Cuomo Narrowly Trails Hochul As He Reportedly Eyes Gov Run: Poll

New York City NY

17 March, 2022

11:46 AM

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NEW YORK CITY — A swirl of scandals that forced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign apparently won't keep him from pursuing a comeback gubernatorial run, or voters from completely counting him out, according to a new report and poll. Cuomo has fielded calls from supporters encouraging him to run against Gov. Kathy Hochul — his former lieutenant governor — after a poll showed him narrowly trailing her in a potential matchup, CNBC reported. The Emerson College/The Hill poll wasn't all good news for Cuomo. A clear majority of voters surveyed — 63 percent — didn't think he should reenter public office compared to 24 percent who did, according to the poll. Likewise, 59 percent of voters trusted Attorney General Letitia James' investigation that found Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women — a finding Cuomo denied even as it prompted his reluctant resignation from office in August. "That said, if former Gov. Cuomo does challenge Gov. Hochul in the Democratic primary, a hypothetical ballot test shows him trailing Hochul just by four points, 37% to 33%, with 9% undecided and a combined 21% voting for other candidates," the poll states. The prospect of a Cuomo comeback could have a major effect on New York City. Cuomo wielded outsize influence on city affairs, to the frustration of former Mayor Bill de Blasio who accused the then-governor of bullying and meddling. And it appears the city hasn't been far from Cuomo's mind as he mounts a comeback, at least to political prominence. Besides taking out television ads claiming vindication, Cuomo recently made a speech in a Brooklyn church in which he blamed "cancel culture" for his downfall. "God isn't done with me yet," he said during the speech. But despite Cuomo and his allies trying to blow holes in James' investigation, the attorney general, lawmakers and the former governor's accusers stand behind the probe's broad conclusion that he indeed sexually harassed women. Still, the fact that the majority of New Yorkers surveyed by Emerson College trusted the probe's conclusion didn't mean he could potentially be a formidable gubernatorial candidate. "While voters trust the investigation's findings and do not want Cuomo to re-enter office, he still holds significant support among a base of Democratic primary voters," Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a statement. The sexual harassment accusation aren't the only scandal trailing the governor. A recent audit by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli found Cuomo and his staff "misled" the public on the true number of nursing home deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic's early days. Read the CNBC report here. See the Emerson College/The Hill poll results here.