Cuomo to remain on New York City mayoral ballot as he weighs political future

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has opted to remain on New York City's ballot for mayor as an independent candidate ahead of Friday's deadline, multiple outlets are reporting, despite conceding the Democratic primary on Tuesday.

Cuomo stated on Wednesday that he was still weighing whether to run as an independent, and would make his decision next week after reviewing data from the Democratic primary, where he finished second in the initial vote. 

The former governor can still seek an independent bid for the post because he formed the Fight and Deliver party last month. If he does decide to stay in the race through November, he will join incumbent Mayor Eric Adams as an independent. 

Socialist Zohran Mamdani is expected to represent the Democratic Party in the November election and Curtis Sliwa, who was uncontested in his race, will represent Republicans.

“The Democratic primary is always an interesting situation, right?"  Cuomo told CBS News on Wednesday. "There are about five million voters in New York City, there are about eight million people in New York City, and about 1 million people vote in the Democratic primary. It’s not necessarily representative of the city at large. That’s why I qualified for an independent line in November."

The former governor added that because more people tend to vote in the general election than in the primaries, he still had a chance of winning the election as an independent.

The comment comes as key Democratic leaders in the state rally around Mamdani, but stop short of fully endorsing him, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. 

“I have known [Mamdani] since we worked together to provide debt relief for thousands of beleaguered taxi drivers & fought to stop a fracked gas plant in Astoria,” Schumer posted on X. “He ran an impressive campaign that connected with New Yorkers about affordability, fairness, & opportunity.”

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.