Andrew Cuomo dons a short-sleeved shirt, launches second NYC mayor campaign

Andrew Cuomo is running for mayor. Take two. 

The former governor officially confirmed Monday that he’d be giving his quest for a political comeback a second go, confirming in a newly released video that he would actively campaign as an independent candidate in the general election this November. 

After his bruising loss to Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani in the primary last month, there’s been a lot of speculation on whether the former governor would go through with the groundwork he’d laid to launch a third-party run on his “Fight and Deliver” ballot line. His campaign, criticized by many for limiting public appearances, stood in stark contrast to the 33-year-old democratic socialist’s nonstop energy and off-the-cuff charm. Now in a stunning reversal of fortune, Cuomo – once the clear front-runner in the crowded Democratic primary – is the clear underdog hoping for a miracle. And with a new video showing a more casual Cuomo hitting the streets, iconic Greek-styled blue-and-white coffee cup in hand, he may be taking some lessons from the opponent he’s frequently decried as inexperienced.

Apologizing for letting his supporters down in the roughly 90-second video released Monday afternoon, Cuomo declared that “the fight to save our city isn’t over,” framing the race as a two-man contest between himself and the 33-year-old democratic socialist. He made no mention of fellow independents New York City Mayor Eric Adams and attorney Jim Walden or Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa – candidates whose presence in the race further clouds his already long-shot bid. 

“The general election is in November and I am in it to win it,” Cuomo announced in the video shared to X. “My opponent Mr. Mamdani offers slick slogans, but no real solutions.” His plans were first reported by conservative news network NewsNation over the weekend. Cuomo has committed to a plan first suggested by Walden to coalesce behind the highest-polling non-Mamdani candidate come September. The latest polls show him in second place, trailing Mamdani by double digits.

The new video announcing the relaunch of Cuomo’s campaign seemed to signal a much needed shift in strategy for the coming months. While he’d taken heat during the primary for limiting unscripted public appearances and taking few questions from the press, the new video showcased Cuomo walking the street shaking hands, patting backs and snapping selfies with a bevy of New Yorkers. “Every day I’m going to be hitting the streets, meeting you where you are to hear the good and the bad, problems and solutions,” Cuomo, clad in a short-sleeve button up, pledged. “Because for the next few months, it is my responsibility to earn your vote.” 

“Cuomo is trying to imitate Mamdani’s engagement style with the street interactions, sunny visuals and an aspirational view of New York, but it’s unlikely voters will settle for a knockoff when the real thing is so close to becoming Mayor,” Democratic strategist Trip Yang said in a text. 

By contrast, the 17-minute behemoth released by Cuomo’s campaign in March to announce his primary launch was filmed in a nondescript room. It featured little but Cuomo, grim-faced, as he looked into the camera, describing a city in crisis and pitched himself as the seasoned leader who could get it back on track. 

An email from Cuomo written to supporters said that the former governor would run “a very different kind of campaign” in the general election. It explained he was putting together a new team, communications plan, field operations and strategy – and that most importantly he’d “be out there, every day in every corner of this city” “learning the lessons from the past, relaunching toward the future.” 

For all his promises, Cuomo will face tall odds in the coming months. In addition to his lagging poll numbers, both Sliwa and Adams have so far said that they have no intention of dropping out. 

“While Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams are tripping over themselves to cut backroom deals with billionaires and Republicans, Zohran Mamdani is focused on making this city more affordable for New Yorkers,” a spokesperson for Mamdani said in a statement. “That’s the choice this November.”