Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is now “in striking distance to win the Democratic primary” for governor, his campaign arm touted Tuesday, signaling a run may be in his future.
Cuomo, who has been teasing a return to elected office ever since his unceremonious August 2021 ouster, is rebounding in surveys among New York voters, with two recent studies showing him polling nearly within the margin of error that separates him from Gov. Kathy Hochul — and Cuomo’s allies are urging supporters to take note.
“Did you hear? In the last few weeks two public polls put Governor Cuomo in striking distance to win the Democratic primary if he chose to run,” a Tuesday email from the Cuomo Team said, telling supporters to “stay tuned.”
Rich Azzopardi, a Cuomo spokesman, emphasized the quick jump in the polling, noting Cuomo’s upward turn followed only two recent public appearances since his departure from office.
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“There are now two polls showing similar results in the last few weeks, and with today’s Siena survey, Governor Cuomo’s support effectively doubled in a few months — demonstrating that when New Yorkers have the facts, they realize the politicalization and the corruption of the process that was used to force from office a governor with a real record of results that improved people’s lives,” he said.
A Siena College poll of 804 registered voters in New York, conducted between March 20 and March 24 and with a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points, indicated Cuomo had the backing of 30% of respondents as compared with the 38% who preferred Hochul. Those results follow a strong showing earlier this month indicating the two were in a statistical dead tie, a marked shift from Cuomo’s poor polling performance last year.
While Hochul, who served as Cuomo’s lieutenant governor before being elevated to the top executive spot last August, has consolidated institutional and financial support around her bid for a full term, which was solidified when she earned the backing of the New York Democratic Party’s state convention on Feb. 17, Cuomo’s high name recognition may prove an invaluable asset should he mount a primary challenge.
The former governor, who has denied all allegations of wrongdoing against him, has been indicating a desire to make a comeback in recent months. He released an ad blitz last month, putting the prosecutors who contemplated but ultimately dropped criminal charges against him on notice. When watchdogs lamented his use of an operational campaign arm to fund these ads, the New York Board of Elections ruled that Cuomo’s conduct “fits the definition of a candidate.”
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Cuomo resigned the governorship on Aug. 24, 2021, just weeks after Attorney General Letitia James released a bombshell report reviewing 11 women’s claims of sexual misconduct against the then-governor. All district attorneys who considered pressing charges against him decided not to pursue criminal cases, a series of developments Cuomo has touted as vindication as he returns to the public eye.
“I’ve learned a powerful lesson and paid a very high price for learning that lesson,” Cuomo teased earlier this month in his first public remarks since departing office. “God isn’t finished with me yet.”
