Cuomo’s Commercial Real Estate Support Stagnant as He Re-Enters Mayor’s Race

Persistence does not seem to be buying back much favor for Andrew Cuomo after the former governor let down supporters on June 27 when he lost the Democratic primary to Zohran Mamdani.

Cuomo announced on Monday that he would push through to the general election as an independent candidate, despite real estate leaders in particular turning their support since the primary toward Mayor Eric Adams as the last opportunity to galvanize enough voters against Mamdani’s socialist tendencies.

Cuomo, a Queens native who resigned as New York governor amid sexual misconduct allegations in 2021, is predicted to divide the moderate and conservative vote even further by drawing ballots away from Adams. Also trying their luck for Gracie Mansion Republican Curtis Sliwa and independent Jim Walden, both of whom are also likely to draw support from more conservative voters.

But Cuomo said he believes he still has a chance against Mamdani, despite losing to the liberal candidate in the Democratic primary in June.

“Only 13 percent of New Yorkers voted in the June primary. … I am in it to win it,” Cuomo said in a campaign video posted to X on Monday. “My opponent, Mr. Mamdani, offers slick slogans but no real solutions. … For the next few months it’s my responsibility to earn your vote.”

GFP Real Estate Chairman Jeffrey Gural didn’t mince words when he told Commercial Observer in June: “Cuomo would just lose again… I think he had his chance.”

Gural hasn’t changed his mind since then.

Asked if Cuomo’s unwanted continuation in the race as an independent brought him back around, Gural simply reaffirmed his support for the current mayor with a single-word email: “Eric.”

Other major real estate players who donated to Cuomo when he announced his run in March didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Even the political action committee New York Apartment Association (NYAA), which committed $2.5 million toward ads and other support for the former governor had little to say about where its resources will be allocated in the coming months. The landlords group did not respond to a request for comment.

Nevertheless, there seems to be some hope for Cuomo, according to political consultant Jordan Barowitz.

“There is a ‘stickiness’ problem among the anti-Mamdani candidates. Andrew Cuomo, Eric Adams and Curtis Sliwa are all well-known, established political entities,” Barowitz said. “Candidates that are well defined tend to have stickier support and opposition — voters know who they are, and it is harder for them to both win and lose support. This makes it tricky to handicap who is the best alternative to Mamdani.”

The last place political observers would expect to hear support for Cuomo happened on Tuesday morning on the White House lawn.

Interpret it how you will, but President Donald Trump told reporters that Cuomo, who publicly feuded with the commander-in-chief during the COVID-19 pandemic, should give it his all.

“I think he should stay … I think he has a shot,” Trump told reporters, according to the New York Post. “He’s got to run a good campaign. … You know, he’s running against a communist. … I don’t think that race is over yet, we do have a couple of people running. There are things coming out about him [Mamdani].”

A spokesperson for Cuomo did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Trump’s remarks.

By putting his confidence behind Cuomo, Trump flips the script on the narrative that his Department of Justice dropped the five-count bribery indictment against Adams earlier this year in return for political favors — specifically, to allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement to operate out of Rikers Island.

It may not amount to much of an endorsement, however, especially since Cuomo won — and eventually lost — an Emmy Award for his daily press conferences during the pandemic, often railing against the president in his first term for his handling of the health crisis.

Political analyst Barowitz said Trump’s remarks aren’t much of an endorsement for Cuomo.

“There are two people that this helps: Zohran Mamdami and Donald Trump,” Barowitz said.

Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.