Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo jumps into race for New York City mayor

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that he is running for mayor of New York City, mounting a political comeback in the process.

Mr. Cuomo threw his name into the mix in a 17-minute video posted on Saturday where he pitched himself as a change agent and contended that New York City was “in trouble” over images of homeless people on city streets and the city’s subways.

“Our city is in crisis,” Mr. Cuomo said on X. “That’s why I am running to be Mayor of New York City. We need government to work. We need effective leadership.” 

His reentrance to the political arena follows his decision to resign as governor in 2021 amid a scandal where at least 11 women accused him of sexual harassment. Mr. Cuomo has vehemently denied the allegations. 

Still, an investigation led by New York state Attorney General Letitia James found Mr. Cuomo had “engaged in conduct constituting sexual harassment under federal and New York State law.”

His resignation paved the way for his then-Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul to take his post. Ms. Hochul went on to win her gubernatorial bid in 2022. 

Mr. Cuomo also came under fire for allegations that his administration had drastically understated the death toll during the COVID-19 pandemic in nursing homes. At the start of the pandemic, Mr. Cuomo ordered nursing homes to readmit patients recovering from the virus in an effort to lessen the burden on hospitals. 

During a scathing hearing before the  House Oversight and Accountability Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, Mr. Cuomo stood by his decision. 

“Every night, we got a census from the nursing homes, total nursing home deaths, total hospital deaths,” he said at the time. “The numbers were less than certain, and they were highly problematic, because you were calling up a nursing home and basically asking them to do a forensic audit in the middle of a pandemic.”

Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, will run against incumbent Mayor Eric Adams in an already crowded contest to run the city in a ranked-choice primary contest set for June 24. Mr. Adams is also no stranger to controversy. 

He pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment that accused him of accepting luxury gifts from Turkish officials in exchange for greasing the wheels for a new Turkish consulate to be opened in Manhattan. 

Last month, the Justice Department moved to drop the charges against Mr. Adams.