Andrew Cuomo Just Released His Cringey New Web Ad—And Zohran Mamdani Made Him Instantly Regret It

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani had social media users cheering after he used former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's new political ad on X to post a link to his fundraiser—only for his reply to go more viral than the initial post.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist, handily defeated Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary last month after running a campaign centered around economic populism, arguing that the city, a global financial center, has grown unaffordable for everyday residents, citing soaring rents and grocery prices, and outlining policies aimed at reducing the cost of living.

Despite losing in the primary, Cuomo has officially declared his candidacy for New York City mayor, launching an independent bid in this year’s general election. He enters an already crowded race that includes Mayor Eric Adams and Republican contender Curtis Sliwa, both of whom have vowed to stop Mamdani's rise.

In a new campaign video, Cuomo—who said he is "in it to win it"—sought to cast Mamdani as the wrong choice for New Yorkers, saying, in part:

“Only 13 percent of New Yorkers voted in the June primary. The general election is in November, and I am in it to win it. My opponent, Mr. Mamdani, offers slick slogans, but no real solutions."

Mamdani fired back with a donation link to his own campaign. Mamdani’s post quickly went more viral than Cuomo’s original, racking up 166,000 likes compared to Cuomo’s 5,100. Mamdani’s reply has also been retweeted over 10,000 times—more than double the shares of Cuomo’s initial video.

You can see Cuomo's video and Mamdani's response below.

People loved Mamdani's response and criticized Cuomo in turn.

Speaking at a rally in Manhattan on Monday, where he picked up an endorsement from a musicians’ union, Mamdani suggested that Cuomo was “struggling to come to terms with what Tuesday meant.”

He said the campaign had been marked by the narrative that Cuomo’s victory was “inevitable”—a notion Cuomo himself seemed to believe. Mamdani called the primary outcome a clear “repudiation of the politics” Cuomo represented and said his own win signaled a growing “hunger for a new kind of politics—a politics focused on working people.”