Can Andrew Cuomo Win NYC Mayoral Race? Former Governor Thinks He Can, Bettors Not So Sure
Posted on: July 15, 2025, 12:02h.
Last updated on: July 15, 2025, 09:12h.
- Andrew Cuomo is remaining in the NYC mayoral race
- The former governor of New York will run as an independent this November
- NY Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani is the betting front-runner
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is remaining in the race to become the next mayor of New York City.
Despite an underwhelming performance in his party’s June primary, Cuomo, whose governorship collapsed in 2021 after numerous reports of sexual misconduct emerged, says he’s remaining in the 2025 race. With Uganda-born Zohran Mamdani, a socialist currently representing Queens in the New York State Assembly, securing the Democratic Party’s ticket for the 2025 NYC mayoral election, Cuomo, like current Mayor Eric Adams, will run as an independent.
A rising star in the Democratic Party during COVID-19, Cuomo managed to garner just 36% of the first-round vote. Despite his poor showing last month, Cuomo remains optimistic about his chances in the fall.
The fight to save our city isn’t over,” Cuomo declared. “Only 13% of New Yorkers voted in the June primary. The general election is in November, and I am in it to win it.”
Along with Mamdani, Adams, and Cuomo, the November 4 election will include perennial Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, the founder and CEO of the Guardian Angels. The conservative activist and radio talk show host gained less than 28% of the vote in 2021.
Cuomo’s Odds
While no legal sportsbook is allowed to take bets on the NYC mayor’s race, Kalshi, an online peer-to-peer wagering exchange, gives Cuomo a 15% chance of winning the November outcome. Mamdani is the heavy favorite at implied odds of 73%. Adams is at 13%. Sliwa is given just a 2% shot.
PredictIt, a similar exchange, has Cuomo at odds of 14% and Mamdani at 74%. Adams is at 13% there, too. Sliwa is at 3%.
Cuomo and Adams both have public perception obstacles to overcome. While Cuomo has maintained that he never assaulted a female staffer, he has conceded that he understands that his “interactions may have been insensitive or too personal” and that some of his “comments, given my position [as governor], made others feel in ways I never intended.”
Adams was indicted last September on federal charges of bribery, fraud, and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. The Justice Department dropped the case in February.
Cuomo, Adams Split Vote?
Cuomo remaining in the 2025 NYC mayoral race might not be welcome news to those who don’t want to see Mamdani elected. Notables committed to ensuring that Mamdani doesn’t become mayor of New York City include billionaires Bill Ackman, co-founder of Pershing Square Capital Management, and Barry Diller, a director of MGM Resorts International who controls IAC and Expedia Group.
Mamdani is a highly controversial candidate among the two-party political elite. A member of the Democratic Socialists of America, Mamdani wants the city government to run grocery stores, increase the minimum wage to $30 per hour, provide universal health care, and construct 200K new affordable housing units. His platform includes free city buses, and those who make $1 million or more annually would pay for it all.
Should Adams and Cuomo both stay in the race, they could split the anti-Mamdani vote and essentially clinch the uprising political star’s succession into the mayor’s office. Mamdani is supported by US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), aka AOC.
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