It WILL be a effort to remake his image….
It ain’t gonna be easy….
Cuomo’s comeback is no accident — it’s the result of four years of steadfast campaigning behind the scenes to rebrand his image. Now, a roster of New York power players is throwing its weight behind his campaign, propelling him back into the political limelight.
A POLITICO review of Cuomo’s touted endorsers found that few of those top backers stood by him in 2021. As of Monday afternoon, his website featured a growing list of endorsements from unions, a wide range of community leaders and organizations and 42 current and former elected officials. Of those 42 politicians, 18 had criticized him four years ago — and many who did not simply weren’t holding office at the time and weren’t releasing public statements.
Just six endorsers were both in office four years ago and did not publicly criticize him at that time.
“At the time, there were accusations flying around, but not a lot of facts. Four years later, the facts have all come out,” Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said when asked why former critics are now supporting him. Five prosecutors who looked into the sexual harassment allegations opted against bringing criminal charges against Cuomo.
Today, Cuomo’s endorsers laud his experience and long career as a politician. But many of them had pushed to bring that very career to an end just four years ago….
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On March 1, Cuomo officially launched his bid for mayor of New York City in a 17-minute video. He acknowledged making “mistakes” as governor, without getting into specifics.
One by one, his former critics began to sing his praises. Soon, dozens joined the chorus of voices supporting him….
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When they backed Cuomo’s campaign, most endorsers didn’t acknowledge the fact that he had resigned under pressure four years earlier. Those that did made only vague references to the scandals….
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Cuomo has said the sexual harassment allegations against him were political in nature and that people were caught up in the moment. But the #MeToo movement has lost momentum since 2021. And Cuomo, who has steadfastly maintained his innocence, has emphasized that he was never found guilty — or even charged….
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There’s also the Mamdani factor.
The 33-year-old democratic socialist’s campaign has surged in popularity, and he’s a serious contender for the primary. Many Cuomo supporters have made clear that they don’t trust the leftist upstart to lead the city and that the ex-governor is the only candidate strong enough to defeat him.
Even The New York Times Editorial Board, which called on Cuomo to resign in 2021, seemed to reluctantly advise voters that Cuomo “would be better for New York’s future than Mr. Mamdani.”….
image…MSNBC