Andrew Cuomo trails socialist Mamdani by 20 points in NYC mayoral poll

Independent New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo on Friday blasted his Democratic socialist opponent Zohran Mamdani’s “anti-business, anti-corporate” positions on “The Story.” 

“[Mamdani’s] positions just will not work in New York,” Cuomo told Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum. “If there’s one city where you can’t have a socialist mayor, it’s New York City.”

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The former Democratic governor’s comments come as Mamdani leads the city’s mayoral race by nearly 20 points, at 44%, according to a Siena College Poll. Cuomo currently sits as the runner-up over Mamdani’s other opponents at 25%. 

Cuomo gave no indication of whether he would drop out of the race, while New York City Mayor Eric Adams criticized him for putting “dangerous laws on the books that hurt us, from cannabis to bail reform to 15,000 nursing home deaths.” 

Instead, Cuomo predicted Mamdani’s appeal is going to “drop dramatically.”

“I don’t think the public even knows who the assemblyman is, what he represents, what his positions are,” Cuomo argued. “So I think the more they find out about him, the less they’re going to like him, and his appeal is going to drop dramatically.” 

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Cuomo went on to outline what makes him “more competitive” with Republicans and Independents amid what he calls an “internal debate” in the Democratic Party.

“You can’t have an anti-business, anti-corporate mayor of New York City. We’re nothing without business and corporations, et cetera. It’s why people came here. It’s what made New York New York,” Cuomo said. 

He continued, “I believe in law and order. Zohran is anti-police. I believe in capitalism; Zohran is a socialist, and I think that will make me more competitive with the Republicans and Independents.“

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When MacCallum asked Cuomo if he is “hoping for President Donald Trump’s support, either overtly or behind the scenes,” Cuomo gave a resounding response.

“Yeah, no, absolutely not,” Cuomo replied. “I take President Trump at his word that he won’t get involved.“

Cuomo disclosed that the last time he spoke or left a message to the president was July 2024, when Trump was almost assassinated in Butler, Pa, to “wish him well, and [send] regards to his family.”

The two politicians notoriously butted heads over lockdown policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Cuomo accused of causing significant numbers of deaths in nursing homes by admitting COVID-positive patients without requiring testing. 

The Justice Department is currently investigating whether Cuomo misled Congress about his role in allegedly downplaying the number of fatalities and shifting blame to infected nursing home staff.