New York Republicans on Tuesday introduced a resolution to impeach Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but without Democratic support, it’s unlikely to succeed.
Of the 150 members in the state Assembly, only 40 have expressed support for impeachment, and 32 of them are Republicans, who are in the minority. Three Democratic state senators have also backed impeachment. Two of them, Jabari Brisport and Julia Salazar, identify with the state Democratic Party’s insurgent left wing.
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Among the rest of Democrats, there is little energy for impeaching Cuomo, a move that would require the state party to turn on the man who has led it for more than a decade. At the same time, an increasing number of state lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats alike, are calling for his resignation, which Cuomo has repeatedly refused to do.
Republican Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay on Monday announced his intention to impeach Cuomo, saying that there has been “one bombshell after another” and the governor can no longer effectively lead. Cuomo, since last year, has become embroiled in an ever-growing scandal related to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as six sexual harassment allegations.
Michael Fraser, Barclay’s director of communications, told the Washington Examiner that Republicans recognize that it will be a challenge to score Democratic votes for impeachment. But as Cuomo’s scandals worsen, they hope that the dramatic shift in state power dynamics will work against Cuomo. In the past week, Cuomo's party has sought to rein him in, with a Democratic-led coalition stripping the governor of his pandemic powers.
“With every new truth exposed about the nursing home cover-up and with every harassment accuser who comes forward, it becomes more apparent that the Legislature must assert its authority,” Fraser said of impeachment, adding, “the question is: How long will it take more Democrats to accept that reality?”
Democrats currently hold 101 seats in the state Assembly. To impeach Cuomo, Republicans must convince more than a third of them to vote in favor. The likelihood of that happening is a long shot, but as the story continues to develop, some Democrats think there is a possibility it could occur.
Democrat Phil Steck on Monday told CBS that it’s too early to tell if his party will shut down a Republican push for impeachment.
“If you asked me a week ago, I would have told you that I didn’t think leadership had the appetite to call on him to resign,” Steck said after Republicans announced their intention to impeach Cuomo. “If you call on him to resign, and he doesn’t, it seems like that’s the only alternative available.”
Internal polling from the Republican State Leadership Committee found that in early March, 65% of respondents in 14 districts represented by Democrats “would be less likely to support a Democrat legislator if they learned they were standing by Governor Cuomo.”
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The RSLC recommended that state Republicans capitalize on lackluster Democratic enthusiasm for impeachment in the next election cycle.
“Even if all of these state Democrats attempt to distance themselves from the governor and call for his resignation, the data makes clear that it may not be enough,” the group wrote. “Running on the same ticket as Cuomo in 2022 could be catastrophic in itself, and Republicans should look to capitalize.”
