New York City Mayor Eric Adams will endorse former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the race to replace him, sources in both camps tell CBS News New York’s Marcia Kramer. It comes just two days before early voting starts.
Sources say Adams and Cuomo are working out a joint appearance that is expected to happen later Thursday.
The endorsement comes a night after Cuomo joined Adams courtside at the Knicks home opener following the final mayoral debate.
Adams was running for reelection himself until late September, when he ended his campaign and exited the race. The outgoing mayor has been an outspoken critic of Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani and has been rumored to be considering throwing his support behind Cuomo for the past week or so.
Cuomo, who served as governor of New York from 2013 until he resigned in 2021, lost the Democratic primary to Mamdani in June and has since been consistently polling second heading into the general election. A poll earlier this week showed Mamdani holding onto a double-digit lead in a three-way race with Republican Curtis Sliwa.
The poll, meanwhile, found it would be neck-and-neck between Mamdani and Cuomo if Sliwa were to exit.
Sliwa has repeatedly vowed to stay in the race, even parting with longtime WABC radio boss John Catsimatidis.
“Why would I drop out of the race? You think Republicans are going to vote for Andrew Cuomo?” Sliwa said during the debate.
Sliwa punched hard during an interview on CNBC on Thursday morning in an effort to prove he deserves to stay on the ballot, and blamed Adams for the state of the race.
“He belongs in jail. He’s the reason there’s a Zohran Mamdani, because if he had done a halfway decent job he would’ve won. He’s an incumbent mayor. It would’ve been round two because I ran against him in 2021,” Sliwa said.
The candidates made their case to voters and covered a lot of ground during Wednesday night’s debate.
They were asked to address the recent federal immigration raids and how to handle threats from the Trump administration.
They also spoke about the NYPD and all agreed Commissioner Jessica Tisch should remain the department’s leader.
Mamdani called out Cuomo over his sexual harassment scandal as governor, and both Cuomo and Sliwa questioned Mamdani about his experience for the job and his stance on Israel.
In addition, the candidates offered up their ideas for mass transit and what should be done about the deadline to close Rikers Island.
Mamdani also refused to take positions on crucial ballot measures that would address the very housing issues he’s centered his platform around.
“What a shocker. Once he takes a position, he’ll change it anyway,” Cuomo said.
Mamdani responded with a zinger of his own.
“We heard from Donald Trump’s puppet, himself, Andrew Cuomo. He spent more money on a singing water fountain at LaGuardia Airport than he did on the average cost of an affordable housing unit,” Mamdani said.
Adams took office as the city’s 110th mayor in January 2022 after serving as Brooklyn borough president.
He ended his reelection campaign on Sept. 28, but his name will still appear on the ballot under an independent line.
It has been a tumultuous past year for the mayor and his administration. He was indicted on federal bribery charges, which he denied, that were later dropped. The dismissal also raised questions about his relationship with President Trump and the influence of the White House on City Hall.
Adams maintained his innocence and his ability to lead the city, launching his reelection campaign over the summer. But most polls showed him garnering single-digit support, well behind Mamdani, Cuomo and Sliwa.
“Despite all we’ve achieved, I cannot continue my reelection campaign. The constant media speculation about my future and the Campaign Finance Board’s decision to withhold millions of dollars have undermined my ability to raise the funds needed for a serious campaign,” Adams said in a video announcement when he dropped out.
Independent candidate Jim Walden also ended his campaign and exited the race, but the Board of Elections ruled he missed the May 30 deadline to remove his name from the ballot.
