Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is launching a third party to run in the November general election even as he leads the Democratic primary field by double digits—a move that Mayor Eric Adams interpreted as mimicking his own third-party bid.
Cuomo, in a lengthy statement released by his campaign on Tuesday, said that even if he secures the Democratic nomination on June 24, he would also run on the newly formed “Fight and Deliver Party” line. He made the move even as he has maintained front-runner status with seven weeks until the June 24 primary.
The former governor, who resigned following 11 allegations of sexual harassment that he denies, explained the move as a way to appeal to Democrats “disillusioned” with the party, as well as Republicans and independents. It would give him a fallback to run as an independent if he ends up losing the Democratic primary or another party line to help him draw votes away from a progressive challenger who could run on the Working Families Party line.
“This November, in addition to securing the Democratic nomination, my campaign will work to build the largest possible coalition and secure the biggest possible mandate,” Cuomo said. “We will be responsive to those who want to support my candidacy, but who would like an alternate way to do it.”
Cuomo must file at least 3,750 signatures from registered city voters by a June 27 deadline in order to get his party line on the ballot, according to the city Board of Elections.
Cuomo ‘going through motions,’ Adams says
Adams, who bowed out of the Democratic primary last month to launch his own independent candidacy, accused Cuomo of “going through the motions” in following his every move. He alleged that Cuomo released a housing plan very similar to his own, visits Black churches like he does, and is now running on an independent line after he did.
“I mean it just seems like he’s just going through the motions,” Adams said of Cuomo during his weekly news conference. “Isn’t that strange to you that now he wants an independent line like Eric?”
The mayor is reportedly planning to run both on the “Safe&Affordable” and “EndAntiSemitism” lines in November.
Cuomo, in his statement, explained that some Democrats have told him they are disillusioned with the party and feel it has been “hijacked, that it doesn’t produce real results, and that it doesn’t fight for working people anymore.” He pointed to middling voter turnout among city Democrats in last year’s presidential election as proof that the party is in disarray.
“I believe that Democrats can and will turn this around,” Cuomo said. “I believe that once I am elected Mayor of New York City, my administration will play a major role in proving these points and in restoring faith in the party once again. We will put ‘progress’ back in the progressive party.”
Cuomo’s move was also immediately slammed by his Democratic primary challengers.
Queens Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, who is polling in second place to Cuomo, said the former governor launching a new party line shows that he is “scared” because he is running a “sloppy campaign.”
Mamdani pointed to his use of the AI software ChatGPT to do research for his housing plan, his failure to secure matching funds last month, and his strategy of holding limited press conferences.
“Cuomo is a Democrat in name only, and after the June primary, he won’t even be that,” Mamdani said.
