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Andrew Cuomo is reintroducing himself to NYC. Is anyone interested?
By
Brigid Bergin
Published Jul 17, 2025
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Lev Radin / Pacific Press / LightRocket via Getty Images
By
Brigid Bergin
Published Jul 17, 2025
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This column originally appeared in The Politics Brief, our weekly newsletter on the people, power and policies that shape New Yorkers' lives.
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A man known to nearly all New Yorkers stood on a leafy block of the Upper East Side and began the awkward process of reintroducing himself.
“Hello, I’m Andrew Cuomo, and unless you've been living under a rock, you probably know that the Democratic primary did not go the way I had hoped,” the former governor said directly into the camera, before cutting to b-roll of him casually giving a city parks employee a fist bump.
Cuomo shook hands at a fruit stand, posed for selfies outside a grocery store and even apologized for letting down people who voted for him.
Was this a preview of a humbled politician with a newfound desire to connect with the city’s voters? Or is it a gimmick on par with the Steve Buscemi meme from “30 Rock,” where he dons a baseball cap and says, “How do you do, fellow kids?”
Cuomo’s campaign in the Democratic primary served as a reminder of the former governor’s comfort zone. He was inaccessible to both voters and the press. He sought to project an aura of inevitability, reminding voters of the tremendous power he wielded while in Albany. But voters didn’t buy it.
“ He ran a Rose Garden strategy in the primary and voters picked up on it and commented, quite significantly as the race concluded,” said Basil Smikle, the former chair of the New York State Democratic Party and a professor of practice at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies.
Now, Cuomo is testing new strategies and hiring new staff. He’s already done interviews with New York magazine and NY1, among others.
And he’s repeatedly making an admission that was once nearly unthinkable: He screwed up.
“I am truly sorry that I let you down,” Cuomo said.
The former governor is known for a lot of things, but being warm and fuzzy aren’t among them. Staffers have accused him of running a toxic workplace, and political critics have said Cuomo seeks retribution from those who’ve slighted him.
In the new campaign video, Cuomo tries to embody some of Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani’s ebullience — as well as his policies on affordability. Cuomo is still, however, mispronouncing his competitor’s name.
Smikle said a shiny, happy Cuomo might leave people scratching their heads.
“ Should he try to change course and be more engaging and more accessible, I think a lot of voters would read that as inauthentic and they're looking for authenticity,” Smikle said.
Cuomo’s losing margin to Mamdani ticked up again this week to 12.8 points after the Board of Elections latest ranked-choice tabulation added more mail and absentee ballots to the total.
Many voters remember a version of Cuomo that brought them great comfort. Talk to a Cuomo supporter and it won’t be long before they invoke his daily televised briefings during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, where he offered clarity to sequestered New Yorkers searching for guidance.
But Cuomo’s legacy has since been tarnished by sexual harassment accusations from more than a dozen women, allegations that he bungled the state’s COVID response with lethal consequences, a $5 million book deal on the pandemic that was allegedly prepared by state employees and, most recently, a federal investigation into whether he lied to Congress about his response to the pandemic.
Cuomo denies all wrongdoing and now, after being roundly rejected by Democratic voters in New York City, he appears to be looking to capture some of Mamdani’s magic. He says he’ll be making his case directly to voters. But does that mean he’ll be having the types of unfiltered interactions that made Mamdani such an engaging candidate?
The Cuomo campaign put out another video on Tuesday showing Cuomo helping a New Yorker jump his car battery. But it’s not necessarily a scene that will resonate with the millions of city straphangers sweating it out on a stalled or flooded train.
During the primary, Gothamist proposed a subway ride with Cuomo to discuss his campaign and witness how he interacts with riders. The offer still stands!
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Zohran Mamdani says he will now discourage the use of the slogan “globalize the Intifada.” Do you agree with his decision?
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This week in New York politics
Former NYPD Commissioner Tom Donlon is accusing Mayor Eric Adams' administration of running a "criminal enterprise" in a new lawsuit. Here’s what Donlon and other top department officials are saying.
SNAP-Ed, a program that has helped families learn how to cook nutritious meals on a limited income for more than three decades, will be eliminated under Trump’s massive tax cut bill. Here’s what that'll mean for low-income families.
Several statewide bills that would protect access to gender-affirming care are stalled in Albany. Here’s what’s going on.
Zohran Mamdani pledged to discourage use of the phrase “globalize the Intifada,” but still supported the ideas behind it. Here’s what Mamdani said of his relationship with Jewish New Yorkers.
CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez was questioned by a House committee investigating antisemitism on campuses. Here’s what Republicans are pushing him to do.
A federal judge upheld a decision to deny Mayor Adams roughly $3.4 million in public money for his 2025 re-election campaign. Here’s why.
Listen: New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim came on “The Brian Lehrer Show” to take calls from listeners about NJ issues, including disaster relief and foreign policy. Listen here.
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Brigid Bergin
Brigid Bergin is an award-winning senior reporter on the People and Power desk. She is fiercely committed to telling stories that help people engage and support democracy. In 2022, she hosted a live, ten-week call-in politics show ahead of the midterm elections called The People's Guide to Power. Brigid's reporting in 2017 included some of the first coverage of a political newcomer now known as AOC. In 2016, she broke the news of a voter purge in Brooklyn just days before New York’s presidential primary, triggering city, state and federal investigations. Brigid also guest hosts The Brian Lehrer Show and All Of It. She graduated from the University at Albany and the CUNY Newmark School of Journalism. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-723-4719.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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