Former Governor Andrew Cuomo accused Mayor Eric Adams of sabotaging efforts to stop democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani by clinging to his own longshot re-election bid.

“If you’re going to run, even if you’re just a spoiler, then it’s about you and your ego,” Cuomo told The New York Post at the Colombian Day Parade in Jackson Heights. “It’s not about the people of the city of New York. And that is consistent. He puts himself above the city of New York. He always has.”

The former governor, himself running an uphill independent campaign after suffering a punishing defeat in the Democratic primary to Mamdani, took a wrecking ball to Adams’ credibility and motives, arguing that the embattled mayor is endangering the city’s future just to protect his pride.

Cuomo’s remarks followed sharp criticism from Adams, who recently accused Cuomo of political plagiarism — claiming the former governor was “stealing [his] playbook” by launching an independent bid. Adams also jabbed at Cuomo’s resignation in 2021 amid harassment allegations, contrasting it with his own refusal to step down following a federal corruption indictment — charges that were controversially dropped by the Trump-era DOJ.

“During my personal strife, I stepped up. I continued to deliver for the city,” Adams said last week.

Cuomo was unmoved by the comparison.

“Deliver for the city?” Cuomo scoffed. “This is a man under federal investigation who thinks the rules don’t apply to him. He should be stepping aside, not campaigning.”

The Adams campaign responded, accusing Cuomo of hypocrisy and political selfishness.

“If Andrew Cuomo is looking for a spoiler, he should look in the mirror,” a spokesperson said. “New Yorkers want leadership, not lectures from someone who abandoned the job when it mattered most.”

The increasingly personal war of words comes at a pivotal moment in the race. With polling suggesting that Mamdani — a self-proclaimed democratic socialist — could cruise to victory in a splintered general election, business leaders and political powerbrokers are pressuring candidates to clear the field.

“If there are three independents on the ballot, Mamdani walks in,” one prominent Democratic strategist warned. “This isn’t just about egos. It’s about the future direction of the city.”

Cuomo, however, has resisted all calls to drop out. Instead, he has tried to reframe himself as the centrist alternative to Mamdani, arguing that he alone has the executive experience and policy chops to steer New York back to stability. But his message has struggled to gain traction, especially after his double-digit primary loss.

Still, Cuomo insists that Mamdani’s appeal is built on “fraudulent promises” and “gimmicks” that collapse under scrutiny.

“One grocery store in every county — what does that even do?” Cuomo said Sunday. “Fast, free buses? Why am I getting a free ride if I can afford to pay? Why are we subsidizing millionaires on a bus? None of that makes sense. New Yorkers know it’s [garbage]. It has to be exposed. He’s a slick salesman. That’s all.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)