Andrew Cuomo has said he will run as an independent in the election for New York City mayor, following a stinging loss to progressive upstart Zohran Mamdani in the Democratic Party primary last month, reports Al Jazeera.
Cuomo, the former New York State governor and son of a former mayor, who resigned in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations, vowed to persist in his mayoral bid in a video posted to social media on Monday.
"As my grandfather used to say, when you get knocked down, learn the lesson and pick yourself back up and get in the game. And that is what I am going to do," said Cuomo. "The fight to save our city isn't over."
Mamdani's 12-point win over Cuomo in the Democratic primary has pushed pro-establishment Democrats, concerned about his embrace of progressive economic policies and critical stance towards Israel, to seek an alternative after the bruising primary defeat.
The mayoral election will take place in November, with Mamdani facing Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who trails in most polls and whose tenure has been marred by a series of corruption scandals.
Anti-crime figure Curtis Sliwa will also be in the race as the Republican nominee.
In response to Cuomo's entry into the general race, Mamdani said, "I welcome everyone to this race, and I am as confident as I have been since three weeks ago on primary night, when we faced Andrew Cuomo and won that race by more than 12 points with the most votes of any Democratic nominee in New York City primary history.
"And we did so because of the fact that while Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams trip over themselves to make deals in back rooms with billionaires, we are fighting for working New Yorkers."
Cuomo, who was elected to three terms as governor, entered the primary with far superior name recognition, and at one point had a 30-point lead in the polls.
Meanwhile, Mamdani ran on a progressive platform, promising to freeze rent, addressing affordability issues, making buses free citywide and creating city-run grocery stores. His campaign was propelled by a social media following that dwarfs his rivals'.
Although polls have shown that many of Mamdani's populist economic policies enjoy widespread support, Cuomo and other centrist Democrats have said that they are unrealistic and unworkable.
"My opponent, Mr Mamdani, offers slick slogans, but no real solutions," Cuomo said in his video.
Cuomo, a firm defender of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, and other members of the Democratic Party have also criticised Mamdani's position on Israel, which he has said is committing "genocide" in Gaza.
Mamdani's opinion is in line with a growing number of international human rights groups and human rights experts, and comes at a moment of waning favour towards Israel among US voters in general and Democratic voters in particular.
Mamdani's primary victory triggered a wave of Islamophobic attacks by supporters of Israel and members of the US right, most notably President Donald Trump, who has called Mamdani a "communist" and said he could strip him of his citizenship.
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