June 27 was the deadline set by the New York City Board of Elections for independent candidates to remove their names from the ballot. However, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who lost in the Democratic primary for mayor, had not withdrawn his name as of Friday evening before the deadline. Sources say he still intends to continue running as an independent candidate in the November general election. Chinese-American former state assembly candidate stated that this move could boost the chances of socialist and state assembly member Zohran Mamdani winning.
According to several local western media reports, after socialist candidate Mamdani won the primary and Mayor Adams declared his reelection campaign in front of City Hall on Thursday (June 26), Cuomo had still not removed his name from the ballot by Friday. This suggests that he might still be considering running for mayor in New York City.
ABC reported that sources mentioned Cuomo will wait until all ballots are counted by next Tuesday to make a final decision. Critics have voiced concerns to the New York Post that even if Cuomo does not participate in the November election, his name remaining on the ballot could detract votes from Adams. Some have argued that Cuomo, who has no chance of winning at this point, not withdrawing from the race is disrupting the election process.
Yiatin Chiu, the founder of the education organization Asian Wave Alliance, who previously competed for the State Senate seat in the 11th District of Queens, also expressed similar sentiments.
“I and our organization support Cuomo, I have not decided to shift support to Adams, but I certainly am watching Adams because we need to have someone who can defeat Mamdani,” Chiu said on the 27th, “Who else can we count on? We need to find someone who can win, like a piece of pizza, none of them are good candidates, but we need to find someone more likely to beat Mamdani.”
Chiu agreed that if Cuomo’s name remains on the ballot, anti-socialist voters could split their votes among Cuomo, Adams, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
“It’s very difficult if all names are on the ballot. People should come together and concentrate all votes on one candidate,” she said, “Otherwise, it significantly increases Mamdani’s chance of winning.”
Chiu acknowledged that now is too early to determine the outcome. Not only the Chinese community but also Jewish community, teacher organizations, or other major unions are discussing the current situation.
On the same day, the two major union organizations in New York City, the Hotel Workers Union and Local 32BJ, announced that they do not support Cuomo and instead back Mamdani.
Chiu stated that Mamdani successfully mobilized young voters and knocked on millions of doors.
“They have enough resources, passionately knocking on doors to make people aware of this candidate,” Chiu said, “On the other hand, voters have minimal information, most people do not care about politics right? When someone comes to my door, oh, okay, people know this person, so when they go to vote, they will verify the information and vote for him.”
Chiu admitted that New York City may likely see a socialist mayor, “In that case, I believe a Republican governor might come in next year.”
Democratic Party Chinatown 65D district leader Yu Jinshan believes that Mamdani’s victory has awakened the silent majority.
“Are we going to let tomorrow’s New York City become today’s San Francisco? – Socialism prevailing, ‘zero-dollar purchase’ crimes rampant, homeless people everywhere, drug abuse freely conducted, and open drug trafficking?” Yu Jinshan said, “Mamadani’s victory has also raised a sense of crisis among the general public, and in the coming months, they will scrutinize Mamdani’s extravagant tales to see if New York City, a downfall as beautiful as San Francisco, is what we want.”
Yu Jinshan believes that Mamdani’s victory in the June 24 primary and the failure of the longtime Democratic Party Cuomo resulted in one person winning, and that is the current mayor of New York City, Adams.
“Cuomo made a mistake, and Adam’s camp morale is rising, Cuomo’s supporters have nowhere to go and are coming back one after another, his backstage financiers and the business real estate community have quietly shifted to Adams,” Yu Jinshan said, “Adams has not only become the top independent candidate but also a lifeline for the moderate faction of the Democratic Party, the Republicans also see him as a comrade and brother, he unites three thousand love in one body, becoming the master of moderate politics.”
Yu Jinshan sighed, “Politics are ever-changing and unpredictable; politics are ruthless, and public opinion is like flowing water – this is another demonstration of it.”