Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman has become the latest political influencer to publicly urge former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to step aside from the New York City mayoral race, even as his name is set to appear on the ballot.
Cuomo will appear on the November ballot representing the Fight and Deliver Party — which he formed in May — after losing the Democratic primary last month to 33-year-old state Assembly member Zohran Mamdani. The election, which relies on ranked choice voting, was officially called for Mamdani on Tuesday.
Ackman wrote two lengthy posts on social platform X late Wednesday evening that he doesn’t want Mamdani, a democratic socialist, to become the city’s next mayor and thinks removing Cuomo as an option on the ballot will benefit incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who is seeking reelection as an independent.
The billionaire said he met with both Adams and Cuomo earlier this week to assess their rival candidacies.
“In short, my takeaway is that Adams can win the upcoming election and that the Governor should step aside to maximize Adams’ probability of success,” he wrote. “I say this while having a high regard for Andrew Cuomo and his contributions to New York State.”
Ackman added, “But it was abundantly clear in his body language, his subdued energy and his proposals to beat Mamdani, that he is not up for the fight.”
The deadline for candidates to remove their names from the November ballot lapsed last Friday. Cuomo has given no indication that he plans to pull away, as polls have shown him ahead of Adams and close to Mamdani if he remains in the race.
“Everyone is entitled to their own political opinion — we understand President Trump supports Eric Adams, and do not believe socialism is the answer,” Cuomo campaign spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said in a statement to The Hill this week. “Most New Yorkers are not Trumpers, and most New Yorkers are not socialists — the majority lies in the middle.”
“We will continue to assess the current situation in the best interest of the people of the City of New York,” he added.
A poll released this week showed that among all candidates slated to be on the ballot, Cuomo came in second to Mamdani with 29 percent to the Democratic candidate’s 35.2 percent. Adams polled fourth behind Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa with 13.8 percent and 16.1 percent, respectively.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, a New York native and Democratic political activist who is backing Mamdani, also urged Cuomo to step aside.
“I think, in the best interest of the legacy of Andrew Cuomo, that he ought to let them have the one-on-one race,” Sharpton said Wednesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
Sharpton added, “He can endorse one or the other, and let them have a battle over what is best for New York.”
The pressure comes after the former governor said last month he was “assessing that landscape,” when asked about a potential independent bid.
