Andrew Cuomo appears to mull mayoral run, drawing skepticism in NYC political circles
Rumors of a potential Andrew Cuomo mayoral run, stoked by a poll apparently commissioned by the former governor, have been met with skepticism from local officials and analysts.
Cuomo has already appeared to toy with runs for two offices he once held — governor and state attorney general — after he resigned from the governorship in disgrace in 2021, driven from office by a state attorney general inquiry that found he had sexually harassed 11 women.
The latest trial balloon appears to be the first indication that Cuomo, who has long denied the harassment allegations, might have Gracie Mansion on his radar. Cuomo worked on his father’s doomed 1977 mayoral run, but has toiled little in city politics since.
Still, Cuomo has been privately talking about the concept of a mayoral run, according to three people with knowledge of the conversations. Politico previously reported on the dialogue.
It is unclear how seriously Cuomo, 65, is considering a mayoral run. He is currently on vacation in Sicily.
“I don’t know if this is just the musings of a man who has nothing else to do,” said Christina Greer, a Fordham University political science professor. “I don’t know if this is just his need to have his name out there.”
Greer said much of the state Legislature likely would not welcome a political comeback from Cuomo, who often bulldozed lawmakers to get his priorities passed. Many members of the left-leaning City Council have never worked with Cuomo, she added, and only know his reputation for employing an aggressive, bullying style.
Allen Roskoff, a progressive political operative who has been recruiting challengers to Mayor Adams, said Cuomo had not reached out to him. Cuomo would enter a hypothetical race with plenty of enemies, Roskoff said.
One of those enemies, Assemblyman Ron Kim, a Queens Democrat, said in a Wednesday text that most of his colleagues want Cuomo to “take a more extended vacation in Italy and leave the governing to those who are not abusive.”
“We are done with narcissistic politicians born on third base trying desperately to hold onto power,” Kim wrote.
Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon, a Brooklyn Democrat, had a more restrained response to the chatter.
“I would say my thought is a cautionary one for him,” Simon said by phone. “Being governor is very different than mayor.”
New York governors carry immense powers that city mayors do not.
The poll that sparked the rumors assessed Cuomo’s viability in multiple races, including for governor and senator, along with a head-to-head question with Cuomo and Adams, according to images published on social media by the journalist Ben Max.
Cuomo has maintained a friendly relationship with Adams — sometimes joining him for dinner. In a WNYW-TVinterview, Cuomo condemned a federal investigation into Adams’ campaign fundraising as “very heavy-handed.” Adams has not been accused of wrongdoing.
Adams’ poll numbers have plunged as news of the inquiry has dripped out, possibly piquing Cuomo’s interest in positioning himself for a mayoral run. Cuomo, who is seen as a cautious political operator, likely would not run for mayor unless polling indicates he is a viable candidate, analysts said.
Evan Roth Smith, a New York political consultant, said he was “very confident” Cuomo had commissioned the poll. He described the survey as “robust” and said it appeared to be the work of Expedition Strategies, a Virginia firm. Expedition did not reply to a request for comment.
Cuomo’s spokesman Rich Azzopardi said he did not know the source of the poll. In a statement, Azzopardi said that the “future is the future” and that Cuomo “gets these questions often.”
Azzopardi added that many New Yorkers view Cuomo’s exit as a “political railroading,” and he noted the sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo did not lead to criminal charges despite reviews by five New York district attorneys.
Cuomo has said he was “vindicated” by the lack of charges, though multiple prosecutors said they found allegations against him credible.
The office of Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Bronx Democrat, declined to weigh in Wednesday on the talk around a Cuomo mayoral run. But in 2021, Heastie directed the Assembly’s Judiciary Committee to probe Cuomo.
The probe determined that the evidence of Cuomo’s sexual misconduct was “overwhelming,” and led to a damning assessment by the committee’s chairman, Assemblyman Charles Lavine of Long Island.
“The former governor’s conduct,” Lavine said in a November 2021 statement, “is extremely disturbing and is indicative of someone who is not fit for office.”