Pro-Crypto Candidate Andrew Cuomo Loses New York City Mayoral Race

• Mamdani, a left-wing Democrat, defeated Andrew Cuomo’s bid for blockchain reforms.
• Cuomo had proposed the position of director of innovation to promote crypto technology.
• Mamdani’s victory shifted the focus from the technology agenda to socioeconomic topics.

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani has won the race for mayor of New York City, beating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. According to the Associated Press, he received 50.6 percent of the vote compared to 41.2 percent for his main rival, while Republican Curtis Sliwa remained far behind.

Cuomo has tried to stake his claim on technology reforms, unveiling a plan last month to create the position of director of innovation, responsible for blockchain and cryptocurrency development. He said the new position would have to provide support for high-growth industries.

In addition, he expected it would boost public-private partnerships based on digital technologies.

According to Saga Protocol CEO Rebecca Liao, Cuomo comes from a “Democratic establishment” that has traditionally maintained close ties to the tech sector. The entrepreneur noted that his platform may have gotten the attention of businesses, but not voters.

For Mamdani’s electorate, Liao emphasized, the cryptocurrency agenda didn’t matter much. His campaign focused on social inequality and reforms to the urban economy.

After losing the Democratic Party primary, Cuomo decided to continue running as an independent candidate, but support for his initiatives has been limited.

The current mayor Eric Adams, who previously actively supported cryptocurrencies and even received part of his salary in bitcoins, withdrew from the race in September 2025. He cited funding problems and media pressure, although it was under his watch that New York City became home to the country’s first office of digital assets and blockchain.

Meanwhile, in the neighboring state of New Jersey, the gubernatorial election also drew attention, where pro-cryptocurrency candidate Mikie Sherrill beat Republican Jack Ciattarelli. Stand With Crypto said it mobilized tens of thousands of digital asset enthusiasts to vote.

According to the group, there are more than 80,000 supporters of the movement in New Jersey, which is comparable to the vote margin in past elections. Representatives of Stand With Crypto emphasized that the support of activists played an important role in the victory of Sherrill, who was rated “excellent” for pro-cryptocurrency initiatives.

Recall, we wrote that the cryptocurrency-friendly party of Javier Milei won the elections in Argentina.