As Andrew Cuomo considers whether or not he can drum up help for an impartial run for mayor in November’s common election, the rich donors who backed his main bid are splintering.
Some have declared they’re sticking with him regardless of his 12-point loss within the Democratic main, whereas others are actually throwing their weight behind Mayor Adams and inspiring the previous governor to take away himself from consideration.
Cuomo’s run was largely fueled by an excellent PAC referred to as Repair the Metropolis that raised a record-breaking $25 million from the likes of Michael Bloomberg and Invoice Ackman in his help.
The PAC’s course stays undecided after Mamdani received the Democratic main by double-digit factors within the third spherical of ranked-choice voting. One other pillar of help for Cuomo — organized labor — has additionally drifted in the direction of Mamdani, who rallied alongside the Resort and Gaming Trades Council and constructing staff union 32BJ on Wednesday.
Ackman, a hedge fund billionaire who gave $500,000 in help of Cuomo, wrote in a prolonged social media put up Wednesday that he’ll now throw his help behind Adams — a blow to Cuomo as a lot of his core help has began drifting.
“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,” Ackman wrote, including that he had met each with Adams and Cuomo on Tuesday to debate the race.
The billionaire, who additionally backed Trump’s 2024 marketing campaign, wrote that Cuomo was “not up for the fight” in opposition to Mamdani, however that Adams was “ready to go to battle.”
Invoice Ackman, founder and CEO, Pershing Sq. Capital Administration (Photograph by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP through Getty Pictures)
Anthony Scaramucci, a financier who briefly served as Trump’s communication director, stated Thursday that he was sticking by the ex-governor due to his expertise and promise to face as much as Trump, “not bow down to him.”
Scaramucci’s agency, Skybridge Capital, donated $100,000 to an excellent PAC supporting Cuomo’s run, and he himself beforehand donated $2,000 to Adams’ 2021 marketing campaign and one other $2,100 to his reelection bid final 12 months.
“I’ve known Andrew for a long time and there is absolutely no one with more fire in their belly or who is stronger in the ring than [Cuomo],” he wrote on social media, citing his transforming of LaGuardia Airport and the Second Ave. subway.
Anthony Scaramucci attends The Podcast Present at Enterprise Design Centre on Could 22, 2025 in London, England. (Photograph by Jordan Peck/Getty Pictures)
Different donors, together with Mark Gorton, a prolific political donor who’s backed RFK Jr., have indicated they’ll now help Mamdani’s candidacy.
Reasonable Democrats have taken concern with Mamdani’s marketing campaign guarantees of free buses and hire freezes for rent-stabilized models. And town’s wealthiest residents have taken concern with the state assemblymember’s push to extend taxes on town’s rich 1%.
Whereas Cuomo misplaced the race to turn into Democratic nominee, he can nonetheless run as an impartial on a separate line, which he’s dubbed “Fight and Deliver.” Along with Mamdani and Adams, he’d be dealing with off in opposition to Curtis Sliwa, a Republican, and Jim Walden, one other impartial. His path to victory seems slim: He’d be courting the identical average, outer-borough voters as Adams on an identical political platform, and he’s need to swipe town’s Republicans from Sliwa.
“Everyone is entitled to their own political opinion — we understand President Trump supports Eric Adams, and do not believe socialism is the answer,” Cuomo spokesperson Wealthy Azzopardi stated. “Most New Yorkers are not Trumpers, and most New Yorkers are not socialists — the majority lies in the middle. We will continue to assess the current situation in the best interest of the people of the City of New York.”
Mayor Eric Adams, left, and Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani. (Barry Williams/ New York Day by day Information)
Rev. Al Sharpton, who wields monumental affect amongst many Black voters, stated Cuomo ought to drop out of the mayoral race and let Mamdani and Mayor Adams go head-to-head in November.
“He expressed that he has received many calls mostly asking him to stay in the race,” Sharpton stated Thursday of a “long” name between himself and Cuomo.
“Governor Cuomo said he thought the candidate with the best chance to win should run and would make his final decision in the coming days, after looking at new data and polling, which he said he would share with me to review. I said that while I would look, my position currently stands that the best option for New Yorkers is a one-on-one race between Mayor Adams and Assembly Member Mamdani.”
