Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is quietly maneuvering to position himself as the only viable alternative to socialist frontrunner Zohran Mamdani in New York City’s upcoming mayoral race—and he’s not ruling out the possibility of leveraging President Donald Trump’s influence to do it.
At a recent high-dollar fundraiser in the Hamptons, Cuomo reportedly told donors and allies that the best path to defeating Mamdani may involve encouraging Trump and other prominent Republicans to send a message: don’t waste your vote on Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
According to Cuomo, Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder and perennial GOP candidate, has little chance of winning in heavily Democratic New York City. Instead, Cuomo believes the key to stopping Mamdani’s rise is consolidating the anti-socialist vote behind his own independent candidacy. If Trump were to nudge his base toward abstaining from Sliwa—or even backing Cuomo outright—it could be enough to shift the race’s dynamics.
While Cuomo’s camp later clarified that he is not formally seeking Trump’s endorsement, insiders say the former governor is betting that a quiet alignment of interests could emerge. Both Cuomo and Trump view Mamdani’s candidacy as a threat—Cuomo to the city’s stability and governance, Trump to the political balance in a city that often serves as a national political symbol.
Mamdani, a progressive state assemblyman from Queens, has energized younger voters with promises of rent forgiveness, police budget cuts, and expansive social programs. Early polls show him with a commanding lead, capitalizing on discontent with the city’s status quo. Cuomo, however, is positioning himself as the “last firewall” against what he warns would be a radical takeover of City Hall.
Cuomo told donors, “I am the only one who can beat Mamdani. If New York City is to remain the greatest city in the world, we cannot hand it over to socialism.”
For Republicans, the calculation is complicated. Officially, Sliwa remains the GOP’s nominee, but many conservatives acknowledge his chances are slim. Some see value in quietly allowing Cuomo to take the fight to Mamdani, hoping to keep City Hall out of progressive hands—even if it means backing a former Democratic governor.
As the race intensifies, Cuomo’s strategy underscores just how high the stakes are: a battle not only for City Hall, but for the ideological direction of America’s largest city.
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