Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani responded to a report that Andrew Cuomo is staying in the New York City mayoral race during an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett on Wednesday night.
According to reporting by CNN, Cuomo will remain on the November general election ballot and will not withdraw by Friday's deadline. Although Cuomo conceded the Democratic primary to Mamdani, he will retain his spot on the "Fight & Deliver" ballot line, keeping open the option to challenge Mamdani and Mayor Eric Adams, running as an Independent, in the fall.
Newsweek has reached out to the Cuomo campaign via email on Thursday night for comment.
Mamdani, 33, landed the backing of Democratic U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and independent U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and was largely unknown when he announced his intent to run.
Mamdani is a New York state assemblyman who was born in Uganda to Indian parents. He's lived in New York City since he was 7-years-old and became a U.S. citizen in 2018.
Cuomo, 67, is a former three-term governor of New York, serving from 2011 to 2021, and previously held roles including New York attorney general and U.S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Bill Clinton. Known for his centrist Democratic approach, Cuomo's political career was abruptly interrupted in 2021 when he resigned amid multiple allegations of sexual harassment, which he denied.
Andrew Cuomo's father, Mario Cuomo, served as the governor of New York from 1983 to 1994.
Burnett asked Mamdani if the report about Cuomo staying in the race "surprised" him.
"Ultimately, Andrew's decision or my decision matters less than the decision the voters already took on Tuesday night," he replied on Burnett's Out Front. "What we saw from Bay Ridge to Dyker Heights to Harlem to Washington Heights, we saw a mandate delivered for a new generation of leadership. And I'm so proud and excited to build on that mandate and ever-expanding coalition."
Mamdani then listed three endorsements by members of New York's Jewish political contingency. Mamdani's success in the Democratic primary also came despite his defiant stance against Israel, which led to accusations of antisemitism that he refuted.
The progressive continued to Burnett on CNN, "that includes the endorsement of Congressman Jerry Nadler, State Senator Brad Holyman-Sigal, and soon-to-be New York City Comptroller Mark Levine. And that is a coalition that will expand through November."
Sources told CNN that Cuomo's team believes the broader general electorate could be more receptive to his candidacy than primary voters.
When asked if he was "worried" about a re-do, Mamdani said, "We did it once and it turned out pretty well."
Mamdani's grassroots campaign, modeled in part after Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York's 14th District's 2018 insurgency, leveraged ranked-choice voting and community organizing to outmaneuver Cuomo and establishment Democrats despite being outspent by tens of millions of dollars. Ocasio-Cortez, who endorsed him, called the win "proof that working-class politics can't be bought."
Still, not all Democrats are celebrating. The New York Times editorial board warned Mamdani’s platform was “seductive but unserious,” and called him “unproven.” The Washington Post argued his vision could return New York to the “bad old days of dysfunction.”
On Wednesday, New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul directly avoided saying whether she will back Mamdani in the upcoming election for New York City mayor.
When asked during a news conference Thursday if she will support Mamdani’s candidacy and if she will back him, Hochul replied, “You know, the election just completed, I had a chance to call and congratulate him on the Tuesday’s primary and look forward to having conversation.
“Obviously there’s areas of difference in our positions,” Hochul added, “but I also think we need to have those conversations; but in the meantime I truly am not focused on the politics. We’re six months away from inauguration day; and that’ll determine who I’m working with for the next four years. And that’s important; what I’m doing is focusing on affordability; making New York City safe; making state safe. So that’s my primary objective right now.”
Speaking to Newsweek William Kedjanyi, a political betting analyst at Star Sports, said: “Zohran Mamdani has done something remarkable by overturning Andrew Cuomo who had his own weakness in popularity but is a very established figure in Democratic politics. Now, Mamdani has a huge chance to become the first Muslim Mayor of New York. It’s a city that has traditionally been very kind to Democrats, much in the same way as London has been to the left-wing. The incumbent, Eric Adams, is also proving to be very unpopular and is very much seen to be out of touch by voters.
“There’s a big opportunity for Mamdani here to go and seal the deal, should he keep the momentum of his campaign up and continue to turn that grassroots energy into something more citywide, which he was able to do in the primary yesterday. But he needs to make his case to the wider population of New York and energize some groups who wouldn’t traditionally consider voting for someone like him.”
The New York Mayoral election will take place on November 4, 2025, the winner expected to assume office the following January.
Update: 6/26/25, 8 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and remarks.