New York’s attorney general says she’ll seek governorship
Letitia James, the New York attorney general who oversaw the inquiry into sexual harassment claims against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo that ultimately led to his resignation, declared her candidacy for governor late Friday, setting up a history-making, highprofile matchup in the Democratic primary.
She begins the campaign as Gov. Kathy Hochul’s most formidable challenger, and her announcement triggers a start to what may be an extraordinarily competitive primary — a contest set to be shaped by issues of ideology, race and region in a state still battling its way out of the pandemic.
Her announcement comes at a volatile moment in state politics, a day after Cuomo was charged in a sexual misconduct complaint based on the account of one of the women whose claims of sexual harassment were detailed in the attorney general’s report.
That development, James said, validated “the findings in our report,” and to her allies it further cemented the case for her leadership. But it has also added fresh fuel to Cuomo’s suggestion that her investigation was politically motivated, a message that may resonate with some of the voters who still view him favorably.
“I’m running for governor of New York because I have the experience, vision, and courage to take on the powerful on behalf of all New Yorkers,” James wrote on Twitter as she released her announcement video Friday.
James, a veteran Brooklyn politician and the first woman of color to be elected to statewide office in New York, is seeking to become the first Black female governor
in the country; Hochul, who is white, is the state’s first female chief executive and the first governor in more than a century to have deep roots in western New York.
The race may have even broader implications as a key barometer of the direction of the Democratic Party in the Biden era.
Hochul, of the Buffalo area, was once known as a more conservative Democrat, but she has increasingly moved leftward.
James, by turn, has plenty of connections to the relatively moderate Democratic establishment but also has long-standing ties to the left-wing Working Families Party.
It is not yet clear what issues she will use to differentiate herself politically from Hochul, but there is plainly the potential for vigorous clashes over how best to move the state and party forward.
James enters the race with a record that has drawn acclaim from many liberals in the state.
As attorney general, she made headlines for suing the National Rifle Association, investigating President Donald Trump and presiding over the Cuomo inquiry, which was conducted by outside lawyers.
“I’ve sued the Trump administration 76 times, but who’s counting?” she deadpanned in the video.
She appeared to make several allusions to Cuomo. “I’ve held accountable those who mistreat and harass women in the workplace, no matter how powerful the offenders,” she said at one point.
James’ allies believe that she could assemble a powerful coalition that includes Black voters of varying ideological views, a broad swath of left-leaning voters who welcomed her probes of Cuomo, national donors interested in her history-making potential and a base in the most voterich part of the state.
She has deep connections to some labor leaders, too; John Samuelsen, international president of the Transport Workers Union, declared minutes after James’ announcement that she “will be a governor that working New Yorkers can trust.”
Hochul, however, begins the race with her own significant advantages. She has been racing to cement an overwhelming fundraising edge; receptive donors are one of the many benefits of incumbency.
Many New Yorkers approve of the way she has handled the transition from a decade of Cuomo’s iron-fisted reign and appear inclined to give her more time to acclimate to the job — while some Democrats would prefer James to stay as attorney general to see through existing cases, including one involving Trump and his business dealings.
Hochul and James are unlikely to be the only contenders for the nomination, and there is a real possibility of the kind of messy, crowded primary that some party leaders, wary of Democratic infighting, had hoped to avoid.