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“Andrew Cuomo announced on Saturday he is running to become mayor of New York City, more than three years after he resigned in disgrace as governor of New York after being accused of sexually harassing a number of women who worked for him and misleading the public about COVID-19 deaths…
“Cuomo, 67, denies the allegations. He is among the most well-known of a number of candidates challenging embattled Mayor Eric Adams to become the Democratic Party's nominee in the primary election in June.” Reuters
Many on both sides are critical of Cuomo:
“After his resignation, Cuomo followed his brother, Chris, into the media, launching a podcast where he assailed cancel culture. The implication was that he was a victim; his reemergence as a candidate suggests that the podcast successfully spread that idea, but Cuomo is a victim of nothing except his own bad behavior…
“Representative Ritchie Torres, a young moderate who has become prominent for criticizing the party’s progressive wing, endorsed Cuomo—in an exclusive given to the conservative New York Post, no less—as someone who would battle extremists on the left and right. Torres refused to ‘relitigate’ Cuomo’s resignation, telling the Post: ‘America loves a comeback, New York loves a comeback.’…
“Okay, but doesn’t it matter who’s doing the comeback, and what they’re coming back from? Cuomo is likely benefiting from a broader societal backlash to cancel culture and ‘wokeness.’ But if, in order to curb the far left, Democrats like Torres are willing to embrace an alleged sex pest who tried to cover up seniors’ deaths, is it worth it?”
David A. Graham, The Atlantic
“Cuomo’s $5 million book deal, American Crisis, is yet another example of his self-serving governance. Reports revealed that state employees were pressured to work on the book during office hours, turning public resources into personal profit. While New Yorkers faced severe lockdowns and financial struggles, Cuomo’s attention wasn’t on them. Instead, it was on promoting himself, enhancing his brand, and beefing up his bank account…
“Then there’s the VIP COVID testing scandal. While everyday New Yorkers struggled to access tests, Cuomo made sure his family and political allies got first-class treatment… Meanwhile, his so-called war on corruption was an utter sham. Supposedly created to expose public corruption, the Moreland Commission was shut down the moment it started scrutinizing his own allies…
“The Buffalo Billion scandal really drove this point home. What was pitched as a revitalization plan for upstate New York turned into a cesspool of corruption, rigged bids, and federal convictions for Cuomo’s close associates. And it wasn’t an anomaly. The Crystal Run Healthcare deal followed the same blueprint. After donating $400,000 to Cuomo’s campaign, the healthcare provider was rewarded with $25.4 million in state grants.”
John Mac Ghlionn, American Spectator
Other opinions below.
“[The campaign video] highlights his work fighting the spread of Covid-19, which was not necessarily the best move, given the nursing home scandal. He also paints himself as tough on crime and ready to resist liberals who want to tighten the reins on police. ‘We must now return to fighting crime,’ he says of the city that has seen crime rates drop. But never mind the data: ‘The city just feels threatening, out of control, and in crisis,’ he declares. But maybe that’s because he just moved back here from Westchester.”
Joan Walsh, The Nation
“Cuomo said, ‘Did I make mistakes, some painfully? Definitely, and I believe I learned from them and that I am a better person for it, and I hope to show you that every day.’ Unsurprisingly, Cuomo failed to specifically articulate those ‘mistakes,’ what he learned from them, or how he became ‘a better person.’ Just using the word ‘mistakes’ shows he hasn’t learned much since it’s far too genteel a description for what he was accused of doing — sexually harassing at least 11 women.”
Renée Graham, Boston Globe
Some note, “Cuomo’s [polling lead] is based in part on a record of accomplishments… [such as] the successful fight to legalize same-sex marriage in 2014, and the completion of long-stalled public works projects, including the Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station, the expansion of the Second Avenue Subway, the rebuilding of an expanded Kosciusko Bridge (the city’s first new bridge in 55 years) and the creation of a new terminal at LaGuardia Airport. Cuomo is betting that a critical mass of voters will remember and reward his good deeds.”
Errol Louis, New York Magazine
“After four years of an Adams administration that struggled to deliver substantial improvements in crime and quality of life, Cuomo’s campaign hinges on convincing voters that his hallmark competency will hold good in the city. He’s already found takers for this message in the carpenters’ and painters’ unions, which endorsed him on Sunday. The powerful 1199SEIU health care workers’ union is purportedly planning to endorse him, too…
“But the former governor will have to answer for his past faults, including the sexual harassment accusations still winding their way through court, the Covid-19 nursing-home scandal, and his signing bail and discovery reforms into law in 2019… And time will tell whether the Left can mount a united challenge by getting voters to select progressive candidates but exclude Cuomo on their ranked-choice ballots.”
John Ketcham, City Journal
Others argue, “Cuomo may have baggage, but, unlike most Democrats, he is free of the stench lingering from the Biden years… He has been widely absent over the last three years as Democrats hid the truth about former President Biden's mental condition, oversaw shocking price hikes, opened up the border, [and] alienated Americans with woke identity politics…
“Republicans should hope New Yorkers hold Cuomo accountable for his failings and not let him whitewash his past with a mayoral victory party later this year. Because if that happens, Cuomo could become the most formidable weapon in the Democrats’ arsenal, limited as it may be.”
David Marcus, Fox News
