Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned amid numerous sexual harassment allegations in 2021, is running for New York City mayor.
The former governor made the announcement Saturday in a video on X, ending weeks of speculation.
“Our city is in crisis. That’s why I am running to be Mayor of New York City. We need government to work. We need effective leadership,” he said.
Cuomo, a Democrat, will run against incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and other candidates in the June 24 primary, in a ranked choice vote ballot.
The conclusion of Cuomo’s governorship was mired in scandal. At least 11 women — some of whom were state employees — accused him of sexual harassment, including several alleged instances of suggestive comments and unwanted touching.
A probe by New York state Attorney General Letitia James found Cuomo had “engaged in conduct constituting sexual harassment under federal and New York State law.”
His behavior “created a hostile work environment for women,” the probe found, and in at least one case, he was found to have retaliated against one of his accusers.
Cuomo defended himself in the scandal’s aftermath, denying any wrongdoing even upon his resignation.
“I want you to know directly from me that I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances. That’s not who I am,” he said in a televised address in response to James’ report.
Even so, Cuomo acknowledged “that there are generational or cultural perspectives that frankly I hadn’t fully appreciated,” saying he had “learned from this.”
In addition to the harassment scandal, Cuomo also came under scrutiny for allegations his administration concealed damaging information about nursing home deaths during the pandemic.
Cuomo was grilled on allegedly underreporting COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes during a GOP-led House committee hearing in September 2024. Cuomo largely stood by his decision-making during the pandemic — including a March 2020 directive to readmit COVID-19 patients back into nursing homes — and blamed the outsized death toll on what he described as then-President Donald Trump’s lack of leadership.
“Every night, we got a census from the nursing homes, total nursing home deaths, total hospital deaths,” Cuomo said during the combative hearing. “The numbers were less than certain, and they were highly problematic, because you were calling up a nursing home and basically asking them to do a forensic audit in the middle of a pandemic.”
Cuomo also testified that he never directed his staff to report the number of nursing home-related fatalities as lower than they actually were.
“No, we said these are the numbers without the out-of-facility death numbers, which we will add when they’re accurate,” Cuomo said in the hearing.
The former governor subtly acknowledged his scandals in his video.
“Did I always do everything right in my years of government service? Of course not. Would I do some things differently knowing what I know now? Certainly. Did I make mistakes, some painfully? Definitely, and I believe I learned from them and that I am a better person for it and I hope to show that every day,” he said.
“But I promise you this, I know what needs to be done and I know how to do it, and I will give it my all to get the job done — and it will get done,” he added.
Cuomo enters a crowded race that includes City Comptroller Brad Lander, state Rep. Zohran Mamdani and state Sens. Jessica Ramos and Zellnor Myrie.
Minutes after Cuomo’s video went live, Lander released a statement slamming the former governor for his past actions.
“Andrew Cuomo is for himself and only himself, and is hoping New Yorkers will forget his disastrous record for our city of endless scandals, destroying the subway, and cutting basic services,” he said.
Former City Comptroller Scott Stringer, whose 2021 mayoral campaign was marred by sexual misconduct allegations, is also running.
Stringer has denied those allegations. He said he did not remember one woman who accused him of unwanted sexual advances, but added, “If I ever did anything to make her uncomfortable, I am sorry.”
Even before officially announcing his mayoral candidacy, Cuomo had begun racking up endorsements.
Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres previously told the New York Post that Cuomo would have his endorsement “as soon as he enters the race.”
“Andrew Cuomo has the competence to govern the city,” Torres told the Post. “He has the courage to stand up to extremist politics — both from the far-left and far-right. We don’t need a Mr. Nice Guy. We need a Mr. Tough Guy.”
In his first union endorsement, sources told Politico the New York City District Council of Carpenters would endorse Cuomo as well.
Cuomo cited several issues affecting New Yorkers that he wanted to tackle as mayor, from homelessness to crime.
“It won’t be easy but I know we can turn the city around and I believe I can help and that is why I announce my candidacy for Mayor of New York City today,” he said in his announcement.
Cuomo also vowed too “fight Washington and Albany to make sure we get our fair share of funding, and to protect the rights and values that New Yorkers hold dear.”
The current mayor, Adams, has himself faced mounting scandal during his time in office. He previously pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment that accused him of accepting years of luxury travel gifts in exchange for, among other things, allegedly persuading the New York City Fire Department to approve the opening of the new Turkish consulate in Manhattan despite the lingering safety concerns of inspectors.
In February, the Justice Department moved to drop the case against Adams, which prompted the resignations of seven federal prosecutors and four deputy mayors.
Despite expressing concerns about Adams’ continued leadership, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declined to remove him as mayor, saying “the will of the voters and the supremacy and sanctity of democratic elections preclude me from any other action.”
“I cannot deny the people of this great city the power to make this decision for themselves,” Hochul said.
ABC News’ Mary Kekatos contributed to this report.
