Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has a �more than 50% chance� of reclaiming political office by defeating Democratic frontrunner Zohran Mamdani in the city�s November mayoral race � if the contest narrows to a head-to-head battle, hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman said Sunday, as first reported by JNS.

Ackman made the prediction during a visit to Israel, where he and his wife, Neri, received an honorary doctorate from the University of Haifa. Following a lecture, the outspoken investor weighed in on the high-stakes mayoral contest, suggesting the race could be upended within days.

Ackman forecast that Mayor Eric Adams � currently polling fourth in a crowded four-way race � would withdraw from contention in the coming week. He also suggested that Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa was likely to follow.

�The latest polls show Cuomo has a path to victory, but only if it�s him versus Mamdani,� Ackman said.

Mamdani, a progressive state assemblyman and Democratic nominee, has come under fire for refusing to condemn the chant �globalize the intifada� and for pledging that, if elected, he would order the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he visit New York City.

�He�s never run anything,� Ackman said of Mamdani. �He was a rapper, but not a successful one. He�s benefited from a weak field of candidates and from being a strong speaker.�

Ackman, 59, one of the most influential figures in U.S. capital markets, has been an outspoken supporter of Israel during its war against Hamas in Gaza and a vocal critic of antisemitism on American college campuses, including at his alma mater, Harvard.

Ackman�s comments came two days after former President Donald Trump suggested Mamdani was on track to win the race.

�I call him my little communist, he�s my little communist mayor,� Trump said on Fox & Friends. �You look at the other candidates � maybe one-on-one somebody could beat him, and I�m not looking at the polls too carefully � but it would look like he�s going to win. And that�s a rebellion.�

Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid scandal, has been seeking a political comeback and could benefit from a fractured field consolidating. Whether Adams and Sliwa step aside � and whether Cuomo can consolidate the anti-Mamdani vote � may determine the direction of the race in the final weeks before November.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)