candidates – one a fresh-faced progressive and the other an older moderate – could be stand-ins for the larger Democratic Party´s ideological divide, though Cuomo´s scandal-scarred past adds a unique tinge to the narrative.

The rest of the pack has struggled to gain recognition in a race where nearly every candidate has cast themselves as the person best positioned to challenge Trump’s agenda.

Comptroller Brad Lander, a liberal city government stalwart, made a splash last week when he was arrested after linking arms with a man federal agents were trying to detain at an immigration court in Manhattan. It was unclear if that episode was enough to jump-start a campaign that had been failing to pick up speed behind Lander.

Among the other candidates are City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams , state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, hedge fund executive Whitney Tilson and former city Comptroller Scott Stringer.

Born in Uganda before moving to the US when he was seven, Mamdani is the son of filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia University Professor Mahmood Mamdani.

Nair is most famous for her 1991 romantic flick ‘Mississippi Masala’, staring Denzel Washington while Mahmood teaches colonial studies at the liberal school in the city.

The progressive wing of the Democrat party has coalesced around the socialist, who would be New York’s first Muslim mayor if elected.

He has gained momentum by running a campaign focused on the city’s high cost of living. 

His campaign has pushed populist ideas like free public buses, rent freezes for rent-stabilized apartments, and grocery stores that would be owned by the city. 

Outside of politics, the likes of Emily Ratajkowski and Saturday Night Live’s Bowen Yang have thrown their weight behind Mamdani. 

On Tuesday morning as polls opened around the city, Ratajkowski shared a video of herself endorsing Mamdani, while wearing a ‘Hot Girls for Zohran’ t-shirt. 

Flanked by the man himself, she said: ‘This election is gonna be decided by young voters. The average New Yorker is 38 years old. 

‘The last mayoral race was decided by 7,000 voters. That means that your vote really matters. Go ahead, get out there, we know it’s hot, but the time is now.’

His sharp campaign has made full use of social media, with videos of him interviewing Trump voters going viral. 

An army of young hipster canvassers have relentlessly knocked on doors throughout the city seeking support, while his grinning mug has been plastered across the city. 

Appearing on a podcast earlier this month, Mamdani also revealed that he and his wife, artist Rama Duwaji, had met on dating app Hinge. 

The State assemblyman said: ‘I found my wife on Hinge. So (dating apps) still work. Just to let people know.

It’s not all roses. In a city torn over Israel’s campaign against Hamas following the October 7 attacks, he has been called to show support Israel’s right to exist.

His pro-Palestinian stance has sparked outrage amongst the Jewish communities, which make up a large portion of the city. 

On Monday night he appeared alongside fellow candidate Brad Lander on ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’, and was questioned over his stance. 

He and Lander – New York’s comptroller – have endorsed each other in hopes of ‘sending Cuomo back to the suburbs,’ Mamdani told Colbert. 

Colbert pushed him on his refusal to condemn calls to ‘globalize the intifada’, adding: ‘they are afraid that your mayorship would actually lead to increased antisemitism.’

The question teed up Mamdani to denounce antisemitism while not addressing his past statements, which have included calls to ‘globalize the intifada’ that some say is a call to violence against Jews.

When asked during a podcast interview last week if the phrase made him uncomfortable, Mamdani merely said it captured ‘a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.’

During the interview, Colbert, 61, asked Mamdani and Lander about Israel and whether they believe it ‘has the right to exist.’

‘Yes, like all nations. I believe it has a right to exist, and a responsibility also to uphold international law,’ Mamdani said.

Mamdani has previously said he hopes Palestinians gain political agency peacefully and that his criticism of the Israeli government is not equivalent to antisemitism. 

After the podcast appearance, Jewish leaders including Rep. Daniel Goldman and the Anti-Defamation League criticized Mamdani for his remarks. 

The Holocaust Museum in Washington DC even weighed in, calling his comments both ‘outrageous and especially offensive’.

As he has surged in the polls and popularity, clips of him calling for the New York Police Department to be removed from high crime areas in the city have resurfaced.

In one video, he says: ‘I think we need to ask ourselves, look at how the policing is done in the suburbs. 

‘When people make mistakes, the answer is not to throw them in jail. The answer is to find a non-carceral solution.

‘For many people, especially Black people, they are not offered the same opportunity.’ 

Cuomo, who resigned from his position as governor in disgrace over sexual harassment allegations, has cast Mamdani as being unqualified for the role.

He believes Mamdani doesn’t have the management chops to wrangle the city’s sprawling bureaucracy or handle crises. 

In response, Mamdani has slammed Cuomo over the scandal that forced him to resign and his mishandling of the pandemic. 

Cuomo stood down in 2021 after a report by the state attorney general concluded he had sexually harassed at least 11 women. 

He has always maintained that he didn’t intentionally harass the women, saying he had simply fallen behind what was considered appropriate workplace conduct.