Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo made his first appearance since throwing his hat into the ring in the Big Apple mayor’s race – telling supporters he saved the city during the pandemic and he can now save it from its current woes.

Cuomo, 67, was introduced by his daughters as he spoke at a carpenter’s union headquarters on Manhattan’s West Side.

“COVID, my friends, was the greatest threat faced in a generation,” the former governor said. “It was life and death, it was as serious as it gets and it was as scary as it gets. And New York, we had it first and we had it worst and we were on our own, and no one knew what to do? But what did we do? We came together, we stood tall, we stood strong and we faced the challenge head on.

“Everyone did their part,” he said. “And we kept this place, we kept this place running and we saved lives and we led the nation. So can we handle this challenge? You’re damned right we can.”

The son of former Gov. Mario Cuomo, Andrew Cuomo entered the mayoral race Saturday after months of speculation and is now part of a crowded field of candidates hoping to unseat Mayor Eric Adams.

His entrance into the race makes him the immediate frontrunner, with big name recognition and polls that show him holding a dominating lead over the competition

Cuomo piloted the Empire State during the COVID crisis, providing regular press conferences to keep the public informed and issuing a series of mandates to try to stem the pandemic.

But the ex-governor came under fire for his handling of the crisis following a March 2020 directive that admitted thousands of COVID patients into the state’s nursing homes. 

Critics have blamed the move for as many as 15,000 nursing home deaths during the pandemic. 

The former governor’s reps have responded that civil lawsuits filed by the families of nursing home residents were dismissed while three Department of Justice probes, as well as a Manhattan DA investigation, all went nowhere. 

At his event Sunday, Cuomo also defended his performance during the crisis — and said the city needs him again.

“Time is short,” he said. “We must do it now because things are getting worse. Time is not our friend.”

Mayor Adams, marching in Staten Island’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday, was asked by reporters about the race.

“I don’t know who said it, but it’s a famous quote: ‘Come one, come all,’ ” he responded. “You know, we all got to come out.

“We can’t hide in the shadows,” said Hizzoner, who was indicted last year on bribery charges, only to see the case dropped by the Trump White House, at least for now.

Meanwhile, all three of Cuomo’s daughters spoke in support of their dad at his event.

“I do not feel the sense of safety I once felt in New York, and as a person who just spent several months looking for a new apartment, I can tell you there is not enough affordable housing,” Kara Kennedy Cuomo told the crowd. 

Cuomo was forced to resign from the governor’s seat in 2021 after being hit with a barrage of sexual harassment claims.

-Additional reporting by Valentina Jaramillo