Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has decided to run in the general election for mayor, urged on by supporters anxious that his withdrawal would nearly guarantee Zohran Mamdani’s victory and put New York City in the hands of the far left.
The decision by Mr. Cuomo, who had been questioning whether to run after his crushing Democratic primary defeat by Mr. Mamdani, a state assemblyman and a democratic socialist, will be announced in a video that is expected to be released this week, according to three people familiar with his decision.
If the polls show that he is not the highest-ranked challenger to Mr. Mamdani by early September, he will pledge to drop out of the race, the people said. He will encourage the other challengers — Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent; Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee; and Jim Walden, an independent — to do the same. (The plan was hatched by Mr. Walden.)
Mr. Cuomo was the prohibitive favorite for much of the Democratic primary for mayor, leading in most polls until the very end. A super PAC spent more than $22 million to promote his candidacy and launch a late-stage attack on Mr. Mamdani, once it became clear that he posed a threat to Mr. Cuomo.
Mr. Mamdani, who had been a relatively unknown assemblyman from Queens, was a distant second in most polls, but closed the gap after the race’s two debates. He ultimately defeated Mr. Cuomo by more than 12 percentage points.
Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 6 to 1 margin in New York City, and the winner of the Democratic primary is usually a heavy favorite to win the general election.
The primary defeat seemed to temporarily humble Mr. Cuomo, who credited Mr. Mamdani with running a better race and openly questioned whether he still had a viable path to becoming mayor. His rededication to running as an independent on his Fight and Deliver ballot line was first reported by NewsNation, a conservative news network where Mr. Cuomo’s brother, Chris Cuomo, hosts a show.
Some of his allies have already defected and endorsed Mr. Mamdani. Others, especially in the business and real estate communities, are more focused on trying to prevent Mr. Mamdani’s victory and would like to clear the field for either Mr. Adams or Mr. Cuomo.
Jeffrey Lerner, a spokesman for Mr. Mamdani, said that Mr. Cuomo’s renewed interest in the race, as well as the potential deal with other challengers, did not serve New York City’s interests.
“While Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams are tripping over themselves to cut backroom deals with billionaires and Republicans, Zohran Mamdani is focused on making this city more affordable for New Yorkers,” Mr. Lerner said in a statement. “That’s the choice this November.”
Mr. Adams and Mr. Sliwa have both said they have no intention of dropping out of the race.
Mr. Adams said at a news conference on Monday that he did not trust Mr. Cuomo to abide by any deal, adding that voters have already made their rejection of him clear in the primary.
”Andrew is a double-digit loser in the primary,” Mr. Adams said, adding: “He had his opportunity.”
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Mr. Cuomo, said that he received more votes in this year’s primary than Mr. Adams did in 2021 and argued that Mr. Cuomo still had an opportunity to win.
“This is a primary that the mayor didn’t participate in,” he said. “Cuomo got 24,000 more votes three weeks ago than the mayor got four years ago, when he was at the height of his popularity and people actually wanted to give him a chance.”
Jeffery C. Mays is a Times reporter covering politics with a focus on New York City Hall.
Emma G. Fitzsimmons is the City Hall bureau chief for The Times, covering Mayor Eric Adams and his administration.
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