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Hizzoner Eric Adams on Sunday blasted Andrew Cuomo’s plan to run for mayor as an independent, saying it is only “wasting time and dividing voters” — and boosting socialist Zohran Mamdani.
Adams, who is running for re-election as an independent himself, said at the Bolivian Day Parade in Queens that Cuomo’s ego-driven plan to stay in the race is doing more harm than good, noting the previous front-runner was already trounced once by both men’s Dem foe, Mamdani.
“I didn’t lose in the primary,” said the mayor, referring to Mamdani’s stunning win over Cuomo in the Democratic Party race last month.
“We’re moving straight ahead. It’s so important that we continue to move ahead,” Adams said.
Asked if he would step aside for Cuomo, the mayor shot back: “Are you kidding me?”
He followed up in a scathing press release from his camp.
“This kind of political double-dealing is exactly why so many New Yorkers have lost trust in [Cuomo[,” the release said. “The people spoke loudly – he lost. Yet, he continues to put himself over the number one goal — beating Mamdani and securing our city’s future.
“Now, in the face of a serious threat, an inexperienced opponent, Cuomo is wasting time and dividing voters. He failed them — and he’s failing New Yorkers now.”
As an independent, Adams sat out the primary — and insists Cuomo would only split the vote in the general election if he jumps back into the race, allowing Mamdani to cruise into office.
Mamdani, a state assemblyman from Queens, is leading the race with 35% approval, followed by Cuomo with 25%, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa with 14% and Adams at 11%, according to a poll conducted by the political consulting firm Slingshot Strategies.
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said the former governor still presents the best chance to beat Mamdani.
The former governor, while running as an independent, is still expected to seek a vow from all candidates other than Mamdani that they will drop out of the race in September if they’re not leading the pack. That includes himself.
But Sliwa slammed the suggestion — and Adams — while noting he’s the only legit major party candidate.
“Andrew Cuomo lost his primary and hides in the Hamptons,” the Guardian Angels founder said Sunday. “Eric Adams skipped his and fled to Fort Lauderdale. Now, they’re both running as independents to cling to relevance.”
Meanwhile, former federal prosecutor Jim Walden, who is also running for the seat, said Cuomo’s call for a unified vow to step aside for the greater good sounds awfully familiar.
“I am glad Andrew has agreed to adopt my pledge,” Walden said. “I hope Eric and Curtis sign on as well. Putting New York’s best interest over our personal ambitions is critical at this moment.”
Additional reporting by Carl Campanile
English (US)