- Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced his candidacy for New York City mayor.
- Cuomo is challenging Mayor Eric Adams.
- Cuomo resigned as governor in 2021 after several sexual harassment allegations.
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has launched a bid for New York City mayor.
“Our city is in crisis. That’s why I am running to be Mayor of New York City,” Cuomo said in a social media announcement on Saturday. “We need government to work. We need effective leadership.”
New York elected Cuomo governor in 2011. He served a decade before resigning in 2021 after he was accused of sexual harassment.
In a 17-minute video posted on X, Cuomo outlined his concerns about New York City, which he said feels “threatening, out of control, and in crisis.”
“We know that today, our New York City is in trouble. 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 when you’re walking down into the subway,” Cuomo said, speaking over soothing piano music. “You see it in the empty storefronts, the graffiti, the grime, the migrant influx, the random violence.”
Cuomo blamed all this on the “lack of intelligent action by many of our political leaders.”
His announcement comes after New York City’s current mayor, Eric Adams, was federally charged with bribery and conspiracy in September. Adams has since faced calls to resign but has so far resisted.
Cuomo’s resignation in 2021 followed an inquiry from New York Attorney General Letitia James. An investigation from her office found that Cuomo had harassed 11 women, including some of his own staff.
Cuomo’s decision to step down cleared the way for then-Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul to become the first female governor of New York, a position she still holds.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
