What to know about Andrew Cuomo

NEW YORK (AP) — From the moment he resigned as New York's governor, people have speculated that it was only a matter of time before Andrew Cuomo would try to barge his way back into politics.

That day came Saturday, when the Democrat announced he was running for mayor of New York City.

Now, the big question is whether voters want him back.

In his campaign announcement video Saturday and a speech Sunday, Cuomo sought to portray New York as a city in crisis. He cast himself as a tough manager who can tackle problems like homelessness and sky-high housing costs.

Yet his entry into the race prompted immediate condemnation from some who said he doesn't deserve a second chance.

Here's a look at how we got here:

Why Cuomo resigned

Cuomo quit the governor's office in August 2021 when it looked certain he would be impeached.

A report commissioned by the state’s attorney general concluded that Cuomo sexually harassed at least 11 women. Some had complained about unwanted touches, flirting, kisses and suggestive comments about their sex lives or appearance.

One aide filed a criminal complaint, saying Cuomo groped her breast. The Albany district attorney declined to prosecute, saying there wasn’t enough proof.

Many top Democrats pushed Cuomo to quit, including then-President Joe Biden, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the state’s two U.S. senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

Cuomo apologized for some of his conduct, saying he didn’t realize it made people uncomfortable, but he denied the most serious allegations, particularly the alleged sexual assault.

What do Cuomo's accusers think of his comeback?

The first woman to publicly accuse Cuomo of harassment, Lindsey Boylan, wrote in an essay in Vanity Fair that letting him return to public office would be a mistake.

He has not changed, she wrote, citing among other things a “scorched earth” campaign to blacken the reputations of his accusers.

“Although some pundits have been insisting that enough time has passed — and that certain men who have fallen from power should be allowed to regain it — that stance is misguided because men like Cuomo never really lose power," she wrote. “They maintain their positions because people who are very powerful themselves are still afraid of them — a dynamic that speaks to our political moment.”

What does Cuomo say?

In his initial public remarks, he only addressed the sexual harassment matter indirectly.

“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 in his announcement video.

“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.”

Previously, he has blamed “cancel culture” for his ouster.

What did he get done as governor?

Cuomo pushed through legalization of same-sex marriage in New York in 2011.

His administration overhauled terminals at LaGuardia Airport, created a new train hall at Pennsylvania Station and replaced a key Hudson River crossing, the Tappan Zee bridge.

He signed laws that raised the minimum wage to $15, instituted paid family leave for workers and oversaw rebuilding programs after Hurricane Sandy caused catastrophic damage on the state's coast.

The Democrat's administration also created an economic revitalization program that poured $1 billion into the Buffalo metropolitan area, including deep subsidies to a factory now operated by Tesla.

That program wound up spawning a corruption scandal that led to several Cuomo allies and one of his closest political advisers getting indicted, though the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately overturned they key convictions.

What about COVID-19?

Cuomo gained national prominence when the pandemic began killing thousands of people in New York in 2020. His daily briefings on the pandemic were watched by Americans far beyond New York.

He imposed some of the nation's strictest social-distancing rules and shutdowns and then set up vaccination sites across the state when shots became available.

But Cuomo has been criticized for his pandemic response, too. The administration substantially understated deaths in nursing homes as part of an effort to deflect criticism of a policy, early in the pandemic, that barred the homes from refusing to readmit COVID-19 patients discharged from hospitals. It remains unclear whether that short-lived policy had an impact on deaths.

Why come back now?

Cuomo has a unique opportunity in New York City's mayoral contest.

The incumbent mayor, Democrat Eric Adams, was indicted on federal corruption charges last year. Prosecutors said Adams accepted free or discounted travel and illegal campaign contributions from people trying to gain his influence.

Adams' political problems only got deeper after the new leaders of the U.S. Justice Department instructed prosecutors to drop the case so that Adams could assist in President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

That's led to suspicion that Adams is too beholden to Trump, who remains deeply unpopular in the city.

A judge is weighing what to do with the criminal case.

Most of the rest of the candidates in the primary are well to the political left of Adams and Cuomo.

Unless another big-name moderate candidate emerges, that might leave voters having to pick between liberals whose views they might not share and two scandal-scarred Democratic heavyweights.

Cuomo is betting he'll come out on top.