Former Governor Andrew Cuomo is expected to announce a political comeback bid, launching a third-party run in the New York City mayoral general election against Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani, who trounced him in the Democratic primary earlier this summer.
Sources say the former three-term governor will call on both New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Republican radio host Curtis Sliwa, both also rumored to be eyeing independent bids, to join him in pledging to consolidate support behind whichever candidate is best positioned to defeat Mamdani by mid-September. New York City’s general election will be ranked-choice voting, as is done in Alaska.
The novel political maneuver borrows from an emerging trend in Alaska politics, where ranked-choice voting and nonpartisan primaries have upended traditional partisan battles.
In 2024, Alaska Republican Nick Begich pioneered a similar pledge during his run for Congress, vowing to exit the race if polling showed he was not the strongest Republican contender. The tactic pressured other conservatives, notably then-Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, to bow out after finishing behind Begich, clearing the path for him to mount a more effective challenge against Democrat Mary Peltola, the incumbent he had lost to in 2022.
Now, Cuomo is attempting to replicate that model in New York’s first-ever high-profile ranked-choice general election for a major city office.
Governor Cuomo believes that if Democrats, independents, and moderate Republicans unite around one candidate, there is a clear pathway to defeat Mamdani’s radical agenda, sources are reporting.
Under the plan, Cuomo, Adams, and Sliwa would monitor polling through the summer and, by mid-September, publicly commit to dropping out if their candidacy risks splitting the vote against Mamdani. The goal: ensure voters can consolidate their rankings behind a single viable challenger to the left-wing incumbent.
Mamdani, who ousted Cuomo in a resounding primary victory driven by young, left-leaning voters, dismissed the idea.
Political observers note that while the pledge strategy helped reshape Alaskan politics, it remains untested in New York’s complex urban environment.
Still, the Cuomo camp is betting on voter fatigue with ideological extremes and a desire for experienced leadership. With ranked-choice voting giving voters the option to rank candidates rather than pick just one, Cuomo hopes to recast himself as a consensus alternative capable of drawing cross-party appeal.
The technique worked in Alaska to defeat a radical member of Congress. But will it work in New York City?
Cuomo’s farewell speech from three years ago when he left office as governor:
Part of the problem is polling itself.
NYC politics fatigue.
Liberal cities are done – the slow bleed towards utopian Hell.
When the choice is between a hardcore communist versus a hardcore socialist who murdered tens of thousands with the Covid fraud – step back and do an honest assessment of the future of NYC.