Andrew Cuomo campaigns for New York’s redemption – and his own

In New York, Andrew Cuomo’s comeback after resigning in disgrace could end up taking less than four years – with a scandal-plagued incumbent mayor, a disorganized left wing and a feeling that the city is on the brink paving the way.

In New York, Andrew Cuomo’s comeback after resigning in disgrace could end up taking less than four years – with a scandal-plagued incumbent mayor, a disorganized left wing and a feeling that the city is on the brink paving the way. It’s the latest saga in the long-running soap opera of New York politics. On the heels of a presidential resurgence from another brash guy from Queens and a Democratic Party with a loud socialist streak, Cuomo sees himself as the man for the moment as he campaigns to be the next mayor of New York City, even if that required moving into his daughter’s apartment to be eligible to run. In public, Cuomo has kept mostly quiet, limiting himself mostly to surprise appearances where he stays a few minutes and disappears before he gets protested or takes any questions from reporters. In private, according to several who know him, he has been brooding about the investigation he is facing from President Donald Trump’s Justice Department, orchestrating efforts to undermine his opponents and stressing over what positions to adopt to be taken more seriously as a progressive himself. He has been leaning on a sense of inevitability to press more potential supporters to get on board and leave others with the impression that he will remember those who don’t, delighting in opponents who, struggling for momentum, haven’t found an effective way to attack him. With three weeks to go before the Democratic primary, Cuomo’s pitch has centered on how well he managed the state government – though not a single statewide official or previous city mayor whose terms overlapped with his would say they agreed with him when asked by CNN. He has not apologized or much addressed the series of sexual misconduct accusations that forced his resignation or the more than 12,000 deaths in nursing homes as he ran the state’s Covid-19 response – yet few voters are saying they care much, or even remember, according to focus groups conducted by opposition campaigns. He never talks about redemption, though he has been chasing that since almost the moment he finished his resignation speech in August 2021.