Andrew Cuomo, who resigned four years ago as New York governor under a cloud of scandal, has declared he is running for mayor of New York City.
“Our city is in crisis,” Cuomo posted in a 17-minute video on X. “That’s why I am running to be Mayor of New York City. We need government to work. We need effective leadership.”
The announcement heralds a potential political comeback in this November’s election for the Democrat after he quit in 2021 amid a barrage of sexual assault allegations.
It comes as America’s most populous city is in a state of political turmoil as current Mayor Eric Adams denies claims he struck a deal to help the Trump administration with migrant raids in exchange for dropping a federal corruption case against him.
The former governor joins an already crowded contest, which includes lawmakers, young newcomers and Mayor Adams himself, though it is Cuomo who has the most name recognition.
The three-term governor resigned after an investigation found he had sexually harassed 11 women, including state employees.
The state-led inquiry determined he had made sexual comments, inappropriately touched or groped the women and kissed them without consent.
At the time, President Joe Biden led calls from Democrats for the embattled Cuomo to step down, and state lawmakers raised the prospect of impeachment.
When the governor left office, he denied harassing anyone, but said he wanted to “deeply, deeply” apologise to any women who might have been offended by his actions.
Cuomo’s stunning downfall happened a year after he basked in the adulation of millions of Americans who had tuned in daily to his no-nonsense televised briefings on the coronavirus pandemic.
Polling done by New York media in recent weeks shows that Cuomo was predicted to swiftly become the front-runner if he entered the race.
Days before the campaign was launched, Cuomo received the surprise backing of Bronx Congressman Ritchie Torres.
“Andrew Cuomo has the competence to govern the city. He has the courage to stand up to extremist politics — both from the far left and far right,” he told the New York Post.
“We don’t need a Mr Nice Guy. We need a Mr Tough Guy.”
Cuomo’s supporters have also launched a political action committee (PAC) called Fix the City, which states it aims to raise $15m for his campaign war chest.
One of Cuomo’s former aides who accused him of sexual harassment told the Post on Saturday that she fears that women’s rights will suffer if he wins election.
“New York City may elect a mayor who has been rightfully accused of sexual misconduct by several young women who worked for him in up-close positions,” said Karen Hinton.
“As a movement, we women haven’t done enough to toughen laws to protect women from such immoral, unethical, and what should be illegal behaviour by men in positions of power, such as Cuomo.”
Voting for the Democratic primary will begin on 14 June and will end on 24 June. The winner is expected to defeat any Republican challenger during the 4 November general election and become the city’s next mayor.
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Adams has chosen to remain the race, even while facing federal fraud, bribery and other charges.
The Trump administration is seeking to dismiss the charges, arguing that the charges have damaged the mayor’s ability to aid the president’s agenda and were politically motivated.
The attempt caused Manhattan’s lead prosecutor and six other high-level federal prosecutors in New York to resign in protest, saying there was no legal justification for the White House directive to end the prosecution.
Meanwhile, the judge in the case has cancelled the upcoming trial in April as he works to decide whether the case should be dropped or not.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who took over for Cuomo after he resigned, said last month that she was declining to use her authority to replace Adams, at least for now, and would instead move to limit his authority.
Adams has denied making a “quid pro quo” with Trump’s office to help in the removal of illegal migrants, last month calling the assertion “silly”.
Adams was indicted last year for allegedly accepting gifts totalling more than $100,000 (£75,000) from Turkish citizens in exchange for favours. He denies the charges.
His office has been plagued by staff departures and scandals, even prior to the charges being announced against him. A number of figures in his orbit have also been charged as part of the investigation.