Cuomo has reportedly been weighing whether to enter the 2025 New York City mayoral race for months. Recent rhetoric from those around him and favorable polling have bolstered the likelihood he will launch a bid for City Hall in the coming weeks.

While Cuomo hasn’t declared anything yet, a February filing deadline for the race will require him to make up his mind soon about whether he wants to challenge incumbent Mayor Eric Adams.

When contacted about the New York Democrat’s mayoral speculation and a recent poll showing him leading in the race, spokesman Rich Azzopardi said he thinks anyone who has spoken to Cuomo and believes he is running for mayor is “a matter of perception.”

“A lot of people have come to him saying the city is in crisis and it needs to be fixed, and they think he’s the guy to do it because of his track record,” Azzopardi told CNN.

“He just hasn’t decided yet. It’s purely personal. It’s whether or not he wants to commit the time and the energy. He was 24-7 as governor. It’s a major commitment. It’s something he and his family are talking about,” he added.

Cuomo has been quiet about his decision-making toward his mayoral candidacy until very recently, despite months of vigorous media speculation that he’s been pursuing the office.

Previous speculation surrounding Cuomo’s holdup to enter the race included a reelection run for governor against Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) and a hesitancy to run against Adams, who he considers a friend.

A recent survey showed Cuomo would have more support than the next trailing three contenders and Adams combined. Cuomo drew 32% support in the poll, while the four, including former City Comptroller Scott Stringer at 10%, City Comptroller Brad Lander at 8%, state Sen. Jessica Ramos at 7%, and Adams at 6%, garnered 31% support.

Former Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., who said he is not running for mayor, has 7% support, followed by state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani at 6%, former DNC Vice Chairman Michael Blake at 2%, and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie at 1%. Eighteen percent of people were unsure, and 3% selected other.

The survey was commissioned by Progressives for Democracy in America, included 800 likely Democratic voters, and was conducted between Dec. 16 and Dec. 22, six months before the Democratic primary on June 24.

Cuomo also overwhelmingly led in a ranked choice sample, capturing victory by the fifth round of voting, while Adams was eliminated in the fourth round.

The PDA’s executive director, Alan Minsky, chalked Cuomo’s success up to name recognition and mentioned that as a reason why the poll was called for.

“We commissioned the poll to see which candidates might be competitive with Cuomo, given his huge name recognition advantage,” Minsky said.

Despite Cuomo’s theoretical advantage, several of his possible opponents have singled him out to discourage him from entering the race and to dissuade voters from supporting him if he does.

Lander said Cuomo “is not the leadership we need for New York City” at a fundraiser earlier this month, adding he would not “be any better” than Adams. An adviser for Stringer wrote in a memo that Cuomo is “a selfish suburbanite only looking to rehabilitate his image and resurrect his political career” and that if Cuomo decided to enter the race, the “electoral water” would be “ice cold.”

Adams hasn’t even spared Cuomo from criticism, indirectly blasting him in an interview with Politico for bail reform laws that he signed when he was governor.

The current mayor of New York City has been wildly unpopular in the past few months as a result of his corruption criminal indictment and his handling of the city’s migrant crisis. The same poll that showed Cuomo ahead in the race also recorded each candidate’s approval rating.

Adams recorded a net-negative -49% approval rating, 22% positive to 71% negative, while Cuomo had a net-positive 4% rating, 48% positive to 44% negative. Cuomo’s positive polling comes after he resigned as governor in 2021 during a sexual harassment scandal that had state Democrats calling for him to step down.

He also received tremendous criticism for his role in requiring nursing homes to accept COVID-19 patients from hospitals during the pandemic, exposing older people to a higher risk of infection.

Since then, Cuomo has stayed politically active, letting voters know he maintains a strong pro-Israel stance. He has also appeared at relevant fundraising events. His pro-Israel stance will match him closer with Adams and Stringer while contrasting him with contenders such as the progressive Lander.

Petitioning for ballot access begins Feb. 25 and is due April 3 for contenders in the 2025 New York City mayoral race. A previous report indicated Cuomo is considering launching his campaign in February and will hire consultant Charlie King, who worked with the Democrat on campaigns for years.