As Cuomo’s Campaign Gains Steam, Survivors Ask: Why Is Everyone Forgetting
Former governor Andrew Cuomo’s candidacy for New York City mayor is holding its momentum in the final stretch to the June democratic primary on June 24.
Despite having resigned in 2021 after 13 women made allegations of sexual harassment against him, the former governor is leading the polls thanks to significant name recognition and healthy campaign funding.
But some don’t share in the enthusiasm for him.
“Cuomo so far has been given no incentive to change the way he acts and so you know, I’m nervous for public servants who want to dedicate their lives to serving the city and what that might look like and what they’d have to endure in a Cuomo administration,” said Erica Vladimer, founder and director of Harassment-Free New York.
Vladimir is watching the return of the powerful governor with unease.
Even though the Department of Justice confirmed the sexual harassment allegations, Cuomo has always denied them, calling them “false, overblown and politically motivated.”
Lindsey Boylan was the first to make a public accusation against Cuomo. She believes the mayoral candidate won’t change his ways if he wins office.
“His abuse of women, his abuse of vulnerable populations writ-large is really a much bigger story about his abuse of power and the two are inherently connected,” Boylan said in an interview with City Newsroom.
But democrats looking for an efficient manager to lead the city don’t seem to mind. Cuomo is currently polling ahead by double digits, with Zohran Mamdani in second place.
On April 14, two labor unions that called for Cuomo’s resignation in 2021—SEIU 32BJ and the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council—decided to endorse him for mayor.
Neither union has directly addressed this shift and they did not respond to requests for an interview.
John Burnett, the executive vice chairman of the New York Republican State Committee, thinks the lack of legal ramifications for Cuomo plays a role in his continued popularity.
“I think a lot of time, people will say, ‘look, unless it actually follows through, all the way to the end, reaching a conviction, or not, this is our opinion in general and I think we are seeing that play out with a couple of the unions that endorsed Cuomo.”
Cuomo is running in a crowded democratic primary that includes City Comptroller Brad Lander and State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. This will be the second time New Yorkers use ranked choice voting in a mayoral race.
Madison Edward-Wright is an investigative journalist from Montreal. For City Newsroom, she covers local politics and takes particular interest in voting rights and government corruption.
