“An interesting situation”: Cuomo considers independent run against Mamdani in NYC mayoral race

In a typical New York City mayoral race, winning the Democratic primary is as good as moving into Gracie Mansion. Zohran Mamdani‘s bid for the mayorship has been anything but typical.

Less than 24 hours after Mamdani netted the Democratic Party nomination, his chief opponent in that primary is weighing running for mayor as an independent. Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told CBS on Wednesday he’s “looking at the numbers” around an independent bid and cast doubt on the idea that Mamdani was the people’s choice.

“The Democratic primary is always an interesting situation, right? There are about 5 million voters in New York City, there are about 8 million people in New York City, and about 1 million people vote in the Democratic primary. So it’s not, necessarily, representative of the city at large,” Cuomo said. “In the general election, more people come out to vote. It’s a broader pool, if you will, of New Yorkers, more representative pool of New Yorkers.”

If Cuomo does run against his own party, he’ll be joined by current New York Mayor Eric Adams. The scandal-plagued ex-cop is running for a second term on an independent party line, and he reportedly has backers with deep pockets.

The New York Post reported that hedge fund manager and Democratic Party megadonor Bill Ackman was preparing to back Adams’ bid. Ackman supported Cuomo’s failed primary bid to the tune of $500,000. Ackman denied the report in a post to X.

“Totally false,” he wrote. “I like Eric Adams and may ultimately support and endorse him, but I have not yet made any decision about whom to support for mayor of NYC.”

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Also on X, Ackman teased a surprise candidate that he believed would be a “great idea for NYC.” The democratic socialist Mamdani has generated much consternation from establishment politicians and donors in the city. His campaign promises of a rent freeze, universal childcare and free public transit, funded by higher taxes on the city’s top earners, were called unrealistic by Cuomo on Wednesday.

“There are issues that came up — the issue of affordability, which the assemblyman spoke to with offering a lot of free services — and is that feasible? Is that realistic? Can that be done?” he asked. “I can tell you, there are a lot of people who have a lot of concerns. They’re concerned about the way the city is running, in general.”