Cuomo Still Mulling Bid for Mayor, as His Allies Prepare a Super PAC

By: Benyamin Davidsons

Andrew M. Cuomo, former governor of New York, is still carefully considering entering the Democratic primary on June 24th for the position of NYC Mayor. As reported by the NY Times, while he has yet to make his decision, his allied are working on laying the foundation, by quietly setting up a new super PAC. The super PAC is planned for fundraising in the campaign should Cuomo chose to make a last-minute entry into the race for mayor. The effort is being guided by one of Cuomo’s most loyal advisers, Steven M. Cohen, per sources for the Times.

Cohen, Cuomo’s former top aide, joining the effort is a strong indication that Cuomo may actually take the plunge. Others who reportedly may have been involved in the planning included Long Island financier Anthony Scaramucci and Cuomo ally, Charlie King. The emails, obtained by the Times, which further point to the formation of a super PAC, discuss potential names for the committee— included “Fix NYC,” “Bring Back NYC,” “Reform Our City” and other variations. These are based on themes which Cuomo has discussed in recent public interviews and his opinion articles.

Super PACs, also known as independent expenditure committees, are different in that they are allowed to raise and spend unlimited sums of money from individual wealthy donors. The condition is that they do not coordinate with the declared candidates. A Super PAC played a key role helping Mayor Eric Adams win the election in 2021. There is still no indication that a super PAC by Cuomo’s allies has started soliciting pledges from donors, only that it is being formed.

Mr. Cuomo’s long-standing relationship with real estate developers and other deep-pocketed donors, would however position him to potentially raise millions, beyond his potential rivals. Also, Cuomo has other funds from his time as governor that he could draw on for a campaign. His state account reported having $8 million in cash in January, though he may not be able to transfer much of it to a mayoral campaign, per the Times.

Mr. Cuomo, 67, resigned as governor in 2021 following multiple sexual harassment allegations, as well as a probe into an alleged coverup of the number of nursing home deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has expressed his innocence in face of the allegations. In the meantime, Mayor Adams is facing a federal corruption trial, scheduled for April, and polls show his popularity has been dwindling. Still, the Justice Department may potentially opt to drop the charges against Mr. Adams in the coming weeks, which could take a tremendous load off Adams.

Besides for the incumbent, there are a half-dozen other well-known Democratic candidates vying for the seat—including current NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, former Comptroller Scott Stringer, state Sen. Jessica Ramos, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, and state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. Some of them have already started targeting Cuomo in ads, assuming that he is a potential candidate.

If Mr. Cuomo does enter the race, he must do so in time to raise money and collect the necessary petitions before the due date on April 3.

Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Mr. Cuomo, declined the Times’s request for comment on this article. In recent weeks, he has repeatedly said that Mr. Cuomo has yet to make a final decision about entering the mayoral race.