Andrew Cuomo, running for NYC mayor, can cite successes but has political baggage
Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo testifies before the House Oversight Select Subcommittee's hearing on the coronavirus pandemic in Washington, D.C., in September 2024. Credit: AP/Cliff Owen
As he runs for mayor of New York City, Andrew M. Cuomo will remind voters of a slew of his accomplishments during a nearly 11-year tenure as governor.
But he’ll also carry baggage from his resignation from the office and the way his bullying style alienated other Democrats while he was in power.
Cuomo, 67, is the immediate front-runner in the mayoral contest, according to several polls, ahead of embattled Mayor Eric Adams and a host of other candidates. Analysts say he’ll have the best name recognition and likely most campaign money — his supporters have created a super PAC, a political action committee that can raise money largely with no restraints on contributions.
The question is whether rivals can dent that lead and just how quickly.
“There’s no question there is a yearning for someone who can be the grown-up in the room. And he represents someone who got things done in Albany,” said Susan Del Percio, a Republican strategist. “But people will soon come out of the woodwork to start taking shots at Andrew Cuomo.”
The ex-governor can point to a series of successes during his nearly three full terms in Albany: Legalizing same-sex marriage and instituting a school property-tax cap, paid family leave and a stronger abortion rights law.
His administration also launched a slew of public works improvements, including the new Moynihan Train Hall, a revamped LaGuardia Airport and the Second Avenue Subway. His state budgets were largely on time, and spending increases tended to be small, except during the pandemic.
Not everything worked, though. Splashy economic development projects often yielded far fewer results and jobs than promised.
Beyond that are the circumstances of his resignation in August 2021.
Facing likely impeachment, Cuomo stepped down amid allegations of harassing younger women aides, covering up the number of nursing home deaths during the COVID-19 lockdown and using state resources to write a book about his management of the pandemic — all of which he has vigorously denied.
In a sign he’d lost a lot of support within the party, the Democratic-led Assembly was preparing to bring impeachment charges when he stepped down.
Cuomo supporters note any charges or lawsuits in the sexual harassment matters have been dropped.
They contend the then-governor followed federal protocols for nursing homes during the pandemic and say the administration didn’t undercount overall COVID-19 deaths, but instead counted patients who contracted the virus in a nursing home but officially died at a hospital as hospital deaths.
Critics have said this was creative math meant to divert attention away from a Cuomo policy directing nursing homes to accept people who had the virus even before entering.
Hank Sheinkopf, a veteran Democratic strategist, said those controversies aren’t likely to resonate as much with city voters as they might around the rest of the state.
“The baggage is offset by the accomplishments,” Sheinkopf said. “And there’s the general state of affairs in the city, which is things are not awful but are out of control.”
He referred to the indictment of Adams on federal corruption charges, alleging bribery, wire fraud and soliciting illegal foreign campaign contributions. The Trump administration's Justice Department has formally moved to drop the charges. A federal judge so far has deferred a ruling on the dismissal motion.
Meanwhile, Adams said he intends to run for reelection.
“It’s quite likely that, as with many candidates, the day they enter the race is the day of the height of their popularity,” Del Percio said of Cuomo. “But then everyone will start taking shots. … The question is will there be a focused, penetrating attack that hurts his poll numbers, or will New Yorkers say he knows how to govern even if they don’t always like the way he governs?”
As he runs for mayor of New York City, Andrew M. Cuomo will remind voters of a slew of his accomplishments during a nearly 11-year tenure as governor.
But he’ll also carry baggage from his resignation from the office and the way his bullying style alienated other Democrats while he was in power.
Cuomo, 67, is the immediate front-runner in the mayoral contest, according to several polls, ahead of embattled Mayor Eric Adams and a host of other candidates. Analysts say he’ll have the best name recognition and likely most campaign money — his supporters have created a super PAC, a political action committee that can raise money largely with no restraints on contributions.
The question is whether rivals can dent that lead and just how quickly.
“There’s no question there is a yearning for someone who can be the grown-up in the room. And he represents someone who got things done in Albany,” said Susan Del Percio, a Republican strategist. “But people will soon come out of the woodwork to start taking shots at Andrew Cuomo.”
The ex-governor can point to a series of successes during his nearly three full terms in Albany: Legalizing same-sex marriage and instituting a school property-tax cap, paid family leave and a stronger abortion rights law.
His administration also launched a slew of public works improvements, including the new Moynihan Train Hall, a revamped LaGuardia Airport and the Second Avenue Subway. His state budgets were largely on time, and spending increases tended to be small, except during the pandemic.
Not everything worked, though. Splashy economic development projects often yielded far fewer results and jobs than promised.
Beyond that are the circumstances of his resignation in August 2021.
Facing likely impeachment, Cuomo stepped down amid allegations of harassing younger women aides, covering up the number of nursing home deaths during the COVID-19 lockdown and using state resources to write a book about his management of the pandemic — all of which he has vigorously denied.
In a sign he’d lost a lot of support within the party, the Democratic-led Assembly was preparing to bring impeachment charges when he stepped down.
Cuomo supporters note any charges or lawsuits in the sexual harassment matters have been dropped.
They contend the then-governor followed federal protocols for nursing homes during the pandemic and say the administration didn’t undercount overall COVID-19 deaths, but instead counted patients who contracted the virus in a nursing home but officially died at a hospital as hospital deaths.
Critics have said this was creative math meant to divert attention away from a Cuomo policy directing nursing homes to accept people who had the virus even before entering.
Hank Sheinkopf, a veteran Democratic strategist, said those controversies aren’t likely to resonate as much with city voters as they might around the rest of the state.
“The baggage is offset by the accomplishments,” Sheinkopf said. “And there’s the general state of affairs in the city, which is things are not awful but are out of control.”
He referred to the indictment of Adams on federal corruption charges, alleging bribery, wire fraud and soliciting illegal foreign campaign contributions. The Trump administration's Justice Department has formally moved to drop the charges. A federal judge so far has deferred a ruling on the dismissal motion.
Meanwhile, Adams said he intends to run for reelection.
“It’s quite likely that, as with many candidates, the day they enter the race is the day of the height of their popularity,” Del Percio said of Cuomo. “But then everyone will start taking shots. … The question is will there be a focused, penetrating attack that hurts his poll numbers, or will New Yorkers say he knows how to govern even if they don’t always like the way he governs?”
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