Cuomo and Adams: You Drop Out of the Mayor Race…No YOU Drop Out of the Mayor Race

Quick, what do Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams have in common? No, not the thing about both being previously accused by the Justice Department of no good, very bad behavior,* though they do share that. But in this case, the answer we were looking for was that both men think they are the one who can beat Zohran Mamdani in the race to become mayor of New York City, and that the other guy should suck it up and drop out of the election.

Speaking to CNBC on Monday, Adams, who is running for reelection as an independent, claimed that Cuomo had called on him to stand down, and that he responded, “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?” He described Cuomo’s decision to stay in the race as “the highest level of arrogance,” adding: “I think he really should do an analysis and say: Give Eric an opportunity to run against [Zohran].”

Cuomo, who has yet to announce whether he will continue with his candidacy, will also appear on the ballot as an independent in the general election. After Mamdani clinched the nomination, the New York business community lost its collective mind and started “gaming whether Andrew Cuomo…or Eric Adams…would be the best candidate to back.” A poll released shortly after the primary showed Mamdani winning the general election against Adams if Cuomo stays out of the race; the same poll showed Mamdani and Cuomo in a tie should the ex-governor stay in the race (in the latter scenario, Adams is projected to get just 13% of the vote, with Republican Curtis Sliwa capturing 7% and independent Jim Walden netting 0%).

Unfortunately for Cuomo, his former backers in the mayoral race do not appear entirely enthused about his candidacy. In a post on X, billionaire Bill Ackman—who donated $500,000 to a Cuomo super PAC—called for a new, not-Andrew candidate to take on Mamdani, writing that Cuomo “sat back and did not run a real campaign, relying on name recognition, early favorable polling, and keeping a low profile to make it through.” Cuomo donor Jeff Gural, chairman emeritus of real estate firm Newmark Group, told Bloomberg: “We have two choices, which is to support Mamdani and try to get on his good side, or try to see if we can resurrect Eric.”

During a press conference on Monday, former New York governor David Paterson argued that only one independent candidate should challenge Mamdani, without saying who, specifically, should drop out. “We can do this, but it’s going to take a united effort, and it’s going to take some sacrifice that someone is going to have to make,” he said. In a statement to Politico, Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said Team Cuomo is reviewing a proposal from Walden’s campaign for Walden, Cuomo, Adams, and Silwa to back a single candidate to take on Mamdani. “This is the time to put aside the usual political selfishness and agree to do what is truly best for all New Yorkers,” Azzopardi said. “While we review this proposal, we call on other candidates to do the same.”

*Adams pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing after being charged last year for bribery and other campaign offenses; in April the Trump administration dropped the case, a move that was definitely, one hundred percent, on the up and up. Last January, the DOJ concluded that Cuomo sexually harassed 13 women; district attorneys have declined to bring charges and he has denied wrongdoing.