Are things about to get ugly?
New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently revealed that disgraced former governor Andrew Cuomo asked him to remove his name from the November ballot.
Adams said during an interview Monday on CNBC that Cuomo “knew he was setting us up for this,” knowing that the incumbent mayor already chose to forgo the Democrat primary and run as an independent instead. Cuomo, who officially lost the Democrat nomination to state Assembly member Zohran Mamdani last week, had initially announced in May he would also run as an independent and confirmed after his primary loss that he secured a spot for himself on the general election ballot. (RELATED: Eric Adams Launches Independent Mayoral Bid Days After Mamdani Upset)
“I said, ‘Andrew, are you that level of arrogance? I’m the sitting mayor,’” Adams said. “I’m the sitting mayor of the city of New York, and you expect for me to step aside when you just lost to [Mamdani] by 12 points.”
Cuomo was formally projected to have lost the Democrat primary last week after the New York City elections board completed the tabulation of the necessary rounds of ranked-choice voting. Mamdani defeated Cuomo by about 12 points, 56 percent to 44 percent, in the third round.
Adams faces a significant uphill battle as he tries to win reelection for a second term. His favorability rating has been significantly underwater amid the legal and political controversies that have surrounded him, and early polling of the general election has shown him well behind Mamdani.
Some prominent figures have called on Cuomo to leave the race for anti-Mamdani voters to unify around Adams, including hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, who had donated a significant amount of money to Cuomo’s campaign in the primary.
The billionaire said he met with both Adams and Cuomo to assess their rival candidacies.
“In short, my takeaway is that Adams can win the upcoming election and that the Governor should step aside to maximize Adams’ probability of success,” he wrote. “I say this while having a high regard for Andrew Cuomo and his contributions to New York State.”
Ackman added, “But it was abundantly clear in his body language, his subdued energy and his proposals to beat Mamdani, that he is not up for the fight.”
“They heard your message, and you lost,” Adams said. “Now let a fresh set of legs that has produced for this city, and that’s the highest level of arrogance.”
Cuomo campaign spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said in a statement that all campaigns should consider a proposal from independent candidate Jim Walden for a poll to be taken in September to determine which candidate would be the strongest in a head-to-head matchup against Mamdani, a self-identified democratic socialist.
Azzopardi said Walden is correct that he, Adams and Cuomo all running “all but ensures a socialist victory.”
He also said Adams chose not to run in the Democrat primary because he knows he’s “anathema” to Democrat voters and can’t win.
READ NEXT: America Caucus: How Musk Can Win Without Burning Down The House
Sponsored
This is About More Than Politics. Mike Huckabee Stands With Trump And Israel. Do You?
You people are complete fools if you vote for any of these sickos, Mandani, Adams, or Cuomo. Vote for Curtis Sliwa, he’s your only hope, NYC.