Cuomo finds few allies in Albany
ALBANY, N.Y. – In Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s memoir in 2014, he talked about the first time his family moved to the Governor’s Mansion in Albany in 1982 when his father took office.
There, he passed outgoing Gov. Hugh Carey carrying two boxes out of the mansion with no one to help him.
“I thought to myself, ‘Boy when it’s over, it’s over,’ and never allowed myself to forget that lesson,” Cuomo wrote.
It’s a lesson Cuomo, after more than 10 years in the governor’s office, might be reminding himself of as he faces the most perilous juncture of his 40-year career in New York politics.
For all his political savvy and decades of experience, Cuomo is finding few allies amid threats of impeachment if he doesn’t resign after a report Tuesday by Attorney General Letitia James found he sexually harassed 11 women, mainly former aides.
President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who have been Cuomo’s supporters for decades and appeared at his side regularly, called Tuesday for him to resign.
Some backers who tried to stay clear of making any pronouncements about Cuomo’s fate before James’ report came out said Cuomo should go.
“We commend the brave women who came forward and spoke truth to power. The time has come for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to do the right thing for the people of New York State and resign,” read a statement from Reps. Thomas Suozzi, Hakeem Jeffries and Gregory Meeks.
Neighboring Democratic governors, whom Cuomo worked with during the COVID-19 pandemic, said he should resign.
Now what?
Cuomo has given no public indication that he’s willing to resign and fade away like his last elected predecessor, Eliot Spitzer, did in 2008 amid a prostitution scandal.
Cuomo issued a 14-minute video statement defending himself Tuesday and an 85-page rebuttal from his private attorney saying the governor’s work is not done. His term runs through 2022, and he hadn’t ruled out a run for a fourth term.
“My father used to say, God rest his soul, that politics is an ugly business. As usual, he was right,” Cuomo, 63, said. “But for my father and for me, it’s worth it, because despite it all, at the end of the day, we get good things done for people. And that is what really matters.”
Cuomo has long prided himself on being a fighter and battling back from adversity. His memoir was titled “All Things Possible: Setbacks and Success in Politics and Life.”
Don’t expect Cuomo to go quietly, if at all, said Hank Sheinkopf, a veteran Democratic strategist who worked for Cuomo and his father, Mario, the threeterm governor.
“What’s his next move? Andrew Cuomo will likely try to tough this out as long as he can,” Sheinkopf said. “He’s trying to determine how he should be aggressive or whether he should be aggressive. But he doesn’t want to leave, and he doesn’t want to leave in defeat.”
State lawmakers made it clear Tuesday they would move forward with articles of impeachment if Cuomo doesn’t resign, calling his actions unacceptable.
Such a prolonged scenario would not be good for Democrats, who head into an election year in 2022 when all statewide offices, congressional seats and state legislative races are on the ballot.
“The problem for the Democrats is that they better find a way to negotiate him out if he’s going to leave,” Sheinkopf said, predicting a belabored public fight would help Republicans, particularly Long Island Rep. Lee Zeldin, the likely GOP nominee for governor.