Overview

• Former Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on July 14 that he will run as an independent in the New York City mayoral general election after losing the Democratic primary to Zohran Mamdani.
• He highlighted that only 13 percent of Democratic voters participated in the June primary, challenging the strength of Mamdani’s mandate.
• Cuomo agreed to a mid-September plan from David Paterson and Jim Walden to consolidate anti-Mamdani support by backing the strongest non-progressive candidate and withdrawing if trailing.
• Latest polls show Mamdani leading with about 40 percent support, while Cuomo trails at around 24 percent and Mayor Eric Adams and Republican Curtis Sliwa poll in the mid-teens.
• With no sore-loser law and ranked-choice voting, the November ballot will feature five contenders—Mamdani, Cuomo, Adams, Sliwa and Jim Walden—raising the prospect of split votes among Democratic-leaning electorates.