Former New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced his candidacy for New York City mayor on Saturday.
In a video address, Cuomo emphasized that his many years of public service, including during the pandemic, make him the right political leader to help guide a stressed city back to prosperity.
"You feel it when you walk down the street and try not to make eye contact with a mentally ill homeless person or when the anxiety rises up in your chest as you’re walking down into the subway. You see it in the empty storefronts, the graffiti, the grime, the migrant influx, the random violence…the city just feels threatening, out of control, and in crisis," he said. "These conditions exist not as an act of God but rather as an act of our political leaders – or more precisely – the lack of intelligent action by many of our political leaders. But New Yorkers know the simple answer of what to do when there’s a crisis: You lead, you act, you do."
Despite his late entry, Cuomo is currently the front-runner, according to several recent polls. About 38% of recently surveyed voters liked Cuomo, followed by Zohran Mamdani with 12% and current mayor Eric Adams at 10%, according to a poll released on Tuesday by Honan Strategy Group.
Cuomo, who resigned as governor in August 2021 after he was found to have sexually harassed nearly a dozen women while in office, said he has made some mistakes.
"Did I always do everything right in my years of government service? Of course not. Would I do some things differently knowing what I know now —certainly. 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 everyday," he said.
Cuomo said he supports growing the police force, building a safer subway system, bringing order to the e-bike system, building additional affordable housing, adding additional job training programs and leading the fight against anti-Semitism.
He also said he is open to working with President Donald Trump: "I have worked with President Trump in many different situations and I hope President Trump remembers his hometown, and works with us to make it better," Cuomo said.
