Andrew Cuomo is not a candidate for mayor yet, but that is not stopping politicians and organizations from throwing their weight behind him. The latest is the Italian American Democratic Leadership Council, which issued a statement on Thursday encouraging the former governor to run for the highest office in New York City. “Andrew Cuomo has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to public service and the welfare of all New Yorkers,” the statement reads. “His leadership embodies the spirit of family that defines our shared heritage and perseverance that has long defined our community.”
The communiqué goes on to note Cuomo’s “unmatched record of success” as governor, like his bid to public college tuition-free for working-class families through the Excelsior scholarship program and the construction of the 2nd Avenue subway in Manhattan. The Italian American Democrats also lauded Cuomo for fighting attempts to “denigrate and minimize [their] heritage,” having prevented the tearing-down of the Christopher Columbus statue in Manhattan and put the first Italian American on the board of CUNY. “We encourage him to enter the race for New York City Mayor,” the statement concludes.
While Cuomo has not publicly stated any interest in running for mayor, a months-long whisper campaign and statements from other public officials indicate that it is only a matter of time before he officially announces his candidacy. “When it comes to confronting political extremism in New York, when it comes to confronting the crisis of crime, we need not a nice guy, but a tough guy like Andrew Cuomo,” Congressman Ritchie Torres said earlier this week, adding that the former governor would have his endorsement “as soon as he enters the race.” The New York City District Council of Carpenters, who supported Cuomo in his gubernatorial campaign in 2020, is reportedly backing him again as well, with sources telling the New York Post that the union’s political director Kevin Elkins could snag a high-level position in his campaign.
Sources close to Cuomo told the Daily News on Wednesday that he could officially announce his campaign as soon as this Sunday. It would not be a moment too soon, as petitioning began last Tuesday for mayoral candidates, who must collect thousands of signatures from registered voters in the city by April 3rd. Cuomo also holds a commanding lead in the polls, with the latest results from Honan Strategy Group putting him at 38%, well ahead of socialist Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani at 12% and Mayor Adams in third at 10%.
That said, Cuomo is likely benefitting from discussion surrounding his candidacy remaining largely covert until now. It remains to be seen if he will be able to withstand renewed scrutiny of his stint as governor, which ended with him resigning in the face of sexual misconduct allegations. Cuomo may also face criticism for his stewardship of the COVID-19 pandemic, with multiple reports indicating that he undercounted New York’s already-high death toll in 2021 to boost his reputation.
