Billionaire businessman Bill Ackman has endorsed New York City Mayor Eric Adams to defeat socialist Zohran Mamdani in this year’s mayoral election — and called on former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to drop out of the race to maximize the incumbent’s chances of winning.
Ackman said he met with both Adams and Cuomo yesterday and his view is that Cuomo lacks the fire for a hard-fought campaign while Adams is charged and up for the battle. Ackman also praised what he said were Adams’ first-term accomplishments and his authenticity.
Adams is running as an Independent having been elected as a Democrat in late 2021, while Cuomo is weighing an Independent route to Gracie Mansion, having been thumped by Mamdani in the recent Democrat primary. Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa is the Republican nominee.
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“In short, my takeaway is that Adams can win the upcoming election and that the Governor should step aside to maximize Adams’ probability of success,” the influential Ackman wrote on X.
“I say this while having a high regard for Andrew Cuomo and his contributions to New York State. But it was abundantly clear in his body language, his subdued energy and his proposals to beat Mamdani, that he is not up for the fight.”
Mamdani’s win has caused a political earthquake in the Big Apple, striking fear into moderates, independents, conservatives — and even parts of the Democrat Party — who believe his socialist policies could have devastating and long-lasting consequences on the financial capital of the world. Mamdani ran on a platform that included economic policies aligned with progressives and socialists in the Democratic Party, such as a $30 minimum wage, tax hikes on businesses and the rich and other policies, like creating city-owned grocery stores and imposing a rent freeze for stabilized tenants.
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesperson for the Cuomo campaign, said that Ackman, like everyone else, is entitled to his own opinion.
“We understand President Trump supports Eric Adams and do not believe socialism is the answer. Most New Yorkers are not Trumpers, and most New Yorkers are not socialists — the majority lies in the middle,” Azzopardi told Fox Business. “We will continue to assess the current situation in the best interest of the people of the City of New York.”
Ackman’s endorsement comes days after he vowed to seek out a candidate to run against Mamdani, but said Thursday there was an inability to add a new name to the ballot and a write-in campaign for a candidate had a low probability of success.
With this in mind, Ackman said the Adams gave off an entirely different vibe to Cuomo and – despite saying that he faced some challenges in his first – was now fully supportive of his campaign.
“In comparison, Mayor Adams is ready to go to battle, guns blazing with enormous energy and clarity on why Mamdani and his socialist/communist (‘We must seize the means of production) and anti-NYPD policies would be catastrophic for NYC,” Ackman wrote in the lengthy post.
“Adams is a great campaigner who can lead the grass roots effort needed to defeat Mamdani, and as mayor, he has a great platform to tell his story. Eric’s first term has not been without flaws. In particular, he relied too much on friends of Adams to staff his administration; however, when one looks at his record in totality, he has had a strong first term.”
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Ackman said that New Yorkers are worried about public safety, affordability, quality of life and the local economy, but Adams had already delivered on these hot-button issues.
For instance, Ackman said crime was down by double-digit percentages, with shootings in the first quarter of 2025 at their lowest level since records began over 30 years ago — and murders at their lowest since the 1960s.
He also praised Adams’s rezoning efforts to help developers build more housing and said the city had bounced back from the pandemic.
“In all of these areas, Mayor Adams has had impressive accomplishments,” he wrote. “Importantly, Adams is also always authentically himself—his smile is real unlike the other guy’s — and in my experience, the more authentic candidate always wins.”
Ackman’s support of Adams was quickly seized upon by Sliwa, who shot back at the lengthy post, blasting Adams’ record while also asking for a sit-down of his own with Ackman.
“You are pouring money into the same rotten machine that handed Mamdani a win. Do you get it?” Sliwa asked. “Adams dropped out because he knew New Yorkers do not trust him – from either party. I am the only candidate working people actually believe in. We are going to fight harder and will continue to fundraise harder than ever before.”
Sliwa told Fox News Digital earlier this week that he believes Adams avoided running as a Democrat due to bad polling — and didn’t run as a Republican because he would have had to face Sliwa head-on. Adams emphatically beast Sliwa in the 2021 race and that the Democrat Party left him, not the other way around.
“This is our last chance. We must unite,” Sliwa wrote. “Adams has NO path to victory…. let’s fight together and stop an extremist that everyone said would never win… yet here we are.”
The Cuomo campaign also noted that former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci has reiterated his support for the former governor.
“I’ve known Andrew for a long time and there is absolutely no one with more fire in their belly or who is stronger in the ring,” Scaramucci posted on X. “His track record of success on things like La Guardia Airport, the Second Avenue Subway to cutting taxes and reining in spending are unmatched.”
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