New York City Mayor Eric Adams and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo must unite behind a single candidate in order to defeat Zohran Mamdani, the official Democratic candidate in the city’s mayoral race, former New York Gov. David Paterson said during a press conference in Midtown Manhattan on Monday.
Paterson said in a statement following the press event that independent campaigns by Adams and Cuomo could hand the race to Mamdani, a progressive who won the June 24 Democratic primary and is now the party’s nominee for the general mayoral election in November.
“As public polls and surveys are revealed over these coming weeks, it is my hope and belief that the other candidates still in the race will come to the logical conclusion that New York City needs the most effective leader to navigate what comes next and that cannibalizing each other’s support will be doing a disservice to the millions of people who call New York ‘home,’” he stated.
Mamdani is not equipped to lead New York City, according to Paterson.
“Mr. Mamdani ran a successful primary campaign, with tremendous ads and a well-done social media strategy that engaged young voters in a way we have not seen to date,” he stated. “However, the general election is a very different electorate that encompasses the entirety of the city.”
“I truly believe my fellow Democrats will be doing a disservice to the people they wish to serve if they do not come together and decide to support whichever candidate has the most support among them in advance of Nov. 4,” he continued.
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Cuomo’s campaign, said in a statement that the former governor supports a proposal—first floated last week by independent mayoral candidate Jim Walden—for an independent survey conducted in September to determine which candidate has the strongest support in the city.
“Today, Governor David Paterson supported that proposal,” he stated. “While this is unorthodox, these are unusual times, and we are at a dangerous moment for our city.”
Azzopardi said Cuomo “got into this race out of his deep concern for and love of this city—the belief that we can come together and not only take these challenges head-on, but that we can build a fairer, safer, more prosperous New York for all who live here, and that he is the candidate with the experience and proven record of accomplishment to get the job done.”
Adams lacked strong support in New York City and chose not to run in the Democratic primary, according to Azzopardi.
“We do not see any path to victory for Mayor Adams,” he stated. “This is the time to put aside the usual political selfishness and agree to do what is truly best for all New Yorkers.”
In an interview on CNBC on Monday, Adams said Cuomo established his independent party line in May, knowing that he was likely to face Adams in the general election, and had even asked him to drop out of the race.
“I’m the sitting mayor of the city of New York, and you expect me to step aside when you just lost to Zohran by 12 points?” Adams stated in the interview. “He was up 32 points, $30 million—you lost, they heard your message, and you lost.”
“That is the highest level of arrogance,” he added.
Joel Petlin, superintendent of the public Kiryas Joel School District in Monroe, N.Y., told JNS that Paterson’s assessment of the mayoral race is correct.
“Zohran Mamdani is not the man to lead New York City in these turbulent times,” he said in a statement. “Mayor Adams and former Governor Cuomo need to find a way to come together in order to ensure that they aren’t handing Mamdani a victory by further dividing voters.”
