Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York and arguably one of the biggest names in state politics, has officially entered New York City's race for mayor.
The move by the 56th governor of New York has been long-anticipated as many political insiders considered it only a matter of time before Cuomo threw his hat in the ring.
Cuomo made his candidacy official on Saturday, announcing his candidacy in a " target="_blank"> 17-minute video uploaded to his campaign website. In that video, Cuomo pitches his return as a way to pull the city from social and political turmoil, highlighting moderate positions on crime and his long history of political accomplishments.
"Our city is in crisis," Cuomo said on X. "That’s why I am running to be Mayor of New York City."
NBC New York previously reported that the former governor and his associates had been discussing their strategy for possibly entering the mayor's race with several sources, including Reverend Al Sharpton.
Polling dating back several months found that Cuomo could enter the 2025 mayoral race as a frontrunner, despite the scandals that caused him to resign -- with money to spend and New York name recognition dating back to his father Mario Cuomo's three-term reign as governor.
Cuomo resigned from office in August 2021, amid sexual harassment allegations, which he staunchly denies. Hochul, a fellow Democrat who had been Cuomo's lieutenant, inherited the job and was reelected the following year.
Besides the current mayor, Eric Adams, Cuomo races plenty of opposition in the Democratic primary. Those other candidates include Comptroller Brad Lander, state Senator Jessica Ramos, former city Comptroller Scott Stringer, state Senator Zellnor Myrie, and Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, among others.
Despite entering the race behind a large pack of Democratic competitors and with less than four months to go until the primary, Cuomo has loomed large over the race for some time. His name wasn't only discussed in secret or among political circles.
Days before officially launching his campaign, Cuomo received a surprisingly public endorsement from Congressman Ritchie Torres, a Democrat from the Bronx. Torres told the New York Post he thinks the city needs "a Mr. Tough Guy."
At a candidates forum held by District Council 37 earlier this week, many on the stage took shots at Cuomo, as well as Adams who was also not in attendance.
"Unlike Mayor Adams, who raised your rent, or Governor Cuomo, who put you in Tier 6, I have the guts to ask for your endorsement in person," Queens Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani said, according to HellGate.
DOJ investigation into sexual harassment
In January of 2024, the Department of Justice found that the former governor subjected at least 13 women to a "sexually hostile work environment" while in office.
Cuomo "repeatedly subjected these female employees to unwelcome, non-consensual sexual contact; ogling; unwelcome sexual comments; gender-based nicknames; comments on their physical appearances; and/or preferential treatment based on their physical appearances," the DOJ said it found.
Cuomo's office instead worked to protect the then-governor from further accusations — and his senior staff retaliated against four of the women he harassed, the DOJ said.
Cuomo attorney Rita Glavin in a statement to CNBC said the former governor "did not sexually harass anyone."
"The DOJ 'investigation' was based entirely on the NYS Attorney General's deeply flawed, inaccurate, biased, and misleading report," Glavin said.
COVID nursing home response
The Cuomo administration came under significant scrutiny for a policy that at first required nursing homes to readmit recovering COVID-19 patients in an effort to avoid hospitals from becoming overwhelmed.
Cuomo came under fire on the subject at a Sept. 2024 hearing before a U.S. House panel.
U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York called the directive “deadly.” Rep. Brad Wenstrup, the Ohio Republican who chairs the subcommittee, said it was inconsistent with federal guidance and its consequences were “dangerous and disastrous.” Republicans accused Cuomo of staging a cover-up to hide mistakes that endangered nursing home residents.
In a statement, Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi called the subcommittee's actions "a taxpayer-funded farce."
“This is a joke - the Governor said he didn’t recall because he didn’t recall. The committee lied in their referral just as they have been lying to the public and the press," Azzopardi said.
There were about 15,000 COVID-19 deaths among long-term care residents in New York, far more than the initial number disclosed. Cuomo said some figures were initially withheld out of concerns about accuracy.
Cuomo was widely seen as a reassuring figure in the early months of the pandemic, but his reputation suffered after revelations that his administration released an incomplete accounting of the number of deaths at nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was in the hot seat on Tuesday, as he testified before a congressional subcommittee about how he handled the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes during the peak of the pandemic. NBC New York's Chris Glorioso reports.
