In his last stand, Andrew Cuomo zigzags between optimism and despair about NYC race

By Gloria Pazmino, CNN

New York (CNN) — Through the final days of this year’s campaign for New York City mayor, Andrew Cuomo has at times lived up to the nickname he earned in the early days of his political career: the prince of darkness.

Cuomo relaunched his mayoral campaign after his shocking Democratic primary loss, telling New Yorkers he was in it to win it in a video he filmed standing on a tree-lined sidewalk under the July sun. He would acknowledge he needed to embrace social media and address voter concerns about affordability.

Over the four months that followed, Cuomo zigzagged between optimism about his candidacy and despair about the possible mayoralty of Zohran Mamdani. He has described his run as the last chance New Yorkers will have to save the city from Mamdani’s democratic socialism, once referring in a debate to the 34-year-old Mamdani as a “kid” and warning that his ideas were radical and unrealistic.

Cuomo’s final general election ad leans on his executive experience and also questions whether Mamdani has enough.

“Life in New York is tough right now,” he says in the ad. “Candidates who need on-the-job training can’t fix it.”

Ahead of Tuesday’s election, early voting numbers were up dramatically ahead of the same point in 2021, reflecting the interest New Yorkers have in a mayoral race unlike any in recent memory. The latest Quinnipiac University poll had 43% of likely voters backing Mamdani versus 33% for Cuomo and 14% for Republican Curtis Sliwa.

And in a new Marist Poll of likely New York City voters released Thursday, Mamdani had 48% support over Cuomo’s 32% and Sliwa’s 18%. Indeed, every major poll on the race has found Mamdani with a double-digit lead over Cuomo, though the vast majority have found Mamdani below 50% support, according to Jennifer Agiesta, CNN Director of Polling and Analytics.

With the exception of Fox’s survey earlier this month, every high-quality poll on the contest conducted since the Democratic primary has found Mamdani’s support landing between 43 and 48 percent. While Cuomo has made up some ground over that time, with his support rising from the mid-20s in early polls to consistent low-30s support, he continues to lag well behind the frontrunner.

Yet in the past week, aides to Cuomo have pointed to the early voting surge as evidence that his standing in the polls is not as bad as it seems.

Cuomo suggested on Wednesday that New Yorkers were just tuning into the race.

“We’ve been focusing on it, but people have been living their lives. You now get down to the last week, they’re starting to focus,” Cuomo said. “You’re talking about a general election where many normal New Yorkers are going to vote and I think there’s gonna be a big turnout because (Mamdani) frightens New Yorkers.”

Mamdani’s backers remain far more enthusiastic about their choice than are Cuomo’s supporters, according to the Quinnipiac poll.

The survey also found a rise in how many New Yorkers have an unfavorable view of Mamdani (45% favorable to 41% unfavorable versus earlier in October when those figures stood at 43% favorable to 35% unfavorable).

Still, 54% of New Yorkers had unfavorable views of Cuomo versus just 34% favorable.

In the final stretch of the campaign, Democrats who previously supported Cuomo, political observers and even former aides of the governor were astounded after he laughed with a radio host who suggested Mamdani would “cheer” another 9/11. Cuomo later said he believed the host’s comments were offensive as Mamdani accused him of playing to Islamophobia.

Days later, during an appearance on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” host Jon Stewart joked with Mamdani about their back-and-forth.

“You are clearly in the front-runner position right now – I can tell because they have gone 9/11 on you,” Stewart said eliciting laughter from the crowd.

“The closing argument,” Mamdani responded.

Cuomo reframes his legacy

With every post and campaign stop, Cuomo tried a new media strategy while leaning into the legacy items of his 11 years as governor, including legalizing same-sex marriage and raising the minimum wage. In doing so, Cuomo argued that he is the mayoral race’s original progressive.

“I was a crazy liberal,” Cuomo said during an appearance on SiriusXM’s “Andy Cohen Live” show. “Now, the party’s moved so far left, they call me a moderate.”

Cuomo resigned in 2021 amid an investigation into sexual harassment allegations that he has denied and questions about how he handled Covid-19 in nursing homes.

He won an endorsement Wednesday from US Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Long Island Democrat whose district includes parts of Queens.

“I cannot back a declared socialist with a thin resume to run the most complex city in America,” Suozzi wrote on X. “We need leaders who will fight crime, not undermine the police. Who will create jobs, not harm the economy. Who will keep taxes down, not make it more expensive for middle class families to live here.”

Embracing his inner influencer

As his campaign apparatus tried to catch up on social media, Cuomo was dismissing its significance in public.

Standing on the debate stage, Cuomo poked fun of Mamdani’s social media fluency, holding his hands up in the air, rocking side to side while moving his hands in a talking motion.

“It’s a TikTok dance,” Cuomo said.

Even as he mocked the videos that helped propel his opponent, Cuomo admitted they were effective. He has started posting videos of him meeting with New Yorkers that some Mamdani allies think are copying the Democratic nominee’s style.

“He was very effective on it. His mother’s a film director, filmmaker. He’s an actor slash rapper. They did highly produced videos that were very effective. And that’s his sweet spot,” Cuomo said on Cohen’s show.

He appeared recently at a “Cool Girls for Capitalism” event held in a swanky Tribeca members-only club known as Maxwell Social, where hosts doled out pink T-shirts and stickers emblazoned with the group name.

At a “Young Professionals For Cuomo” fundraiser hosted by the independent candidate’s daughters, attendants got a chance to secure T-shirts showing a cartoon Cuomo surrounded by friendly iconography – a Statue of Liberty, the Star of David, a cross, a pretzel and a smiling apple.

Experience, experience, experience

Much like he did in the primary, Cuomo continued to lean on his experience, trying to draw a contrast between himself and Mamdani, who has served three terms in the State Assembly.

Cuomo focused on public safety, appealing to fears that Mamdani’s police reform agenda would lead to an increase in crime and demoralize police officers.

The former governor has proposed hiring more officers and argued homeless people should be moved off the streets. A former housing secretary under President Bill Clinton, Cuomo said the city had suffered through years of inept governments who could not get projects off the ground.

On the day of Hurricane Sandy’s anniversary in New York City, Cuomo was once again on the trail reminding voters of his experience and what he believed is at stake.

“You need experience. You need the ability. You need the wisdom to know what to do because literally lives depend on you,” Cuomo said.

On Wednesday, Cuomo got the endorsement of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg who was in office on the day Hurricane Sandy devastated the city.

Bloomberg, who also endorsed Cuomo in the primary and donated millions to a Cuomo Super PAC, reiterated his support for the governor and highlighted his experience.

“Being Mayor of New York City is the second toughest job in America, and the next mayor will face immense challenges,” Bloomberg wrote in a post on X. “Andrew Cuomo has the experience and toughness to stand up for New Yorkers and get things done.”

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CNN’s David Wright contributed to this report.