NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani on Monday responded to the announcement that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo will run an independent campaign in the New York City mayoral race, stating that he "[welcomes] everyone to this race" as he is confident he will find continued success.
Mamdani, attending an event Monday with the Associated Musicians Local 802 union after receiving its endorsement, was asked by reporters what he thought about Cuomo's "last ditch effort" to become NYC's next mayor.
“I think he’s struggling to come to terms with what Tuesday meant. We spent an entire campaign being told that it was inevitable for Andrew Cuomo to become the next mayor. And he believed that himself," Mamdani said. "And what we saw was New Yorkers’ hunger for a new kind of politics. A politics focused on working people. A politics where far more New Yorkers than before could see themselves in those same policies."
Cuomo formally launched his independent campaign with a video posted to social media Monday, stating that he is "in it to win it." The former governor thanked the 440,000 voters who showed up for him on the June 24 primary, and said that moving forward he would be hitting the streets daily to meet New Yorkers where they are and earn their votes.
“We need a city with lower rent, safer streets, where buying your first home is once again possible, where child care won’t bankrupt you. That’s the New York City we know. That’s the one that is still possible," Cuomo said in the announcement. "You haven’t given up on it, and you deserve a mayor with the experience and ideas to make it happen again. And the guts to take on anyone who stands in the way.”
The former governor mentioned Mamdani in his campaign announcement, stating that his opponent "offers slick slogans, but no real solutions." Mamdani responded to Cuomo's announcement video on X with a link to his own campaign donation website.
Cuomo is expected to stay in the race until September, at which point he may call on other moderate candidates—namely Mayor Eric Adams—to get behind one challenger to Mamdani in an attempt to keep the Queens assemblymember from Gracie Mansion. The plan was first proposed by independent candidate Jim Walden, who called for there to be an independent poll in September, the outcome of which the remaining candidates would vow to honor, throwing their support behind the winner.
"Jim Walden expressed the concern that the mayoral candidates who believe in the free market could split the vote and hand New York City over to socialism and extremism. He correctly points out that if he, Mayor Adams, and Governor Cuomo all run it all but ensures a socialist victory," Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said in a statement last week. "This is the time to put aside the usual political selfishness and agree to do what is truly best for all New Yorkers."
Adams on Monday said that he believes Cuomo enlisted Walden to float the idea of an independent poll, stating that the former governor will "keep moving the goalpost." The mayor confirmed that he has no plans to drop out.
"This proposal that was put out, it was Andrew's proposal," Adams said. "He uses people to put things out that he really would like to come later and say, oh, 'I endorse what an independent person is doing.'"