Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is working to ensure he'll be on the New York City mayoral ballot in November. He will continue to run in the Democratic primary, but he says that no matter what happens in that contest, he'll run for mayor as an independent.
Cuomo says his reasoning is to attract Republican and independent voters, too.
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"Over the last several months, as I've been out talking to New Yorkers, one thing has become clear: there is a disillusionment with the Democratic Party by some—a feeling that the party has been hijacked, that it doesn't produce real results, and that it doesn't fight for working people anymore," Cuomo said in a statement. "The proof was in the election in 2024 when, right here in New York City, 500,000 Democrats stayed home rather than vote for Kamala Harris; and in 2022, when we had the closest gubernatorial election in nearly 30 years."
Current Mayor Eric Adams says Cuomo is just copying him. Adams, who was elected as a Democrat, is running for re-election only as an independent, skipping the primaries altogether.
Cuomo is currently the front-runner in the Democratic primary. The crowded contest still has weeks of advertising and two debates before the party will nominate a candidate on June 24.
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Cuomo's entry into the mayoral election comes four years after he resigned following an investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who concluded that the governor had sexually harassed at least 11 women. Numerous Democratic Party leaders, including President Joe Biden, urged Cuomo to resign. Cuomo was about halfway through his third term as governor when he resigned.
The incumbent Adams recently had his bribery and fraud charges dropped by the Trump administration.
A primary will be held on June 24 using ranked-choice voting ahead of the November general election.
