Former Governor Andrew Cuomo is joining the race to replace New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
The comeback attempt comes three years after Cuomo resigned from the governorship amid sexual harassment allegations.
The 67-year-old is entering the Democratic primary set for June as a frontrunner with plenty of baggage, but with significant name recognition and wealthy supporters following his time as governor between 2011 and 2021. He was also the secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the final years of the Clinton administration before spending a few years as the New York attorney general.
Cuomo argued in a video announcement of his candidacy that he’s a tried and tested leader who can take charge of the city by fighting subway crime as a moderate on law and order issues, but who can also take on the left of the Democratic party as well as President Donald Trump.
The former governor spent $25 million in taxpayer funds for legal costs to clean up his reputation following 11 allegations of sexual harassment that led to his 2021 resignation, The New York Times noted.
Democratic rivals in the mayoral race began attacking Cuomo before his official entrance into the race as they will look to criticize him for his past treatment of women, his leadership of the state during the pandemic, as well as his dedication to the city, where he had until recently not lived full time for years.
In a video, left-leaning city comptroller Brad Lander said he doesn’t believe that “New Yorkers want to trade one corrupt chaos agent for another.”
The announcement on Saturday came after months of speculation regarding Cuomo’s political future and after public polling repeatedly found him in the lead before he officially entered the race.
The city is experiencing rising housing costs, concerns about public safety, and a leadership crisis that heated up when federal corruption charges were filed in the fall against Adams. That crisis entered a new phase amid allegations that Adams struck a deal with the Trump administration to have the Department of Justice drop the charges.
Cuomo is entering a race with an increasingly crowded field. Polling before his announcement showed him ahead of Lander, former comptroller Scott Stringer, Adams, and several others such as State Senator Zellnor Myrie and Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. The speaker of the City Council, Adrienne Adams, and police commissioner Jessica Tisch, are also being pushed to join the field of candidates.
The race may be the last opportunity for Cuomo to change the ending of a political career he once believed would close with a stint in the White House. He waited to enter the race until he could see a path to the mayorship and to allow for less time for his challengers to bring up his past. Cuomo has several advantages, one of them financial. On Wednesday, allies of the ex-governor launched a super PAC they hope will raise $15 million, which would put him far ahead of his opponents, according to The Times.
Some of his supporters appear to believe that part of his style, which some saw as at times brutal and overbearing and which contributed to the end of his governorship, could now be seen as positives as Democrats are looking for someone to stand up to Trump.
New York Democratic Rep. Richie Torres is backing Cuomo in the race.
“We don’t need a Mr. Nice Guy,” he said, according to The Times. “We need a Mr. Tough Guy.”
