Disgraced former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is planning a political comeback as mayor of the Big Apple, according to multiple reports.
Cuomo, 65, resigned in 2021 amid a series of scandals, including allegations of sexual harassment and claims that his administration lied about the number of Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes across the Empire State.
The talk of a mayoral candidate comes as the city’s current mayor, Eric Adams, faces cripplingly low poll numbers, while residents complain about his inability to handle the migrant crisis, not to mention an ongoing federal research.
In a new interview with Politics, Rev. Ruben Diaz Sr., a conservative former senator from New York, said Cuomo has given him the impression he is “ready” to run for City Hall.
“My opinion is that if he runs, he will win. People need a leader. “Even though Governor Cuomo and I have our differences, we have had a lot of arguments in the past, and aside from the disagreements, I think he was a great governor,” Diaz said.
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was impeached in 2021 after being accused of sexual harassment
Mayor Eric Adams is facing cripplingly low poll numbers as residents complain about his inability to address the migrant crisis, not to mention an ongoing federal investigation
As rumors swirl about Cuomo’s political future, Page six reported that the Queens native will celebrate Thanksgiving at his ancestral home in Sicily with his three daughters.
The newspaper says the trip was a gift to his twin daughters, Mariah and Cara, to celebrate their graduation.
The Politico report adds that unions and real estate groups have indicated they are in favor of Cuomo’s return.
Last week is one Vanity fair also mentioned the support Cuomo could count on if she were to run.
“Although it is difficult, he can still be competitive. He does have support in the African American and Latino communities. He does have the support of more moderate voters,” Cuomo confidant Basil Smikle told Politico.
Earlier this month, Cuomo’s former aide Melissa DeRosa noted in a book that she claimed he planned to run for governor but ultimately decided against it due to family issues.
Much of the fuss surrounding Cuomo would depend on the outcome of the federal investigation into Eric Adams.
After the FBI seized his phones and iPad in the first week of November, the first-term Democrat reiterated Tuesday that he was cooperating with what he called a “review” and said he would not speculate on its outcome.
Many voters in New York City are said to be deeply concerned about the migration crisis sweeping the city, which has seen undocumented immigrants housed in city hotels, see here.
He and his lead attorney at City Hall insisted he did not want to hinder the investigation and declined to say whether electronics had been transferred from other government or campaign figures, whether the FBI had been asked to interview the mayor, or who or what another Adams used to be. The lawyer meant last week that ‘a person has recently acted unlawfully.’
The federal investigation entered the public eye on Nov. 2 when agents searched the home of Adams’ chief fundraiser during his 2021 mayoral campaign, Briana Suggs.
The development prompted Adams to leave a planned meeting at the White House and fly home from Washington. He later explained that he wanted to be among his staffers because “there needs to be a leader here in those hard times.”
Four days later, after the search of Suggs’ home, FBI agents stopped Adams as he left a public event, asked his police security officer to step away and took his electronic devices.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, which is overseeing the investigation, declined to comment. A spokesperson for Suggs also declined to comment. Neither she nor Adams have been accused of wrongdoing.
The New York Times reported that a search warrant indicated that authorities were investigating whether the Adams campaign conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal campaign contributions from foreign sources, funneled through straw donors.