Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been rumored for months to be considering a run for mayor of New York City — and three straight polls suggest voters would easily back him over Mayor Eric Adams and the rest of the Democratic primary field.
Elected three times as governor of the Empire State, Cuomo resigned in 2021 amid a sexual harassment scandal over allegations that he has denied but had dogged him to the point where it made it impossible to lead.
Yet, more than three years after the scandal that brought his governorship to an abrupt end, Cuomo appears to be on the verge of a remarkable political comeback as Mayor Adams faces sagging popularity, scandals, and a federal criminal indictment.
The former governor — a “Queens boy” who grew up in South Jamaica and graduated from Archbishop Molloy High School in Briarwood — relocated his official residence to Manhattan in recent months, fueling rumors that he might have his sights set on City Hall.
Even though he has yet to officially declare his intentions, three recently released polls among registered Democratic voters likely to participate in the June primary have Cuomo far ahead of Adams and every other declared candidate for mayor. A Honan Strategy Group poll released on Feb. 3, which simulated the ranked-choice vote, found that Cuomo would win with 58% support of voters on the sixth ballot.
During his governorship, Cuomo championed progressive causes popular among New York City voters, such as minimum wage increases, codifying same-sex marriage and reproductive rights, paid family leave, and laws to combat gun violence.
On the flip side, the governor also drew outrage from the public over the sexual harassment scandal involving several aides and his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically outbreaks in assisted living facilities for which Cuomo opponents blamed him for deadly outbreaks.
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