Andrew Cuomo’s Campaign Was a Betrayal

Does facing credible sexual-harassment allegations disqualify a Democratic candidate from office? For the New York City voters who had the chance to render their judgment on Andrew Cuomo’s attempt at political redemption on Tuesday, the answer appears to be a resounding “yes.”

After a contentious campaign, the disgraced former governor conceded the city’s Democratic mayoral primary to Zohran Mamdani in one of the biggest political upsets in recent American history. Cuomo is not totally out of the race yet, however, as his team has said that he is still weighing whether to run as an independent candidate in November’s general election.

But Cuomo’s campaign to return to power shouldn’t have happened in the first place. He resigned from office in August 2021 after finding himself on the brink of impeachment, following a state investigation that found he had sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo’s misconduct included “unwelcome and nonconsensual touching,” such as butt grabbing and out-of-the-blue kisses, as well as making sexually “suggestive” comments to subordinates and generally creating a “hostile work environment for women,” according to state investigators. Last year, a settlement agreement between the New York State Executive Chamber and the U.S. Department of Justice stated that Cuomo had sexually harassed at least 13 former and current state employees while in power, with his senior staff ignoring his conduct and retaliating against some of his accusers. While in his resignation speech, Cuomo claimed to “accept full responsibility for my actions,” he has since denied the allegations against him. Throughout his mayoral campaign, he dismissed the findings of the investigations into his conduct as politically motivated.

Neither these findings nor Cuomo’s lack of contrition seems to have mattered to the many local, state, and national Democratic leaders who endorsed his mayoral bid. (And that’s without considering Cuomo’s ruthless bullying of anyone who dared cross him, or any of the corruption and mismanagement claims against him.) Heavyweights like former president Bill Clinton and Representative Jim Clyburn of South Carolina legitimized Cuomo’s campaign with last-minute endorsements. Four other Democratic congressmen from New York — Adriano Espaillat, George Latimer, Tom Suozzi, and Ritchie Torres — also supported the former governor. Fellow mayoral candidate Jessica Ramos — a progressive lawmaker who, in just the last three months, called Cuomo “a corrupt bully with a record of sexual misconduct” and “the Democratic Party’s Trump,” did a stunning about-face in early June, cynically endorsing him in order to dig at other left-leaning candidates in the race. (Cuomo didn’t endorse her back.) Even former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg backed Cuomo, pouring millions into the race.

That any current or former Democratic leader would support Cuomo after state and federal investigations detailed evidence of his alleged sexual misconduct — after he spent nearly $20 million in taxpayer money to drag his accusers into a lengthy legal battle, after he requested those accusers’ gynecological records and other private information, and after he threatened to expose the identity of one of them who is protected by a confidentiality order — was a shameful display of political opportunism. It was also a betrayal of a constituency the party claims to champion. Democrats have purported to support victims of sexual misconduct and violence, casting themselves as having the moral high ground over a Republican Party that has gladly elevated alleged abusers. But the Democratic officials who supported Cuomo’s bid have shown they’re willing to sell out survivors in order to prevent a new generation of leaders from emerging.

Thankfully, voters saw through the charade on Tuesday, choosing the vision of a brighter future that Mamdani offered them over returning an accused serial sexual harasser to the cusp of power over America’s largest city. Good riddance.