Andrew Cuomo is nearly finished setting up a comeback try for NYC mayor

Ex- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is now describing his long-rumored and labored-over run for mayor as a near certainty, according to conversations with more than a dozen people in his orbit.

He is also lining up campaign aides and pollsters, in part with the help of a former top adviser who beat him out the door of the governor’s mansion more than three years ago .

A defiant Adams insists he has no plans to step down on his leadership.

Cuomo aides think New Yorkers will also be looking for a tough guy to take on Trump , with aides floating the prospect of mass deportations targeted at Democratic cities.

Cuomo figures that even with large parts of the city shifting toward Trump or away from Democrats during the 2024 general election, he could win over affluent White liberals who want a pugilist in office to square up with Trump .

Cuomo is despised by many on the left, personally and politically, and even by Democrats beyond that who want a new start.

Without the power of being in office to flex against political enemies, strategists believe he will not be as much of a threat.

With Adams and nearly all of his inner circle swallowed up in legal troubles and ethical scandals, the mayoral contest has become more a more appealing proposition.