Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo continued to lay groundwork for an official run in the New York City mayoral race with a number of campaign-style antics over the weekend. The development came after sources told the New York Post in September that Cuomo was in talks with New York City power brokers concerning the run.
Cuomo, who was forced to resign after sexual harassment scandals and another scandal involving nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, posted to X on Friday a video of him speaking to senior citizens on Valentine's Day.
"We know how to protect you, and we will," Cuomo said in the video, which played over riveting campaign-style background music.
On Saturday, Cuomo posted a response, thanking an elder statesman, Carl McCall, for his open letter urging him to "run for Mayor of the City of New York."
In his letter, McCall, 89, a former New York state comptroller and Cuomo's first political opponent in a 2002 bid for governor, did all but mention New York City Mayor Eric Adams by name but stated that the next mayor needs to "demonstrate a powerful counterbalance to President [Donald] Trump."
"The people of New York," he added, "cannot be represented by someone whose loyalty to the city is compromised."
Meanwhile, Adams, who had grown into an outspoken critic of the Biden administration's de facto open immigration policy, had the bribery charges against him dropped this week by the Trump Justice Department. Adams has accused the Biden Department of Justice of weaponizing the legal system against him for his criticism of the administration's immigration policy.
"Despite our pleas, when the federal government did nothing as its broken immigration policies overloaded our shelter system with no relief, I put the people of New York before party and politics," Adams said. "I always knew that if I stood my ground for all of you, that I would be a target — and a target I became."
The prospective race between Cuomo and Adams sets the stage for a contentious election in November, with both Adams and Cuomo angling for support among New York City's Black constituency. According to The New York Times, Adams held a lengthy phone call with New York's first Black governor, David A. Paterson, whom he told he was "all in" and "hopes Andrew is ready for a tough campaign because he is."
The Times also noted that Cuomo appears to be trying to "peel away Mr. Adams' Black base of support," but he would need to tread carefully to not spark "backlash."
With the April 3 deadline for ballot petitions looming, Cuomo has yet to formally declare his candidacy, but sources close to him indicate an announcement could come soon.
Nick Koutsobinas ✉
Nick Koutsobinas, a Newsmax writer, has years of news reporting experience. A graduate from Missouri State University’s philosophy program, he focuses on exposing corruption and censorship.
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