In comments, a television ad blitz, and renewed public appearances, the former governor, who quit in disgrace last year, has indicated he has a strong eye on returning to the office from which he alleges he was unjustly evicted. Polling reveals he retains a small yet stubborn base of backing that would make him a force in a gubernatorial race, fueling Democratic handwringing over the blood that could be spilled trying to spurn a comeback.
Cuomo is facing a deadline next week to file enough petitions to qualify for a Democratic primary but could opt to run as a third-party candidate, which would give him more time to submit the needed paperwork or even ultimately not run. Though regardless of what he chooses, Democrats agree on one thing: he’ll be a pain in the ass no matter what.
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“It’s like a zombie effort. He thinks that someday he is going to be vindicated, and so he’s gonna do everything he can to try and reach that vindication,” announced one New York Democratic strategist. “And he doesn’t care if he burns the house down behind him.”
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The handwringing over Cuomo’s next move intensifies ahead of the Thursday deadline to file the petitions he would need to make the Democratic primary. He’s in a crunch to file the 15,000 signatures, including at least 100 from at least half of the state’s congressional districts. Although, former Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D), who quit in 2008 for patronizing a prostitution ring, garnered 27,000 signatures in four days to run for New York City comptroller in 2013. The deadline might move amid a court battle over New York’s legislative maps.
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Should Cuomo miss that date, he wouldn’t have to file any signatures until the end of May to run as a third-party candidate. And should he decide not to run at all, he has an eight-figure campaign account – a dangling, if unspoken, threat.
“Will he continue to make mischief? Bet on that. A man with that kind of money left in a campaign fund who is aggrieved will seek the appropriate opportunity. It may not be in 2022, but it will be in the future. And he has a strong sense of vengeance,” stated New York Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf.
Democrats would rather leave Cuomo in their rearview mirror after he resigned over sexual misconduct and harassment allegations last year, though he’s stated that’s not in his current playbook.
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