NYC moderates scramble to team up to beat Zohran Mamdani, but candidate grudges derail deal

Panicked moderates want to team up behind one candidate to stop Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani from becoming Big Apple mayor – but incumbent Eric Adams scoffed at a possible deal between the remaining candidates.

The mayor and ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, both set to appear on November ballots as independents, spent Monday bashing each other as former Gov. David Paterson argued the remaining candidates should make a deal so that only one of them actively runs against democratic socialist Mamdani in the general election.

The candidate who continues to campaign would be determined by an independent poll closer to the election or by leaders across Big Apple institutions.

But Adams made clear that he had no interest in dropping out just as he started his campaign, claiming the energy, fundraising and support is all “overwhelming.” Hizzoner is a Democrat but opted out of the party primary earlier this year.

He said Cuomo — who lost the primary to Mamdani — should quit instead. Hizzoner brought up the ex-governor’s 2021 resignation in the face of sexual harassment claims which he has strongly denied.

“The only reason we are in this situation is because Andrew stepped down from his office and did an embarrassing run for mayor. He knew when he ran on an independent line he was setting up this scenario,” a campaign spokesperson told The Post.

“He needs to put his selfish ambitions to the side and do what is best for the city,” the Adams camp added.

“Andrew stepped down for a reason, and the public hasn’t forgotten. If he couldn’t finish his last term, why should voters believe he can lead the city now? He’ll step aside again — because New Yorkers want progress, not the politics of the past.”

Cuomo essentially went head-to-head against Mamdani in a crowded Democratic primary, losing to the far-left Queens assemblyman by a whopping 12 percentage points after all ranked-choice voting was calculated.

A rep for Cuomo insisted Adams was actually the candidate only looking out for himself – and had no shot at reelection.

“We do not see any path to victory for Mayor Adams,” campaign spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said in a statement.

“This is the time to put aside the usual political selfishness and agree to do what is truly best for all New Yorkers.”

Still, Azzopardi stressed Cuomo’s campaign is reviewing the proposal that would have candidates all be included in an impartial poll to determine who has the best shot in November.

“While this is unorthodox, these are unusual times,” the campaign said. “We are at a dangerous moment for our city.”

The polling proposal was first offered by another independent candidate, attorney Jim Walden, who said the four “free-market” candidates, including GOP candidate Curtis Sliwa, could participate in a rank-choice poll in the fall and whomever came out on top would get support from the other three candidates.

There are glaring caveats though.

Sliwa, like Adams, doesn’t appear willing to get on board with helping another candidate.

“Andrew Cuomo couldn’t beat Zohran Mamdani in a primary. Eric Adams is polling dead last with no support from either party,” the Guardian Angels founder tweeted Monday. “I’m running on the issues and I will beat Mamdani on November 4th and bring this city back.”

The other issue is the three candidates that suspend their campaign could possibly be forced to pay back the public funds received from the city’s Campaign Finance Board, Walden admitted in a press release.

Ex-Gov. Paterson, during Monday’s press conference along with Gristedes owner John Catsimatidis and 770 AM personality Judge Richard Weinberg, said he would not say which candidate should step down.

“What we are really doing is calling on the candidates who are still in the race to find a way to unite behind one of them. Now, most candidates, you have to give them credit. They work hard. They’re working 24/7. They’re trying to get your vote,” said Paterson, who backed Cuomo in the primary.

“The idea of pulling back and supporting someone else is very difficult for anyone to accept.”

The candidates’ names would all be on the November ballot even if they stopped campaigning.

Paterson said leaders from the education, financial, business and political world could help sort out which candidate is best to run in November. He also suggested another good indicator would be which candidate has the most robust fundraising in the coming months.

Paterson, in a statement released after the press conference, also said surveys and polls in the coming weeks could signal which candidates is strongest.

He took a shot at Mamdani and said his policies would cripple Gotham.

“If [Mamdani’s] the cure for what ails the [Democratic] Party, then cyanide is the cure for a headache,” Paterson argued.

A poll released last week to bolster support for Adams fell flat for the mayor. It showed Mamdani with a comfortable 41% of the vote with Cuomo collecting 26% and Adams only taking home 16%. Sliwa cashed in with just under 10% of support.

Cuomo has yet to commit to running for an actual campaign ahead of November while Adams is pressing the political scion to drop out.

On CNBC, Adams said Monday Cuomo asked him in a conversation to drop out, but Adams rebuked that suggestion.

“I said, ‘Andrew, are you that level of arrogance?’ I’m the sitting mayor, the sitting mayor of the City of New York,” Adams claimed he told Cuomo.