Left: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, speaks during a press conference held at the ICE-Enforcement and Removal Operation office on May 01, 2025 in Miramar, Florida. Right: Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo arrives to testify before the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the Rayburn House Office Building at the U.S. Capitol on September 10, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images and Kent Nishimura)
Cuomo appeared to be joking on Saturday when he said he would move to Florida.
The former New York governor lost to Mamdani in the Democratic primary but is planning to challenge him as an independent in the general election. The line, delivered at a Hamptons breakfast with political insiders, sparked laughter but also highlighted growing unease over the city’s political direction.
"It’s all or nothing. We either win or even I will move to Florida. God forbid," Cuomo said, according to attendees at the event.
The remark came during a private gathering hosted by businessman John Catsimatidis at 75 Main in Southampton. Catsimatidis, a GOP donor and radio host, is also the owner of the Gristedes and D’Agostino supermarket chains, which could be directly affected by Mamdani’s proposal to create government-run grocery stores.
POLL POSITION: MAMDANI'S THE FRONTRUNNER, BUT ISN'T RUNNING AWAY WITH NYC MAYORAL RACE JUST YET
New York City mayoral candidates Zohran Mamdani, Eric Adams, Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa. (Getty Images)
The winner of the New York City Democratic primary for mayor is traditionally considered the overwhelming frontrunner in the general election.
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A handful of polls conducted this month in New York City suggest that Mamdani is the frontrunner, but that he is far from running away with the race. The surveys indicate Mamdani ahead of Cuomo anywhere from around 15 points to as few as three points.
Trailing Mamdani and Cuomo in the surveys are Mayor Eric Adams, the embattled incumbent who announced earlier this year that he would seek re-election as an independent candidate, and Guardian Angels co-founder Curtis Sliwa, who for a second straight election is the Republican mayoral nominee.
Fox News Digital's Jasmine Baehr and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/desantis-has-message-cuomo-after-former-governor-jokes-he-would-move-florida