06/29/2025
CUOMO’S COMEBACK CONTINUES
Never Mind Defeat in the Democratic Primary for NYC, Former Governor Andrew Cuomo Stays in the Race
By Truby Chiaviello
Round two…
Andrew Cuomo, having lost the Democratic primary for mayor of New York, in a stunning upset by state assemblyman, Zohan Mamdani, vows to stay in the race.
Cuomo now runs under the “Fight & Deliver” independent line. The former three term governor of New York embarks on a high-stakes gamble to possibly reshape the city’s electoral dynamics, for better or worse.
You can’t blame Cuomo. Zohan Mamdani ran as a full blown socialist Fidel Castro might have admired. He promised the impossible - rent freeze, free child care, free bus service, government run grocery stores - you name them.
How this upstart was able to beat a scion of a New York family political dynasty relied on new election laws. In 2021, the New York legislature changed the primary date from the first Tuesday after Labor Day, in September, to late June - more specifically, June 24th, this year. With temperatures in the upper 90s, where folks were either on vacation or inside keeping cool, turnout was minimal. Mamdani was able to gain the nomination with just 432,305 votes out of 4.7 million registered voters in New York. Is Mamdani’s victory representative of the people’s will? No, says Cuomo.
Cuomo’s campaign team argues this primary election represented only a small, highly motivated segment of the electorate—just 20 percent! - roughly one million of the five million registered New Yorkers. Cuomo’s strategy hinges on appealing to the larger, less engaged moderate and older voter base who might not participate in low turnout primaries. From his perspective, this group could deliver him a path to victory outside the Democratic Party machinery.
Cuomo’s messaging clearly positions him as a centrist alternative to Mamdani. The backlash is underway. Social media is abuzz with political professionals and amateur observers denouncing socialism and Mamdani. Cuomo hopes to appeal to moderate Democrats, independents, and even center-leaning Republicans, portraying himself as the candidate of experience and practical governance, not a socialist radical.
Mamdani’s path forward will require substantial resources and strategic organization, a Super‑PAC network, and high-dollar donors. He needs to mobilize voters city‑wide. According to initial polling, Mamdani enjoys a 15-point lead over Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee, and Mayor Eric Adams, running as an independent. That’s if Cuomo bows out. With Cuomo in, however, Mamdani’s edge collapses—underscoring how precarious is his entire operation.
The implications for Cuomo’s legacy are profound. His 2021 resignation left his political future uncertain, and this independent run could either affirm his resilience or confirm his irrelevance. If he fails, he risks becoming the classic cautionary tale of a once-dominant force who couldn’t adapt. Should he win, he would not only stage a political comeback but also alter how national figures are judged in a fractious age of third-party candidacies and changing primaries.
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