Andrew Cuomo, conceding his failed primary campaign was flawed, takes to NYC streets

Andrew Cuomo is shifting gears and taking personal responsibility for running what he admits was a lackluster campaign in the Democratic mayoral primary, acknowledging that any strategic mistakes ultimately fall on him.

“It was my campaign, I take the responsibility — period,” Cuomo told the Daily News in a series of interviews from the campaign trail Wednesday. “The buck stops with me, and we did not effectively communicate.”

Now running as an independent in November’s general election against Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, Cuomo said he will be taking a very different tack.

“Better use with social media, reaching out to more young people and touching more people,” Cuomo said of his new focus while riding the Q train from 96th St. to 72nd St. in between stops to talk to voters on the Upper East Side, where he largely got a positive reception.

“He’s for New York, and all that other stuff that happened with him doesn’t matter,” Annie Albarian, 65, a registered Republican and Upper East Side resident who plans to vote for Cuomo in November, said, a reference to his 2021 resignation as governor.

Cuomo, who resigned amid sexual and professional misconduct accusations he denies, said he will during the general election campaign be doing more retail politics, like riding the trains, walking the streets and interacting directly with voters.

Mamdani defeated Cuomo in the June 24 primary by a 12% margin after running an energetic campaign grounded in that type of direct outreach.

By contrast, Cuomo ran a “Rose Garden” campaign of sorts during the primary, largely staying out of the public spotlight and relying on a supportive super PAC to spend heavily on ads for him, as nearly all polls projected he’d easily defeat Mamdani and his other opponents.

“All the political geniuses said we had a big lead and the campaign played it safe, I played it safe, uncharacteristically, and that was a mistake,” he said on the Q train.

As part of Cuomo’s general election bid revamp, a source familiar with the matter said he also plans to hire a new campaign manager, a new social media team and a new consulting firm to spearhead strategy for him. During the primary, Cuomo relied heavily on Mercury, a PR firm headed by longtime ally Charlie King.

Though his style may change, Cuomo signaled Wednesday he will continue to pitch himself as a battle-tested manager who has the type of deep experience New York needs at a time of myriad challenges, like a housing crisis and federal funding cuts from President Trump.

He will also continue to paint Mamdani, a 33-year-old Queens Assembly member, as too inexperienced and his policy platform, which includes a promise to freeze rent for stabilized tenants, as too radical and unrealistic.

“He’s not a Democrat,” Cuomo, a lifelong Democrat, said when asked how he justifies challenging the Democratic nominee in November’s contest. “A socialist won in the Democratic primary.”

Cuomo’s own policy platform remains a bit diffuse, with several of his proposals, including for addressing the local housing crisis, light on details.

Cuomo’s Wednesday campaign jaunt, on the other hand, revolved around advantageous locations that showcased his record.

In riding the Q, he was on a section of the Second Ave. subway he as governor helped build — and while underground he touted it repeatedly as a major accomplishment, at one point stopping by a plaque with his name on it. Later in the day, he invited The News to join him at an apartment complex in East New York that he helped build in the late 1980s while running HELP, a low-income housing development firm.

“He’s loving, he’s kind, he’s generous, he’s the best landlord we had ever,” Leotha McLean Chase, who has lived in the complex since it opened in 1992, said outside the building before affirming she’s voting for Cuomo in November.

No matter his strategy, Cuomo faces an uphill battle.

As the Democratic nominee, Mamdani is polling as the favorite to win in November, given the city’s overwhelmingly Democratic electorate. During the primary, Mamdani generated a groundswell of support from young voters by centering his campaign on a slate of policy proposals focused on affordability, and he has racked up key institutional support since then, including from powerful unions that used to back Cuomo.

Cuomo’s path to election is further complicated by Mayor Adams, who’s also running as an independent in November and appeals to a similar constituency of moderates and conservatives, potentially cutting into the ex-gov’s base of support.

In formally entering the November race earlier this week, Cuomo proposed that all independent and Republican candidates in the running should commit to dropping out in September and coalesce behind the person who’s polling best in a head-to-head matchup with Mamdani to maximize their chances of beating him.

So far, Cuomo’s polling as Mamdani’s biggest threat. But Adams and Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa have already affirmed they will not entertain such a polling proposal, with the incumbent saying Cuomo’s the one who should drop out.

In speaking to The News on Wednesday, Cuomo said he’s nonetheless hopeful Adams — who’s hobbled by continued fallout from his corruption indictment and relationship with Trump — will eventually come around to the idea that he should drop out if he’s not polling as the most credible candidate to beat Mamdani.

“I believe reality will set in at one point,” Cuomo said. “Right now, I’m sure he believes he will be the stronger candidate, and, great, run your campaign, and if he’s the stronger candidate, I will defer. But I’m running my campaign, and if I’m the stronger candidate, he should defer.”

Frank Carone, Adams’ campaign chairman, said that isn’t going to happen.

“As I have said repeatedly there is no chance of that — none, zero, zilch. Any objective person can see that Mayor Adams and his administration have one of the best records in history in delivering for working class New Yorkers,” Carone said, pointing to an increase in small businesses, drops in some crime categories and an uptick in housing construction. “Any suggestion to the contrary is delusion and psychotic arrogance.”

Originally Published: July 16, 2025 at 4:36 PM EDT