Cuomo Will Stay in the Race for N.Y.C. Mayor to Challenge Mamdani

Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has decided to run in the general election for mayor, urged on by supporters anxious that his withdrawal would nearly guarantee Zohran Mamdani’s victory and put New York City in the hands of the far left.

The decision by Mr. Cuomo, who had been questioning whether to run after his crushing Democratic primary defeat by Mr. Mamdani, a state assemblyman and a democratic socialist, will be announced in a video that is expected to be released this week, according to three people familiar with his decision.

If the polls show that he is not the highest-ranked challenger to Mr. Mamdani by early September, he will pledge to drop out of the race, the people said. He will encourage the other challengers — Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent; Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee; and Jim Walden, an independent — to do the same. (The plan was hatched by Mr. Walden.)

Mr. Cuomo was the prohibitive favorite for much of the Democratic primary for mayor, leading in most polls until the very end. A super PAC spent more than $22 million to promote his candidacy and launch a late-stage attack on Mr. Mamdani, once it became clear that he posed a threat to Mr. Cuomo.

Mr. Mamdani, who had been a relatively unknown assemblyman from Queens, was a distant second in most polls, but closed the gap after the race's two debates. He ultimately defeated Mr. Cuomo by more than 12 percentage points.

Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 6 to 1 margin in New York City, and the winner of the Democratic primary is usually a heavy favorite to win the general election.