Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has tapped veteran Democratic campaign strategist Greg Goldner to lead his New York City mayoral campaign in the upward battle expected through Election Day.
The last-ditch effort comes just eight weeks out from Election Day, as The New York Times/Siena College poll conducted from Sept. 2 to 6 and released Tuesday morning reveals the former governor is trailing Zohran Mamdani by more than 20 points.
Cuomo has appointed Goldner, the Chicago-based operative who has decades of experience leading Democratic campaigns, including for Rahm Emanuel, John Kerry, Vice President Al Gore and President Barack Obama, as his new campaign manager.
"Greg is as experienced and strategic an operative as there is out there," Emanuel, the former Chicago mayor and Illinois congressman who served as Obama's chief of staff and was appointed U.S. ambassador to Japan under President Joe Biden, said. "With decades of proven leadership experience, he’ll provide a steady, effective hand on the team."
MAMDANI RIVALS DEFIANT AGAINST DROPPING OUT DESPITE FACING LONG ODDS IN NYC MAYOR BATTLE
Former Gov Andrew Cuomo sits on stage during a Democratic mayoral forum at Medgar Evers College in New York City, April 23, 2025. (REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado)
Mamdani, who defeated Cuomo in the Democratic primary, is leading the pack of mayoral hopefuls at 46% and far outpacing Cuomo, at just 24%, according to the poll.
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However, the survey suggested an extremely tight race in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup between Mamdani and Cuomo, with Mamdani picking up 48% of the vote compared to Cuomo's 44%, if Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams were to drop out of the race.
Both Sliwa and Adams have committed to staying in the race through November, even as The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump's advisors are floating administration roles for both mayoral hopefuls if they drop out.
Cuomo and Adams are running as independent candidates ahead of November's election and have each pitched their campaigns as the alternative to Mamdani's socialist platform, which includes raising taxes on corporations and 1%, free buses, city-run grocery stores, free childcare and rent freezes.
Zohran Mamdani won the New York City Democratic mayoral primary in June, but former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has remained in the race as an independent candidate. (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)
"From massive infrastructure projects to enacting landmark legislation, Andrew Cuomo knows how to make government work for people. As Democrats, that has to be our first priority and I’m proud to join his team to help make him the next Mayor of New York City," Goldner told Fox News Digital in a statement.
As Cuomo met with New York City business leaders on Tuesday morning to rally support against Mamdani, veteran Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher has also joined the Cuomo campaign.
Belcher is a longtime Democratic pollster and strategist who helped shape Obama's winning campaigns.
The Cuomo campaign confirmed to Fox News Digital that North Shore Strategies continues to run their field operations, as they have since Cuomo launched his general election bid in July, and Beacon Media is now spearheading media operations.