Former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo announces run for New York City mayor
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Ending weeks of political speculation, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Saturday announced he is running for mayor of New York City.
Cuomo, who served as the state's 56th governor for a decade before resigning amid numerous sexual harassment allegations in 2021, posted the announcement to his social media pages on Saturday afternoon.
"Our city is in crisis. That's why I am running to be Mayor of New York City. We need government to work. We need effective leadership," said Cuomo in a statement accompanying his video message.
Cuomo joins an already crowded field of candidates looking to unseat the embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams in the June 24 Democratic primary, which is a ranked choice vote ballot.
ALSO READ: New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams considers mayoral candidacy
In the video, Cuomo positioned himself as uniquely qualified to take on the problems the city is facing.
"You feel it when you walk down the street and try not to make eye contact with a mentally ill homeless person or when the anxiety rises up in your chest as you're walking down into the subway. You see it in the empty storefronts, the graffiti, the grime, the migrant influx, the random violence...the city just feels threatening, out of control, and in crisis," Cuomo said in the video, blaming inaction by city leadership but not calling Adams out by name.
"These conditions exist not as an act of God but rather as an act of our political leaders - or more precisely - the lack of intelligent action by many of our political leaders."
Cuomo centered his pitch on quality-of-life issues like crime and homelessness while embracing a progressive vision for leadership.
"The affordability crisis, the madness of the mass transit system, mainly affects the poor and middle class. And 75% of the victims of crime are black and brown. This is not progressive policy but in fact regressive policy," he said in the video.
Cuomo enters a crowded race that includes City Comptroller Brad Lander, state Rep. Zohran Mamdani and state Sens. Jessica Ramos and Zellnor Myrie.
Minutes after Cuomo's video went live, City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is also running for mayor, released a statement slamming the former governor for his past actions.
"Andrew Cuomo is for himself and only himself, and is hoping New Yorkers will forget his disastrous record for our city of endless scandals, destroying the subway, and cutting basic services," Lander said. "The good news is we will end the Adams-Cuomo nightmare of corruption and chaos, and finally send both to their retirement."
Lander joined other candidates in a mayoral forum in TriBeCa on Wednesday night to make their case to the public.
ALSO READ: Eric Adams claims prosecutorial misconduct, skips mayoral forum as candidates take jabs at him
Regarded by some as a skilled crisis manager, the former governor resigned in disgrace in 2021 amid multiple accusations of sexual harassment and questions about COVID deaths in nursing homes.
"He's got to run a campaign that less exposes him to these kinds of allegations and more about performance on particular issues that people care about," veteran political consultant Hank Sheinkopf told ABC7 last week.
Sheinkopf believes changing priorities could help Cuomo.
"People are not interested in ethics right now. They're interested in a cleaner city, a safer city and a more hospitable city," he said.
Supporters were already planning fundraisers and other events for early March, anticipating Cuomo would decide to primary a weakened Adams.
In mid-February, Cuomo received an endorsement from H. Carl McCall, former rival and NYS Comptroller, urging him to run.
"I have never publicly urged a candidate to run for office. But I have never before felt it so necessary to use my voice. For these reasons, I urge Governor Andrew Cuomo to run for Mayor of the City of New York and I offer my full support," McCall wrote at the time.
The conclusion of Cuomo's governorship was mired in scandal. At least 11 women -- some of whom were state employees -- accused him of sexual harassment, including several alleged instances of suggestive comments and unwanted touching.
A probe by New York state Attorney General Letitia James found Cuomo had "engaged in conduct constituting sexual harassment under federal and New York State law."
His behavior "created a hostile work environment for women," the probe found, and in at least one case, he was found to have retaliated against one of his accusers.
Cuomo defended himself in the scandal's aftermath, denying any wrongdoing even upon his resignation.
"I want you to know directly from me that I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances. That's not who I am," he said in a televised address in response to James' report.
Even so, Cuomo acknowledged "that there are generational or cultural perspectives that frankly I hadn't fully appreciated," and he said he had "learned from this."
In addition to the harassment scandal, Cuomo also came under scrutiny for allegations his administration concealed damaging information about nursing home deaths during the pandemic.
The former governor subtly acknowledged his scandals in Saturday's video.
"Did I always do everything right in my years of government service? Of course not. Would I do some things differently knowing what I know now? Certainly. 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 that every day," he said.
"But I promise you this, I know what needs to be done and I know how to do it, and I will give it my all to get the job done -- and it will get done," he added.
Cuomo also vowed to "fight Washington and Albany to make sure we get our fair share of funding, and to protect the rights and values that New Yorkers hold dear."
But he also positioned himself as somebody who could work with President Donald Trump, with whom Cuomo had feuded over the years, notably during the tense early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I will work with anyone who wants to work for the benefit of New York. I will cooperate and collaborate on any and every level. I have worked with President Trump in many different situations and I hope President Trump remembers his hometown, and works with us to make it better."
The current mayor, Adams, has faced mounting scandal during his time in office. He previously pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment that accused him of accepting years of luxury travel gifts in exchange for, among other things, allegedly persuading the New York City Fire Department to approve the opening of the new Turkish consulate in Manhattan despite the lingering safety concerns of inspectors.
In February, the Justice Department moved to drop the case against Adams, which prompted the resignations of seven federal prosecutors and four deputy mayors.
Despite expressing concerns about Adams' continued leadership, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declined to remove him as mayor, saying "the will of the voters and the supremacy and sanctity of democratic elections preclude me from any other action."
"I cannot deny the people of this great city the power to make this decision for themselves," Hochul said.
ABC News contributed to this report.
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