Andrew Cuomo stays in NYC mayor's race as an independent

(NewsNation) — Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will stay in the New York City mayoral race as an independent candidate, he announced on social media Monday.

NewsNation first reported he was expected to announce this week that he is staying in the race, according to sources.

Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to candidates

A source close to the Cuomo campaign told NewsNation over the weekend that it was anticipated that the mayoral candidate would officially announce his plans to stay in the race as an independent and have a proposal.

Sources tell NewsNation that Cuomo will ask all candidates other than Zohran Mamdani to pledge that whoever is not in the lead come mid-September will drop out of the race, himself included.

Cuomo’s video message to voters

In a post on X, Cuomo told his supporters, “I’ll see you out there.”

“We need a city with lower rents, safer streets. Where buying your first home is once again possible. Where childcare won’t bankrupt you. That’s the New York City we know,” he said in the video.

Cuomo conceded to Zohran Mamdani

This announcement arrives on the heels of Cuomo conceding to Zohran Mamdani in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary last month.

Mamdani, who is also a member of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America, had a significant lead over Cuomo.

Cuomo told his supporters at the time, “Tonight was not our night. Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani’s night.”

Mamdani won New York City’s Democratic mayoral race by 12 percentage points.

Mamdani said in a statement after the primary was called, “Last Tuesday, Democrats spoke in a clear voice, delivering a mandate for an affordable city, a politics of the future, and a leader unafraid to fight back against rising authoritarianism.”

After the results were called, Cuomo’s spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, said, “We’ll be continuing conversations with people from all across the city while determining next steps. Extremism, division and empty promises are not the answer to this city’s problems, and while this was a look at what motivates a slice of our primary electorate, it does not represent the majority.”

Cuomo announced he was running for mayor of New York City in March in a video announcement. During the 17-minute announcement, he said in part:

“Our city is in crisis. That’s why I am running to be mayor of New York City. We need the government to work. We need effective leadership.”

Andrew Cuomo to run as independent: Who else is joining him?

Cuomo will join two other candidates running as independents; current New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, announced in June he would be running for re-election as an independent after federal corruption charges were dismissed against him at the request of the Justice Department in April, and former federal prosecutor Jim Walden, who previously said on NewsNation that he is the “only true independent in the race” and has been an “independent for almost twenty years.”

“I am glad Andrew has agreed to adopt my pledge,” Walden told NewsNation in a statement in response to Cuomo’s move. “I hope Eric and Curtis sign on as well. Putting New York’s best interests over our personal ambitions is critical at this moment.”

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks at the New York City District Council of Carpenters while campaigning for mayor of New York City, Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Zohran Mamdani, Democratic candidate for mayor speaks during a press conference celebrating his primary victory with leaders and members of the city’s labor unions on July 2, 2025 in New York. Mamdani defeated Cuomo by 12 points, crossing 50% after just 3 rounds and receiving the most votes in a Democratic primary for NYC Mayor in 36 years. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa vowed during a WABC 770 AM radio appearance, “I’m not going anywhere. I’m in it until Nov. 4.”

Curtis Sliwa told NewsNation Sunday, “Andrew Cuomo lost his primary and hides in the Hamptons. Eric Adams skipped his and fled to Fort Lauderdale. Now, they’re both running as independents to cling to relevance.”

“I’m the only candidate with a major party nomination, a 50-year record of serving New Yorkers and a real path to victory,” Sliwa added. “While they play musical chairs on a sinking ship, I’m out campaigning in NYC, listening, leading, and fighting to win it for the people. Let the voters decide this November.”