Does Andrew Cuomo’s defeat spell the end of political moderates in NY?

Andrew Cuomo’s sound rejection Tuesday calls into question the future of the centrist platform and coalition that once propelled him to the heights of political power in the Empire State.

The former governor spent years battling progressives while in office and easily dispatched left-flank primary challengers in his two re-election campaigns. Zohran Mamdani, backed by the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, beat him first in June’s Democratic primary and then by around 8 percentage points in the general election.

Tuesday night’s results are a repudiation of Cuomo’s brand of politics, said state Sen. Gustavo Rivera, who backed Mamdani.

“It should go by the wayside,” said Rivera, a Bronx Democrat. “For a long time, corporate-ass Democrats and moderate, right-leaning Democrats have been serving not the working-class people that they're supposed to but billionaire donors.”

Cuomo’s campaign to run the city benefited from roughly $55 million spent by independent expenditure committees fueled by major donations from people like hedge fund manager Bill Ackman and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Cuomo’s coalition also included several building trade unions, though most of his biggest union allies switched their support to Mamdani after the Democratic primary.

Aides said Cuomo was still working on the remarks he gave Tuesday as supporters trickled into the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Midtown. A DJ played everything from Bon Jovi to the Black Eyed Peas as supporters snacked on popcorn and chips.

Cuomo took the stage around 10:45 p.m. With his adult daughters standing beside him, the 67-year-old noted he won a higher percentage as an independent candidate than his late father, Mario Cuomo, did in the unsuccessful 1977 mayoral campaign where Andrew Cuomo cut his political teeth.

Cuomo, the son, said his coalition “transcended normal partisan politics” and united Republicans, Democrats and independents. Because of higher turnout, he received more votes than Eric Adams in the 2021 election.

“This campaign was to contest the philosophies that are shaping the Democratic Party, the future of this city and the future of this country,” Cuomo said. “Almost half of New Yorkers did not vote to support a government agenda that makes promises that we know cannot be met.”

Few people have practiced the politics of the more-or-less possible as proudly as Cuomo.

While Mario Cuomo is remembered as a stalwart liberal, Andrew absorbed more lessons from former President Bill Clinton’s centrist administration, in which the younger Cuomo served as secretary of housing and urban development.

As governor, Cuomo combined fiscal conservatism with socially progressive legislation, forging a style that former state Assemblymember Richard Brodsky dubbed “progractionary” — a combination of progressive and reactionary. He focused on building infrastructure projects, including a replacement for the Tappan Zee Bridge over the Hudson River.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic placed Cuomo on a national stage, and the new heights led to hubristic acts that seeded his downfall. He won an Emmy award for his daily briefings, but critics said his policies allowed the virus to spread in nursing homes.

In 2021, a report substantiated sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo by 13 women, and he resigned in the face of an impeachment investigation. Cuomo denies wrongdoing.

Political observers said the former governor’s long record makes it hard to attribute his loss simply to his platform in the mayoral race.

“The primary driver of his loss is Andrew Cuomo — it’s not ideological, it’s not generational," political consultant Doug Forand said. "He is a unique figure in New York politics, and an established figure. There's only so much you can do when people have a fully formed opinion of a candidate."

“I do think it’s also reflective of the challenge that the Democratic brand has overall," Forand continued. "It’s not simply enough to be against what you don’t like. We need more proactive policies, and I think Cuomo is uniquely ill-suited to deliver that kind of message, because so many policies he criticized are things he signed and did when he was governor.”

Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the Democratic party chair in Brooklyn, said voters like herself who supported Cuomo’s moderate policies were won over by Mamdani after the June primary.

“Cuomo has been riding on his father's name for years, and those very same Democrats who may have voted for him in the primary voted for him because of his dad,” she said. “But times have changed.”

Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said Bichotte Hermelyn was a “coreless hack” concerned about a primary challenge. Azzopardi pointed to Cuomo’s record in office, including legalizing same-sex marriage in 2011.

New York State Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs pointedly refused to endorse Mamdani because he was concerned about Republicans using him as a boogeyman in purple areas like Jacobs’ home turf, Nassau County.

Jacobs said he still believes moderate Democrats have a path forward in New York. He cited the gubernatorial victories of Abigail Spanberger in Virginia and Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey — by larger margins than Mamdani’s win.

“We have to be big enough to have a big tent,” Jacobs said. “Different districts and different regions need different things.”

Republicans are doing well in Nassau County, even though it has about 70,000 more enrolled Democrats than Republicans. Jacobs said his party’s brand is tarnished in the area and independents are breaking for the GOP.

Voter registration statistics released this month show Democratic enrollment in the state declined slightly since 2022, while Republican enrollment crept up. Growth among unaffiliated voters outpaced both.

In the mayoral race, Cuomo aimed for the center and even the right, hoping to find supporters outside the Democratic Party. His final days of campaigning included a joint appearance with a Republican member of the City Council as well as interviews on Fox News and right-wing talk radio. He laughed when one host said Mamdani, a Muslim of South Asian descent, would have cheered during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

President Donald Trump seemingly endorsed Cuomo during an appearance on "60 Minutes." Then, after Cuomo denied he was the president’s pick, Trump was more explicit in a social media post. Cuomo pushed GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa to drop out of the race, but he refused.

Some people at Cuomo’s party blamed Sliwa for their loss. David Rem, a sanitation worker and previous Trump supporter, brought a sign that said "Curtis Sliwa is a spoiler." The Guardian Angels founder finished with about 7% of the vote.

It’s unclear whether Cuomo might seek office again. The candidate pushed through supporters declaring their admiration and ignored questions about his future from several reporters. The password for the Wi-Fi network at Cuomo’s party was “Cuomo2026.”

Attorney and radio host Arthur Aidala said at the gathering he doubted Cuomo would stay on the sidelines.

“He's got that political disease, but he knows how to get things done,” Aidala said. “There's a lot of good you could do in this world besides being the mayor, the governor, et cetera. So, I know he's got a lot of gas left in his tank and I know whatever he does he'll be successful.”

Jacobs said he wouldn’t offer an opinion on what Cuomo should do in the future. Bichotte Hermelyn said he should exit the stage.

Rivera, the state senator, repeated a line some of Mamdani’s supporters had printed on t-shirts in his campaign’s signature font.

“Good f--ing riddance,” Rivera said.

Giulia Heyward and Clayton Guse contributed reporting.