Does Cuomo Actually Want To Be Mayor?

© Tania Savayan/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

(New York, NY) – Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has talked the talk and looked the part while running for mayor of New York City. He’s touted his Queens roots and talked about fighting crime. He wants to raise the city’s minimum wage to $20 per hour, and most polls have him leading in the race for the Democratic nominee.

So why would there be a suggestion that Cuomo isn’t serious about City Hall? A source tells the New York Post that running for mayor is more of a stepping stone. That source tells the paper Cuomo actually intends to run for president in 2028.

Hank Sheinkopf — a political consultant — spoke to the Post and said while that may be part of Cuomo’s plan, he’s not convinced it will work. “He’s always been ambitious so it wouldn’t surprise me,” Sheinkopf asserted. “But what mayor of New York has ever been elected president of the United States?”

That’s a fair point. It didn’t help John Lindsey much. Rudy Giuliani’s presidential bids never got any serious traction. Bill de Blasio’s candidacy barely even got off the starting line before being mothballed.

And yet, Cuomo is a different political figure. During the COVID-19 pandemic, and his rise in national stardom (with love from the Cuomosexuals) people floated Cuomo as a potential presidential candidate.

In responding to the Post’s story, Cuomo rep Rich Azzopardi denied his client is anything other than focused on winning the mayoralty. “Andrew Cuomo is fully focused on the mayor’s race and getting the city he loves back on the right track after 12 years of mismanagement. There’s much work to be done and New Yorkers know he has the experience and the record of results to do it.” Azzopardi also heaped praise on Cuomo’s time as governor: “(He) enacted universal full-day pre-K without an unnecessary new tax and was the first governor to sign a $15 minimum wage law that included a tax credit to help small businesses — others talk about it, but Andrew Cuomo got them done as governor and as mayor he will build upon these foundations.”

Scott Stringer, the former New York City Comptroller who is once again running for mayor, took the chance to criticize Cuomo. “It’s sad that people think he’s running for president, because nobody really thinks he wants to, or should, be mayor,” was a statement offered by Stringer’s campaign this week.