Watch: Mayor Adams endorses former rival Cuomo in New York City mayoral race

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams endorsed Andrew Cuomo in the city’s mayoral election Thursday, throwing his weight behind a bitter rival he recently called a “snake and a liar” as the former governor tries to defeat Democratic nominee Zahran Mamdani.

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Adams, who abandoned his re-election bid last month, made the announcement while standing alongside Cuomo at a housing project in Harlem, criticizing Mamdani as a “snake oil salesman” and “king of renovators.”

Read more: Mamdani, Cuomo and Sliwa clash in final New York City mayoral debate

He also alluded to his past battles with Cuomo. “Brothers fighting,” Adams said. “But when families are attacked, brothers come together.”

The endorsement comes after the former governor and the city’s mayor met Wednesday night — at Madison Square Garden for the New York Knicks’ season opener — immediately following the city’s final mayoral debate. They were photographed looking friendly, sparking speculation about an upcoming endorsement.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (L) and mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo pose for a photo during the third quarter of the opening game between the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden in New York, October 22, 2025. Photo by Brad Penner/Imagine Images via Reuters

It’s not immediately clear whether Adams’ endorsement will help Cuomo in the city election in November. Adams saw his political capital collapse under the weight of a federal corruption case that was ultimately dismissed after extraordinary intervention by the Trump administration.

Cuomo, a centrist, has portrayed himself as the only candidate who can beat Mamdani, a 34-year-old Democratic socialist and state Assemblyman who shocked the political establishment with his landslide victory over the former governor in the June primary.

“Andrew Cuomo is running for Eric Adams’ second term,” Mamdani said in a statement on Thursday.

“It is not surprising to see two men who share a passion for corruption and Trump’s capitulation, aligning themselves with the billionaire class and the president himself,” Mamdani said.

Cuomo’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Cuomo’s path to victory depends on his ability to win over moderates and Republicans, but he admitted in recent days that it has become “mathematically more difficult” for him as long as Republican Curtis Sliwa remains in the race. Meanwhile, the former governor has dramatically escalated his criticism of Mamdani, appearing in conservative media claiming that the city will descend into chaos if Mamdani wins.

Sliwa, the colorful founder of the Guardian Angels crime patrol group, has adamantly rejected calls to withdraw from both Cuomo and his supporters.

The endorsement would mark a reconciliation between longtime New York politicians, each of whom had ratcheted up attacks against the other before Adams ended his campaign.

Shortly before his withdrawal, Adams accused Cuomo of “making a career of pushing black candidates out of races,” referring to the former governor’s previous races in the state.

Meanwhile, Cuomo described Adams’ stewardship of the city as an “endless litany of government corruption.”

“New Yorkers rejected his stewardship of his city,” he said earlier this year.

The days following Adams’ exit brought some signs of thawing tensions, with several of the mayor’s allies and deputies exiting in favor of Cuomo.

In a video announcing his withdrawal from the race, Adams did not mention either candidate by name, but warned of “malignant forces” using local government to “advance divisive agendas” — which many interpreted as a reference to Mamdani.

Izaguirre reported from Albany, New York.