Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo blamed his failed bid to become New York City's mayor on Republican Curtis Sliwa, arguing that Sliwa pulled enough votes to swing the election in favor of mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
Speaking on 77 WABC on Monday with former Gov. David Paterson, Cuomo labeled Sliwa a "total fraud" and insisted he "would've won" had the election been a two-man race between himself and the democratic socialist Mamdani.
Mamdani, a 34-year-old Muslim born in Uganda, defeated the establishment-backed Cuomo by nearly 9 percentage points, yet Cuomo argued the inclusion of Sliwa, who captured 7% of the vote, helped tip the scales.
Reflecting on Mamdani's surprising victory, Paterson admitted he had "never heard" Mamdani's name until February and questioned how Mamdani was "able to do what he did."
According to CNN, Mamdani received 50.4% of the vote, while Cuomo earned 41.6%. Sliwa finished a distant third with 7.1%. Cuomo called Sliwa's vote total "an embarrassment" despite all his "bluster."
"I always believed he [Sliwa] would drop out because there was no way for him to win," Cuomo said. "All he could do is be a spoiler and be responsible for Zohran's victory. I couldn't believe that as a Republican, he would, could, live with himself, and that Republicans could live with him as the person who elected Zohran, which is exactly what happened."
Mamdani has caused concern for establishment Democrats who fear the young socialist may become the face of a party seeking to reconnect with centrist voters.
"Again, talking about election coverage, nobody ever mentioned that Sliwa has been a total fraud for decades," Cuomo said. "I think Sid Rosenberg [WABC radio host] was still in Florida when it turned out that the Guardian Angels and Sliwa made up a whole raft of rescue stories that turned out not to be true, that Sliwa said he was kidnapped by the New York Police Department and held, and then admitted that wasn't true."
Cuomo noted that Sliwa's small vote share was just enough to topple his own chances and fuel Mamdani's upset victory.
"If he had dropped out, I would have won, I'm convinced," Cuomo added. "Because I would have gotten that 7%. I would've been about a point from Zohran, but it would have changed the whole dynamic."
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