The political landscape of New York City may be heating up as former Governor Andrew Cuomo hints at a potential mayoral run, releasing a campaign-style video during a Valentine's Day event at the Johnson Houses Community Center in East Harlem, without making his candidacy official, Cuomo spoke about the safety of New Yorkers setting the stage for speculation, this, while Curtis Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder and 2021 Republican mayoral candidate, officially files to run again. He pivots his campaign on the grievances of the underrepresented—those grappling with crime, housing insecurity, and the threat of eviction in the city, as ABC7NY reports.

In a critical op-ed piece for The New York Sun, Curtis Sliwa called out Cuomo for his past stance on immigration, specifically targeting his previous criticism of ICE agents as "thugs". Sliwa, not shy about his intentions, wrote, "For Andrew Cuomo, it’s time for him to go on an apology tour," stirring the pot ahead of the mayoral election and spotlighting Cuomo’s apparent flip-flopping on key issues, Sliwa's zealous ambitions spotlight the fracture lines in New York's political ground, as both he and Cuomo seem to be preparing to challenge incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, according to the New York Post.

H. Carl McCall, the former New York State Comptroller, broke from tradition in an endorsement for Cuomo, stating, "I have never publicly urged a candidate to run for office. But I have never before felt it so necessary to use my voice. For these reasons, I urge Governor Andrew Cuomo to run for Mayor of the City of New York and I offer my full support," as noted by ABC7NY.

Meanwhile, Cuomo, navigating the complex waters of a potential political comeback, has begun distilling his past views, including distancing himself from New York’s sanctuary status and other contentious policies like congestion pricing and bail reform, his dialogue takes on a new shade as it reflects on both his gubernatorial tenure and the path forward, especially as he critiqued the southern states' border crisis challenges in 2023, a move that positioned him both with and against the Biden administration's handling of the issue; Richard Azzopardi, Cuomo's representative, responded to Sliwa's accusations, saying, "Sliwa cannot be taken seriously — he’s a caricature," and highlighted Cuomo's $45 million investment to combat MS-13 during his time in office, as reported by the New York Post.