Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Cuomo (Democratic Party) was the Governor of New York. He assumed office on January 1, 2011. He left office on August 24, 2021.
Cuomo (Democratic Party, Working Families Party, Independence Party, Women's Equality Party) ran for re-election for Governor of New York. He won in the general election on November 6, 2018. He advanced from the Democratic primary on September 13, 2018.
To learn more about the series of events between December 2020 and August 2021 that led to Cuomo's resignation, click here.
Cuomo was re-elected to a second term in 2014 and a third term in 2018. He ran on a joint ticket with the lieutenant gubernatorial nominee, Kathy Hochul (D). Cuomo also ran in the 2018 election on the Independence Party, Women's Equality Party, and Working Families Party tickets. He was the 56th governor of New York.
Cuomo faced no opposition for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2010. In 2014 and 2018, he faced challenges from candidates who cast themselves as progressive alternatives. Zephyr Teachout challenged him for the Democratic nomination in 2014, and Cynthia Nixon challenged him in 2018. Cuomo won around two-thirds of the vote against each challenger.
Prior to being elected governor of New York, Cuomo was the state's attorney general from 2007 to 2010. He also served in the cabinet of President Bill Clinton (D) as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1997 to 2001.
Biography
Cuomo was born on December 6, 1957, in Queens, New York. The son of former Governor Mario Cuomo (D), he graduated from Archbishop Molloy High School, Fordham University, and Albany Law School. Cuomo was his father's campaign manager. He headed his father's transition committee and served as an advisor during the senior Cuomo's governorship.
Cuomo worked as a New York assistant district attorney and for the law firm of Blutrich, Falcone & Miller between 1984 and 1986, when he founded the Housing Enterprise for the Less Privileged (HELP). Before becoming governor, Cuomo worked at the federal level, serving as assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from 1993 to 1997 and as secretary of HUD from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton (D). Returning to the state level, Cuomo served as New York attorney general from 2007 to 2010.[1][2]
Political career
Governor of New York (2011-2021)
Andrew Cuomo was elected governor of New York in 2010 and assumed office on January 1, 2011. He won re-election in 2014 and 2018. He resigned on August 23, 2021.[3]
New York State Attorney General (2007-2010)
Cuomo served as attorney general of New York from 2007 to 2010.
U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (1997-2001)
President Bill Clinton (D) appointed Cuomo secretary of housing and urban development. Cuomo served from 1997 to 2001.
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Governor of New York
Incumbent Andrew Cuomo defeated Marcus Molinaro, Howie Hawkins, Larry Sharpe, and Stephanie Miner in the general election for Governor of New York on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Andrew Cuomo (D / Working Families Party / Independence Party / Women's Equality Party) | 59.6 | 3,635,340 |
 | Marcus Molinaro (R / Conservative Party / Tax Revolt Party)  | 36.2 | 2,207,602 | |
 | Howie Hawkins (G) | 1.7 | 103,946 | |
 | Larry Sharpe (L) | 1.6 | 95,033 | |
 | Stephanie Miner (Serve America Movement Party) | 0.9 | 55,441 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 7,115 | ||
| Total votes: 6,104,477 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of New York
Incumbent Andrew Cuomo defeated Cynthia Nixon in the Democratic primary for Governor of New York on September 13, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Andrew Cuomo | 65.5 | 1,021,160 |
 | Cynthia Nixon | 34.5 | 537,192 | |
| Total votes: 1,558,352 | |||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Greg Waltman (D)
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Marcus Molinaro advanced from the Republican primary for Governor of New York.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- John DeFrancisco (R)
- Pankaj Shah (R)
Conservative Party primary election
The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. Marcus Molinaro advanced from the Conservative Party primary for Governor of New York.
Green primary election
The Green primary election was canceled. Howie Hawkins advanced from the Green primary for Governor of New York.
Reform Party primary election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Joel Giambra (Reform Party)
2014
- See also: New York gubernatorial election, 2014
| Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Andrew Cuomo/Kathy Hochul Incumbent |
54.3% | 2,069,480 | |
| Republican | Rob Astorino/Chris Moss | 40.3% | 1,536,879 | |
| Green | Howie Hawkins/Brian Jones | 4.8% | 184,419 | |
| Libertarian | Michael McDermott/Chris Edes | 0.4% | 16,967 | |
| Sapient | Steven Cohn/Bobby K. Kalotee | 0.1% | 4,963 | |
| Total Votes | 3,812,708 | |||
| Election results via New York State Board of Elections | ||||
| Governor of New York, Democratic Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Andrew Cuomo Incumbent |
62.9% | 361,380 | ||
| Zephyr Teachout | 33.5% | 192,210 | ||
| Randy Credico | 3.6% | 20,760 | ||
| Total Votes | 574,350 | |||
| Election results via New York State Board of Elections. | ||||
2010
| New York Governor/Lt. Governor, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Andrew Cuomo/Robert Duffy |
61% | 2,910,876 | |
| Republican | Carl Paladino/Gregory Edwards | 32.5% | 1,547,857 | |
| Green | Howie Hawkins/Gloria Mattera | 1.3% | 59,906 | |
| Rent is 2 Damn High | Jimmy McMillan/No candidate | 0.9% | 41,129 | |
| Libertarian | Warren Redlich/Alden Link | 1% | 48,359 | |
| Anti-Prohibition | Kristin Davis/Tanya Gendelman | 0.4% | 20,421 | |
| Freedom | Charles Barron/Eva Doyle | 0.5% | 24,571 | |
| Blank | - | 2.3% | 107,823 | |
| Void | - | 0.1% | 3,963 | |
| Scattering | - | 0.1% | 4,836 | |
| Total Votes | 4,769,741 | |||
| Election results via New York State Board of Elections | ||||
2006
| New York Attorney General, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Andrew Cuomo |
58.3% | 2,509,311 | |
| Republican | Jeanine Pirro | 39.3% | 1,692,580 | |
| Green | Rachel Treichler | 1.4% | 61,849 | |
| Libertarian | Christopher B. Garvey | 0.7% | 29,413 | |
| Socialist Workers | Martin Koppel | 0.2% | 10,197 | |
| Total Votes | 4,303,350 | |||
| Election results via New York Board of Elections | ||||
| 2006 Race for Attorney General - Democratic Primary Election[4] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
 Andrew Cuomo (D)
|
53.5% | |||
| Mark Green (D) | 32.4% | |||
| Sean Patrick Maloney (D) | 9.3% | |||
| Charles G. King (D) | 4.8% | |||
| Total votes | 755,008 | |||
2002
In 2002, Cuomo ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination in the state's gubernatorial election. Cuomo withdrew his candidacy on the eve of the state convention, saying, "I will not close a gap in an election by opening one in the body politic."[5] His name still appeared on the ballot in both the primary and general election contests. He received 14% of the vote in the primary and 16,000 votes out of a total of 2.2 million cast in the general election. George Pataki (R) defeated Democratic nominee Carl McCall in the general election.
Campaign themes
2018
Campaign website
Cuomo’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Civil Rights and Criminal Justice Reform Gun Safety Fighting for Women’s Equality LGBTQ Community Educational Opportunity for All A Healthier New York Protecting New York’s Environment Building a New New York Creating a Strong Middle Class Combatting Income Inequality |
” |
| —Andrew Cuomo’s campaign website (2018)[7] | ||
Presidential preference
2020
Cuomo endorsed Joe Biden (D) in the 2020 presidential election.[8]
2016
Cuomo endorsed Hillary Clinton (D) in the 2016 presidential election.[9]
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Noteworthy events
Governor (2011-2021)
Resignation (2021)
- See also: Resignation of Andrew Cuomo, 2021
On August 10, 2021, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced that he would resign effective August 24.[10] Kathy Hochul (D), formerly the lieutenant governor, served out the remainder of Cuomo's term, which ended on January 1, 2023.
Between December 2020 and August 2021, a series of events unfolded involving Cuomo that resulted in calls for his impeachment or resignation from office. He said on August 10, "Given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing."[10]
Cuomo was the ninth governor of New York to resign from office and the 218th governor in the nation's history to do so. Click here for more information.
The following is an overview of the events and background that led to Cuomo's resignation.
On January 28, New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) released a report on her office's investigation into nursing home responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report stated that many nursing home residents died from COVID-19 in hospitals after they were transferred from nursing homes and that these deaths were not reflected in the Department of Health's count of nursing home deaths. The report stated that nursing home resident deaths appeared to be undercounted by about 50%.[11]
On February 17, the F.B.I. and U.S. Attorney's office began an investigation of the actions of Cuomo's task force in relation to the handling of nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]
Cuomo said about the timing of the release of nursing home fatality data, "More than anything it was just a capacity issue. ... Remember, at the same time we’re managing the pandemic; that’s what everyone was doing, and these things take time and the No. 1 priority was saving peoples’ lives."[13]
Between December 2020 and April 7, 2021, at least 11 women accused Cuomo of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior. In February, James announced that her office would be conducting an investigation into the accusations.[14]
Cuomo denied these allegations, saying, in part, “To be clear I never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable[.]”[15]
On August 3, James released the investigation report, stating that Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, breaking state and federal laws in doing so. The report's executive summary read, in part, that Cuomo "sexually harassed a number of current and former New York State employees by, among other things, engaging in unwelcome and nonconsensual touching, as well as making numerous offensive comments of a suggestive and sexual nature that created a hostile work environment for women."[16]
Cuomo responded to the report's release, stating: "I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances. I am 63 years old. I have lived my entire adult life in public view. That is just not who I am, and that’s not who I have ever been."
Prominent Democrats called for Cuomo’s resignation. They included President Joe Biden (D); U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.); Govs. Phil Murphy (D-N.J.), Tom Wolf (D-Pa.), Ned Lamont (D-Conn.), and Dan McKee (D-R.I.); state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D); and state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D).[17]
Stance on Syrian refugee resettlement (2015)
- Main article: U.S. governors and their responses to Syrian refugees
After the attacks in Paris, France, on November 13, 2015, many U.S. governors declared their support or opposition to Syrian refugee resettlement in their states. Cuomo expressed support for the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state of New York. He said:
| “ | The day America says close the gates, build the wall, then I say take down the Statue of Liberty because you’ve gone to a different place.[6] | ” |
| —Governor Andrew Cuomo[18] | ||
Firearms policy (2013-2015)
Following the December 14, 2012, school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, Gov. Cuomo sought to make firearms policy a legislative priority in 2013. The legislature passed the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Act during the 2013 session. The legislation included restrictions on ammunition and the sale of guns, as well as provisions to keep guns from people with mental illness who made threats.[19] New York was the first state to pass new laws after the Newtown shooting.[20]
As a part of the legislation passed following the Newtown shooting, provisions were put into place that expanded bans on certain types of weapons and high-capacity magazines.[21][22] One provision was a database that would track ammunition sales in real time and allow background checks on ammunition sales.[21][23] However, on July 10, 2015, Cuomo's administration agreed to suspend the implementation of the database, according to a memorandum of understanding.[21][23]
The memorandum was signed by the Cuomo administration and the Senate's Republican leadership. New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D) told reporters he did not participate in the negotiations.[23] Heastie commented, “The law may not be ‘suspended’ by a memorandum such as this. I believe the law should be followed and implemented as intended."[21] State Senator Michael N. Gianaris (D), the deputy Senate minority leader, said the agreement was unconstitutional.[21]
Republicans characterized the agreement as a win for Second Amendment rights in the state.[23] An official with the National Rifle Association (NRA), James J. Baker, called the memorandum “a step in the right direction to restore a degree of sanity after the SAFE Act’s over-the-top demonization of lawful New York gun owners."[21]
Cuomo's office stated the memorandum only codified an already existing delay in the implementation of the database provision in the SAFE Act and had no impact on the law.[23][21] Alphonso B. David, the governor’s counsel, said the memorandum of understanding "provides assurances to all that the database will not be implemented until it is ready and tested.”[21]
Ballot measure activity
Ballotpedia is not aware of any personal political advocacy by this officeholder related to ballot measures we track. If you are aware of any, please email us.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Cuomo was married to Kerry Kennedy, the seventh child of Robert F. Kennedy, for 13 years until they divorced in 2003. They have three children together.[1]
See also
| New York | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Biography.com, "Andrew Cuomo," accessed July 10, 2013
- ↑ New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, "Andrew M. Cuomo," accessed May 14, 2021
- ↑ NPR, "In His Final Address, Andrew Cuomo Attacks The Investigation That Led Him To Resign," August 23, 2021
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "New York State Board of Elections Statewide Democratic Attorney General Primary September 12, 2006," accessed May 17, 2021
- ↑ New York Times, "THE 2002 CAMPAIGN: THE ANNOUNCEMENT; CUOMO QUITS RACE AND BACKS MCCALL FOR GOVERNORSHIP," September 4, 2002
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Andrew Cuomo’s campaign website, “Issues,” accessed August 22, 2018
- ↑ CNN, "Andrew Cuomo on 2020: ‘Biden has the best case,’" January 2, 2019
- ↑ Observer, "Cuomo Foregoes Own Bid, ‘Wholeheartedly’ Backs Hillary Clinton for President," April 12, 2015
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 The New York Times, "Live Updates: Governor Cuomo Says He Will Resign," August 10, 2021
- ↑ New York Attorney General, "Attorney General James Releases Report on Nursing Homes’ Response to COVID-19," January 28, 2021
- ↑ Albany Times Union, "FBI, U.S. attorney in Brooklyn probing Cuomo administration on nursing homes," updated February 18, 2021
- ↑ USA Today, "'There is nothing to investigate': Gov. Andrew Cuomo defends New York's handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes," February 15, 2021
- ↑ CNBC, "New York Attorney General to oversee investigation into Cuomo sexual harassment allegations," February 28, 2021
- ↑ News 10, "Cuomo issues new statement on harassment allegations," February 28, 2021
- ↑ New York Attorney General's Office, "Report of Investigation into Allegations of Sexual Harassment by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo," August 3, 2021
- ↑ Twitter, "Gary Grumbach on August 3, 2021," accessed August 3, 2021
- ↑ Fox 5 NY, "Cuomo supports accepting Syrian refugees," November 18, 2015
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Cuomo Gun Safety Legislation Passes NY State Senate With Bipartisan Support, Assembly Action Today," March 17, 2013
- ↑ Yahoo News, "NY seals 1st state gun laws since Newtown massacre," January 15, 2013
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 21.6 21.7 Thomas Kaplan, The New York Times, "Plan to Require Background Checks for Ammunition Sales Is Suspended in New York," July 10, 2015
- ↑ Thomas Kaplan, The New York Times, "Sweeping Limits on Guns Become Law in New York," January 15, 2013
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 Laura Nahmias, Capital New York, "De Blasio: Impact of SAFE Act changes uncertain," July 13, 2015
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by David Paterson (D) |
Governor of New York 2011–2021 |
Succeeded by Kathy Hochul (D) |
| Preceded by Eliot Spitzer (D) |
New York Attorney General 2007–2010 |
Succeeded by Eric Schneiderman (D) |
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State of New York Albany (capital) |
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