Eric Adams to Cuomo: ‘Get Out’ and Let Me Beat Mamdani

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams told me, at Gracie Mansion on Monday, that there is only one thing left for former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to do after losing the Democratic primary for mayor: “Get out of the race.”

“That’s the right thing to do for the city of New York,” Adams said. Adams made it clear that he still sees Cuomo as his chief rival in the general election campaign, despite the emergence of socialist Zohran Mamdani as the frontrunner.

And that makes sense, given that Adams and Cuomo are running in the same lane right now: as independents. If they both remain in the race, they will likely split the votes of moderates, especially with Republican Curtis Sliwa still running. If that happens, it will be hard for anyone to stop Mamdani, 33, from becoming New York City’s first socialist mayor.

So why does Adams—a polarizing figure dogged by corruption accusations and polling at 14 percent—believe he can beat Mamdani? I asked him that and so much more in a wide-ranging interview that touched on his personal experience with police, the reality behind his administration’s crime numbers, and why a rent freeze would be a disaster for New Yorkers.