Eric Adams Backs Andrew Cuomo in NYC Mayoral Race

The endorsement represents a striking turnaround for Adams, who has criticized Cuomo’s record as governor.

New York Mayor Eric Adams poses with Independent mayoral candidate former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo during the game between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Oct. 22, 2025. Earlier that evening Cuomo participated in the second debate for the upcoming mayoral election. Al Bello/Getty Images

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has decided to back former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to succeed him as mayor, in an effort to consolidate opposition to front-runner Zohran Mamdani.

Adams, a critic of Cuomo when they were both in the mayoral race, is expected to campaign alongside his former rival as early as Thursday afternoon.

“I can confirm that the Mayor will endorse former Governor Andrew M. Cuomo for mayor and intends to campaign alongside him,” Todd Shapiro, a spokesperson for Adams, said in a statement to multiple media outlets. “The time and locations for their joint appearances are currently being finalized.”

Adams hinted at the endorsement at an unrelated press conference on Thursday morning, saying, “I'll be with Andrew later today.”

“I think that it is imperative to really wake up the black and brown communities that have suffered from gentrification on how important this race is,” Adams told The New York Times, which first reported the anticipated endorsement.

Cuomo and Adams, both longtime Democrats, entered the mayoral race as independent candidates after Mamdani, a self-described Democratic Socialist, won the Democratic Party’s nomination. Adams suspended his campaign last month, saying in a video message that he saw “no path to victory.”

Cuomo fueled speculation on Wednesday night when he left the second mayoral debate without speaking to reporters and was soon spotted alongside Adams at a New York Knicks game in Madison Square Garden.

The endorsement represents a turnaround for Adams, who has criticized Cuomo’s record as governor—particularly his bail reform laws, which Adams has blamed for New York City’s rising recidivism. Early last month, he denounced Cuomo as “a liar” before accusing the former governor of having had “a career of pushing black candidates out of races.”

Still, the mayor’s fiercest attacks have been reserved for Mamdani. Adams called the state assemblyman the city’s biggest threat because of his socialism-inspired agenda, which includes proposals for city-owned grocery stores, free bus service, and a rent freeze. Mamdani has said these programs would be funded in part by raising income taxes on the top 1 percent of New Yorkers by 2 percentage points.

“We all agree that Zohran is the No.1 threat to our city,” Adams said on Sept. 22 on the “Sid & Friends in the Morning” talk show on 77 WABC radio network. “There’s no getting around that.”

Mamdani weighed in on news of the endorsement in a post on X, calling it “The Art of the Deal.”

Mamdani has consistently held a commanding lead across multiple polls, although Cuomo made gains in some surveys that were conducted after Adams dropped out of the race.

In a recent Gotham Polling/AARP survey released before the first debate, Mamdani was leading with 43 percent among likely New York City voters, ahead of Cuomo with 29 percent and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa with 19 percent. Other surveys have shown slightly wider margins but still double-digit leads for Mamdani.