Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo met Tuesday morning with roughly 80 business leaders in Midtown Manhattan to press for unified opposition to Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani as New York City's hotly contested mayoral race moves toward the fall ballot.
The meeting at The Pool event space in the Seagram Building came as a New York Times/Siena College poll conducted Sept. 2–6 and released Tuesday showed Mamdani leading the field with 46% to Cuomo's 24% in a four-way contest. The same survey suggested a much tighter hypothetical head-to-head match, with Mamdani at 48% and Cuomo at 44%.
Cuomo, who spoke for about 25 minutes, urged business and community leaders to consolidate support against Mamdani and argued that the race would narrow to two candidates as Election Day approaches. He told reporters afterward that he does not take polls "all that seriously" and said he believed incumbent Mayor Eric Adams could still drop out of the contest.
Attendees described Cuomo as energetic and said he framed his pitch around competence, public safety and housing. One man who identified himself as a former real estate developer told Fox News that Cuomo "is obviously the better candidate" and warned that the city would be "decimated" if Mamdani prevailed. Another attendee, a businessman, said Cuomo "knows what he's doing" and, in describing Mamdani, added that Cuomo was going to get people "off the streets" and "put them in mental institutions." The remark was reported as the attendee's characterization of his concerns about Mamdani's agenda.
Mamdani's campaign responded to the poll and the meeting by accusing wealthy interests of trying to influence the outcome. "New York City is not for sale. The backroom scheming from Donald Trump and the billionaire class is backfiring, as New Yorkers see Zohran Mamdani is the only candidate who will fight to make the most expensive city in the country more affordable," campaign spokesperson Dora Pekec said in a statement.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who campaigned with Mamdani in Brooklyn on Saturday, wrote on X that "the oligarchs are panicking" and urged supporters to help elect Mamdani, saying, "They’ve got the money. We’ve got the people. Together, let’s elect Zohran and stop billionaires from buying elections."
President Donald Trump said last week he believed Cuomo had a "good shot" of beating Mamdani and, according to a New York Times report, Trump advisers have discussed roles in a potential Trump administration for Adams and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa if either were to drop out. Trump told reporters he did not personally encourage any candidate to leave the race but said consolidating to a one-on-one contest would be necessary to defeat Mamdani.
Adams and Sliwa have both affirmed they will remain in the race through November. Adams is running as an independent in his bid for re-election. Last week, independent candidate Jim Walden dropped out and urged other contenders to unite against Mamdani.
Cuomo told reporters he expected the contest to eventually narrow and said voters would not "waste their vote," a comment made as he dismissed the significance of current multi-candidate polling. The Times/Siena poll showed Cuomo drawing stronger support in a one-on-one scenario than in the multi-candidate field but still trailing slightly in that head-to-head matchup.
The race has highlighted sharply different visions for the city's future, with debates centering on public safety, housing affordability and municipal spending. Mamdani, who identifies with progressive and democratic socialist priorities, has emphasized policies he says will make the city more affordable and equitable. Cuomo has framed his campaign around executive experience, public order and support for policing and business-friendly policies.
With less than two months until the general election, campaigns are intensifying outreach to donors, community leaders and voters. The dynamic between multi-candidate polling and potential head-to-head matchups will shape strategic decisions in the coming weeks as candidates evaluate whether to stay in the race, consolidate support, or seek to define rivals in a crowded field.
Cuomo's Manhattan meeting was one of several recent events signaling increased effort by established figures and donors to block a Mamdani victory, while progressives and labor allies continue to mobilize behind the Democratic nominee. The trajectory of the race will depend on shifts in voter preferences, campaign coalitions and whether any major candidates withdraw before ballots are finalized.