WABC: Three weeks after his loss in the Democratic mayoral primary, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo formally committed to a third-party run for New York City mayor in a new campaign ad released Monday afternoon.
Cuomo says he is “in it to win it,” in his new video. He apologized for letting his supporters down in the primary and vowed he will be “hitting the streets” every day to meet New Yorkers “where they are.”
It comes as Cuomo has been backing a strategy to help unify voters who oppose Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.
In a letter to supporters, Cuomo vowed to “stand down” if he doesn’t lead the other candidates by mid-September:
“That is why I have accepted the proposal put forth by former Governor David Paterson and candidate Jim Walden that, in mid-September, we will determine which candidate is strongest against Mamdani and all other candidates will stand down, rather than act as spoilers and guarantee Mamdani’s election.”
Mamdani reacted to Cuomo’s pledge on Monday.
“I think he’s struggling to come to terms with what Tuesday meant,” Mamdani said. “We spent an entire campaign being told that it was inevitable for Andrew Cuomo to become the next mayor, and he believed that himself.”
Neither Mayor Eric Adams or Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa have agreed to the proposal, which gained traction last week after Paterson and others said it was the only way to keep Mamdani out of office.
“Let’s not forget the damage he caused as governor, Cuomo led the charge on a flawed bail reform, he failed New York’s most vulnerable during COVID,” Adams said. “Now, Cuomo is wasting time and dividing voters. He failed then – and he’s failing New Yorkers now.”
“Andrew Cuomo lost his primary and hides in the Hamptons. Eric Adams skipped his and fled to Fort Lauderdale. I’m the only candidate with a majority party nomination, a 50-year record of serving New Yorkers, and a real path to victory,” Sliwa said.
While those who trail Mamdani try to drum up a way to defeat him, Mamdani received another endorsement Monday afternoon by the American Federation of Musicians.
“I welcome everyone to this race and I am as confident as I have been since three weeks ago,” he said.
