Since Mayor Adams dropped his reelection bid two weeks in the past, his longtime political confidant, Frank Carone, has quietly tried to dealer an settlement for Adams to endorse Andrew Cuomo’s impartial mayoral marketing campaign, in accordance with sources conversant in the matter.
Carone, who was Adams’ first chief of workers at Metropolis Corridor and served as his reelection marketing campaign chairman, mentioned shortly after the mayor dropped out of the race on Sept. 28 that he deliberate to work in some capability to assist get Cuomo elected.
It’s unclear what function Cuomo has performed, if any, in these conversations. It’s additionally unclear if Adams — who simply over a month in the past known as Cuomo “a snake and a liar” — would search something in return for endorsing the ex-governor’s mayoral bid.
Barry Williams / New York Every day Information; Getty
Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo. (Barry Williams / New York Every day Information; Getty)
Adams spokesman Todd Shapiro on Monday wouldn’t touch upon any talks with Carone, however mentioned Adams’ greatest precedence is defeating Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic mayoral nominee who’s polling as the favourite to win the Nov. 4 election.
“The mayor is 100% behind defeating New York City becoming the largest socialist city in the country,” Shapiro mentioned, a reference to Mamdani’s identification as a democratic socialist. “Although [Adams] has not endorsed anyone at this time, he is considering all options.”
A spokesman for Cuomo declined to remark, as did Carone. In an interview with the New York Instances printed days earlier than Adams suspended his reelection marketing campaign, Cuomo mentioned he had spoken to Carone “several weeks ago.”
Along with urging Adams to again Cuomo, Carone has known as up donors to ask them to supply monetary assist for the ex-gov’s mayoral run.
Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Every day Information
Mayor Eric Adams and Frank Carone stroll into Metropolis Corridor in 2023. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Every day Information)
Adams dropped out of the mayoral race as he confronted sharply low approval rankings amid continued controversies stemming from his federal corruption indictment. For months previous to his exit, Adams had positioned final in polls of the mayoral election, pulling round 10% assist.
Even with out an endorsement, a Quinnipiac College ballot launched final week confirmed almost all of Adams’ supporters migrating to Cuomo with the incumbent out of the image. The 2 males share a base of ideologically average, older voters, a lot of them Black and residing within the outer-boroughs.
Nonetheless, Mamdani led Cuomo by 13% within the Quinnipiac ballot, retaining his standing because the front-runner within the race.
Moreover, Adams’ title will stay on the Nov. 4 poll it doesn’t matter what, as a deadline has handed to take away it. That would trigger concern for Cuomo, because it’s tough to foretell what Adams supporters would possibly do within the voting sales space when the mayor’s title remains to be on the poll.
Any push to get Adams voters to line up behind Cuomo may be muddied by a latest effort launched by Brock Pierce, a outstanding Adams pal and marketing campaign donor.
“Cuomo has to be a part of getting Eric back,” Pierce mentioned. “We all have to come together in a unified way.”
Cuomo spokesman Wealthy Azzopardi didn’t touch upon the assembly with Pierce.
Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa can be on the Nov 4. poll. He has mentioned he is not going to drop out of the race underneath any circumstance.
Initially Printed: October 13, 2025 at 4:48 PM EDT
