When it comes to endorsing a candidate in the race for mayor of New York City, former Gov. David A. Paterson appears to be of two minds.
First, during the Democratic primary, he endorsed former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. After Mr. Cuomo lost the primary by 13 points to Zohran Mamdani, Mr. Paterson endorsed Mayor Eric Adams, who was running as an independent in the general election.
Now that Mr. Adams has ended his re-election campaign, Mr. Paterson is back where he started — with Mr. Cuomo.
Mr. Paterson made his endorsement — or re-endorsement — of Mr. Cuomo official at an appearance Tuesday afternoon in the Bronx.
Mr. Cuomo, who is running as an independent, trails Mr. Mamdani by double digits, according to most polls. He has been looking for ways to jump-start his campaign, and last week, he accepted an endorsement from Mr. Adams.
At a Monday appearance at a pro-Cuomo event with John Catsimatidis, a Republican billionaire, on the Upper East Side, Mr. Paterson repeatedly refused to say whom he was voting for.
When pressed on whether he was in fact backing Mr. Cuomo, Mr. Paterson would only say, “He and I will get together on that in the next couple of days.”
But Mr. Paterson did make a veiled denunciation of Mr. Mamdani, whose platform promises free buses, universal child care and city-run grocery stores.
“We can’t make promises that we can’t keep, raise hopes we can’t fulfill,” Mr. Paterson said. “Energize people only to disappoint them.”
Jeffery C. Mays is a Times reporter covering politics with a focus on New York City Hall.
Dana Rubinstein covers New York City politics and government for The Times.
The post Cuomo, Adams, Cuomo? Paterson Makes Third Endorsement in Mayor’s Race. appeared first on New York Times.
