MSNBC panel says Andrew Cuomo’s strong campaign finish likely ‘too late’

Tuesday’s panel on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” largely agreed that, despite a strong finish to independent New York mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo’s campaign, it’s almost “too late” for him to defeat leading Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani.

MSNBC senior writer Mike Barnicle questioned who was running Cuomo’s campaign and noted that the ads aired in the final week before the election were “very effective.”

Carolyn Ryan of The New York Times replied, “The closing argument was better. I think they struggled a little bit. There was Melissa DeRosa. There were some people in the governor’s office who were with her.”

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“I think they had trouble initially on the social media front. Mamdani is also cinematic. So she knows visual imagery and her work is on another level. So the question for Cuomo is: Is it too late to discuss?” he asked.

Host Joe Scarborough agrees with both panelists’ takeaways in the final days of Cuomo’s campaign, admitting that while his ads are “really strong,” they may not be enough to get him over the finish line.

“Those closing ads, the closing argument last week, were really powerful ads. I think it was in one of the most unfortunate, listless, directionless campaigns any of us have seen in a very long time,” Scarborough recalled. “But man, you’re talking about focusing on a message last week. Cuomo was strong.”

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“It’s too late now,” he added.

New York mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo leaves his campaign stop in New York City on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Agreeing with Scarborough, Ryan also acknowledged that a win for Cuomo “may be too late,” especially considering “close to half the public has already voted.”

Zach Sage Fox, CEO of Fat Camp Films, was hired by Cuomo’s campaign after current Mayor Eric Adams dropped out of the race. He was contracted to produce eight to ten social media videos for the campaign.

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While Fox told Fox News Digital that “the race is starting to tighten in direct correlation” to his company’s revamp of Cuomo’s social media, he also questioned whether the efforts were too late in the game.

“The question is, are we a little late? We had less than a month to do a good job, and there are a million other factors and a million other pieces of the pie that we’re not a part of,” Fox said.

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (left), independent candidate, Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani (center) and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa face off in Tuesday’s NYC mayoral election. (Seth Wenig; Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images; Edward Berthelot/Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital’s Gabriele Regalbuto contributed to this report.