Adams Blasts Cuomo Over Comeback Bid, Accuses Former Governor of Political Sabotage

By: Kaylie McNoor

In a blistering rebuke delivered during a community celebration in the Bronx, New York City Mayor Eric Adams launched a fierce attack on former Governor Andrew Cuomo, accusing the ousted state executive of misappropriating his political “playbook” and attempting to undercut Black leadership in New York City politics. The comments, made on Saturday during the 75th anniversary of the NYCHA Bronx River Houses, mark a significant escalation in the rivalry between the two men as they both vie for City Hall in the upcoming general election.

According to a report that appeared on Sunday in The New York Post, Adams used the platform of the community event to contrast his resilience in office with what he portrayed as Cuomo’s retreat in the face of scandal. “Listen, he comes from a popular name. His dad was a great governor. His dad stood for three terms and did a great job,” Adams told The Post, referring to the late Governor Mario Cuomo. “In the midst of his obligations to the state, he stepped down.”

“Personal strife should not cause you to leave office,” Adams added pointedly. “During my personal strife, I stepped up. I continued to deliver for the city.”

Adams was referencing Cuomo’s 2021 resignation, which came amid mounting sexual harassment allegations by multiple women, all of which the former governor has consistently denied. The mayor, for his part, has contended with intense public scrutiny over a federal bribery investigation that was ultimately dismissed by the Trump administration earlier this year. He has since framed his continued leadership as an example of strength in adversity — a sharp contrast, he says, to Cuomo’s departure.

As The New York Post reported, Adams also turned his attention to Cuomo’s reentry into the political arena as an independent candidate, following a resounding defeat in the Democratic primary by progressive Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani. “He ran in the primary, he lost by double digits,” Adams stated. “He knew I was gonna run in a general election. Why would he throw his name in as an independent as well, unless he thought he was gonna do to me what he did to others, and it just did not happen.”

The mayor’s remarks highlight a broader accusation that Cuomo has long attempted to sabotage political figures of color in order to retain his influence over New York politics. “This is his history, and he’s using the same playbook in my mayoralty,” Adams told The New York Post, alluding to past rivalries Cuomo had with African American officials during his time as governor.

Cuomo, who arrived at the same Bronx event just 30 minutes after Adams had departed, dismissed the allegations and refuted the notion that he is borrowing tactics from Adams’ own campaign. “He dropped out of the primary because Democrats wouldn’t vote for him,” Cuomo said bluntly, according to The New York Post. “The people who voted for me in the primary, I believe they’re going to vote for me in November. There’s no new Andrew Cuomo.”

Cuomo’s independent candidacy comes on the heels of a bruising political chapter that included not only the sexual misconduct allegations but also widespread condemnation over his administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chief among the criticisms was his March 2020 directive that transferred COVID-positive patients into nursing homes — a move that has since been linked to as many as 15,000 deaths. Cuomo was further accused of undercounting the number of fatalities in those facilities by as much as 50%, a charge he has strenuously denied.

Adams did not hesitate to revisit those controversies. “His record has been painful to our cities, and I had to fix his mess,” the mayor said, suggesting that Cuomo’s legacy continues to cast a long shadow over the city’s public health infrastructure and political climate. “He spent millions to defend himself,” Adams continued, “while thousands died in nursing homes under his watch.”

As The New York Post report stressed, Cuomo remained unrepentant. “I stayed in the primary, and 400,000 Democrats voted for me,” he told the paper. He expressed confidence that his base of support would carry him through in the general election, which is expected to see higher turnout than the primary. Cuomo also hinted at regrets over the tone of his primary campaign, saying he should have been “more direct in his messaging to voters.”

The increasingly personal exchanges between the two candidates come at a time of heightened political uncertainty in New York City. With Mamdani maintaining a significant base of support among left-leaning Democrats and Cuomo seeking to consolidate centrist and moderate votes, Adams now finds himself fighting a two-front battle for re-election. His decision to run as an independent — mirroring Cuomo’s own strategic pivot — sets the stage for a potentially unprecedented three-way race in November.

As the race intensifies, the feud between Adams and Cuomo appears to be entering a new and deeply contentious phase. Their competing visions for the city — and for the nature of political leadership itself — are playing out not only in televised forums and campaign ads but also in unsparing public remarks such as those reported by The New York Post this weekend.

If Saturday’s exchange is any indication, the road to Election Day promises to be a high-stakes clash of legacies, egos, and sharply divergent claims about who is best suited to steer New York through its next chapter.