Overview

• Cuomo formally launched his independent bid on July 14 after losing the Democratic primary to Zohran Mamdani by 12 points under ranked-choice voting
• He has called on trailing rivals to pledge by mid-September to drop out to prevent splitting the anti-socialist vote
• An early July Data for Progress poll shows Mamdani leading with 40% support to Cuomo’s 24%, with Eric Adams and Curtis Sliwa polling in the mid-teens
• Cuomo has cast himself as a centrist alternative, criticizing Mamdani’s progressive platform of rent freezes and free transit as “slick slogans” lacking real solutions
• The November ballot now features a four-way contest between Mamdani, Cuomo, Adams and Sliwa that could hinge on low Democratic turnout and strategic alliances