Cuomo plots path to salvage his job, legacy
Last spring, when the coronavirus outbreak was surging in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s daily briefings became appointment television for many, as he authoritatively ticked through the latest statistics on infections, hospital beds and deaths.
Behind the scenes, Cuomo was often obsessed with another set of numbers: his ratings. He would sometimes quiz aides as soon as he ended a broadcast about which networks carried him live and exactly when they cut away — data they were expected to have at their fingertips.
For an image-obsessed politician who has long devoured almost everything written about him, it was an intoxicating amount of attention as Cuomo transformed almost overnight into a national leader of the Democratic Party and a foil for President Donald Trump. “To the 59 million viewers who shared in these daily briefings,” Cuomo said on his 111th and final daily update, “thank you.”
Less than a year later, Cuomo’s governorship is imperiled, as he faces allegations of groping, sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior made by six women; an independent investigation into those accusations; an impeachment inquiry by state legislators; a federal investigation into his handling of nursing homes during the pandemic; and collapsing support from leaders in his own party.
Yet for all of that, Cuomo is now furiously plotting a path to salvage his job, his legacy and even a potential fourth-term reelection run in 2022, according to Democrats familiar with his thinking. In defiant remarks on Friday, Cuomo accused Democratic leaders of “playing politics” by calling for him to resign and demanded they wait for the “facts” as he impugned the motives of the women who have come forward.
“A lot of people allege a lot of things for a lot of reasons,” Cuomo said, denying he ever sexually harassed anyone.
Be it his self-regard, his disdain for fellow Democrats or his imperious demeanor, Cuomo alienated allies and enemies alike on his way up in politics, and now finds himself sliding from hero-level worship to pariah-like status with the kind of astonishing speed that only the friendless suffer. It is a downfall foretold in a decadelong reign of ruthlessness and governance by brute force, according to interviews with more than two dozen lawmakers, elected officials, current and past Cuomo administration officials, political activists and strategists in the state.
“The problem with Cuomo is no one has ever liked him,” said Richard Ravitch, a former Democratic lieutenant governor. “He’s not a nice person and he doesn’t have any real friends. If you don’t have a base of support and you get into trouble, you’re dead meat.”
New York’s two Democratic senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, have now abandoned him, along with most of the state’s congressional delegation. A majority of the state Legislature, whose members he has long treated dismissively, have called on him to resign, including more than 40 percent of his fellow Democrats.
“I have not met a person yet in New York politics who has a good relationship with Andrew Cuomo,” said state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, a Democrat and outspoken critic of the governor who also once worked in his administration. “And I’m not saying ‘close relationship,’ I’m saying ‘good relationship.’ Even people who are close to him I cannot say in good faith have a good relationship with him.”
As one Cuomo adviser put it, the governor has burned so many bridges that he has left himself with virtually no path forward. Yet those who have been close to Cuomo say they cannot imagine him resigning, not least because it would leave him short of matching the three full terms of his father, Gov. Mario Cuomo, let alone topping him with a fourth by running in 2022.
Even in his current diminished state, Cuomo maintains some formidable political strengths, including a nearly $17 million war chest. His top government aides have been tweeting about his polling numbers and Cuomo believes the impression he made in those virus briefings will outlast any shortterm damage, according to people familiar with his thinking. “New Yorkers know me,” as Cuomo said Friday.
Cuomo’s bullying — a longknown aspect of his style — has been cast by his allies as simply his way of getting things done. He has strong-armed legislators and anyone else who dared cross him in a decadelong run of productivity that included legalizing same-sex marriage, passing stronger gun control measures, raising the minimum wage and beginning numerous major infrastructure projects.
But those tactics are now being seen in a different light, helping create an office culture that could be toxic, particularly for young women.
In the short-term, Cuomo’s fate rests in the state Assembly, where impeachment begins and where he has more of a political foothold; 23 women in that chamber pushed back this past week on calls for his immediate resignation, asking for Attorney General Letitia James to complete her investigation first.
Cuomo is said to see James as his most formidable potential primary challenger should he survive and run again next year. For now, the biggest destabilizing force for Cuomo is the uncertainty of what new allegations each day will bring.