Governor Andrew Cuomo announced this week that he will run on a new ballot line as part of his campaign for New York City Mayor. Cuomo still intends to seek the Democratic nomination.
In a statement Tuesday, Cuomo’s campaign said he will create the Fight and Deliver Party, a separate political line that will appear on the general election ballot if it successfully collects the necessary petition signatures. The campaign described the effort as a way to build a broader coalition of support among disaffected Democrats, independents, and Republicans to secure “the biggest possible mandate.”
The campaign also stated that Cuomo intends to remain in the Democratic primary. Recent polling shows Cuomo with a commanding lead among declared Democratic candidates. An April poll from the Honan Strategy Group of 823 likely primary voters showed Cuomo with 45% support, compared to 22% for his closest challenger, state legislator Zohran Mamdani. No other candidate surpassed ten percent.
To qualify for the general election under a new ballot line, the Cuomo campaign will need to collect at least 3,750 valid petition signatures from registered voters in New York City who did not vote in any party primary. Signatures must be submitted by the state’s independent nominating petition deadline later this month.
Cuomo is also not the only high-profile Democrat in the race pursuing a ballot line outside the party. Last month, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams announced he would bypass the Democratic primary and instead run as an independent, citing previous legal scrutiny as having undermined his ability to compete in the primary. The Adams campaign said he will run on the “Safe Streets, Affordable City” line.
The full statement from the Cuomo campaign is included for readers below:
Andrew Cuomo Announces Formation of “Fight and Deliver” Party
The following statement is from Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, candidate for Mayor of New York City:
“Over the last several months, as I’ve been out talking to New Yorkers, one thing has become clear: there is a disillusionment with the Democratic Party by some—a feeling that the party has been hijacked, that it doesn’t produce real results, and that it doesn’t fight for working people anymore. The proof was in the election in 2024 when, right here in New York City, 500,000 Democrats stayed home rather than vote for Kamala Harris; and in 2022, when we had the closest Gubernatorial election in nearly 30 years. Poll after poll show that the Democratic Party’s approval rating is the lowest it’s ever been. This is emblematic of a larger problem, one that we, as a party, will not be able to solve until we are willing to admit: Trump didn’t win, Democrats lost.
“I believe that Democrats can and will turn this around. We will do it by fighting for and delivering real results for real people, by restoring quality of life and public safety, by building more affordable housing, and by showing that government works. I believe that once I am elected Mayor of New York City, my administration will play a major role in proving these points and in restoring faith in the party once again. We will put ‘progress’ back in the progressive party.
“This November, in addition to securing the Democratic nomination, my campaign will work to build the largest possible coalition and secure the biggest possible mandate. We will be responsive to those who want to support my candidacy, but who would like an alternate way to do it, by starting the Fight and Deliver Party to appeal to disillusioned Democrats, as well as to independents and Republicans.”
Credit to Richard Winger for first discussing the Fight and Deliver Party line.
Andrew Cuomo murdered every third party in New York like it was the red wedding from Game of Thrones. Now he is chartering one in an effort to make voters Stand and Deliver.