Politicians who cheered Cuomo’s resignation as governor are now ENDORSING him for mayor

Hypocrisy reigned as Democrats voiced opposition to “relitigate the past” in lining up to support New York City mayoral candidate they’d previously pressured out of office.

With a crowded field of nine Democratic Party primary candidates and incumbent New York City Mayor Eric Adams seeking reelection as an independent, disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo remained the favorite according to polls. That reality appeared to have myriad politicians who’d supported an end to the Empire State executive’s tenure stirred to sycophancy and announcing their endorsement of his mayoral bid.

According to a count from the New York Post, of the 28 elected officials who’d endorsed Cuomo at the time of publishing, 10 had favored his ousting from Albany in August 2021.

“It is clear that there is a pattern of unacceptable and troubling behavior. The governor should resign or face impeachment,” read a statement from state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky at the time as she now said, “I was proud to work with Andrew Cuomo during his time as Governor to engage marriage equality, codify Roe v. Wade into law, and pass the Dream Act. I will support Andrew Cuomo when I vote for Mayor because New Yorkers can count on him to tackle crime, support our public schools, and create affordable housing.”

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— Toby Ann Stavisky (@tobystavisky) August 3, 2021

In addition to the scandal over nursing home deaths following the then-governor’s COVID orders, Cuomo’s resignation had followed a report from New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) detailing harassment claims women had leveled against him.

“Electeds’ support for Cuomo is a slap-in-the-face betrayal to government workers everywhere, including their own staff,” Sexual Harassment Working Group founder Erica Vladimer told the Post. “It’s cowardly for anyone who rightfully spoke up against Cuomo four years ago to now say ‘Ho hum, second chances, let the voters decide, etc.’”

Support for the campaign came out of the capital, the boroughs and the Washington, D.C. swamp as New York Reps. Gregory Meeks and Ritchie Torres had added their own seals of approval.

“I predict the comeback story of the 2025 election will be the resurrection of Andrew Cuomo. America loves a comeback, New York loves a comeback,” said Torres who didn’t want to “relitigate the past,” after asserting at the time that the resignation was “in the best interest of New York State.”

Likewise, Meeks said, “The times has come for Governor Andrew Cuomo to do the right thing for the people of New York State and resign.”

Similar sentiments were shared by state Sens. Joe Addabbo Jr. and James Sanders Jr. while Assemblyman David Weprin had once said, “The troubling allegations would probably have resulted in articles of impeachment had the Governor not resigned on August 10th, effective August 24th.”

“The Governor’s resignation ends a difficult and painful chapter in our state’s history and is in the best interest of New Yorkers,” Assemblyman Ed Braunstein had expressed as Brooklyn Democratic Party chair Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn asserted the “resignation was in the interest of the people of this state. In this disquieting time, there is some relief in seeing repercussions for Cuomo’s shameful conduct.”

“Governor Cuomo’s actions were deeply wrong,” Brooklyn Councilwoman Farah Louis said in August 2021. “His decision to resign was the right one as it was clear that he could no longer lead New York State effectively.”

While Adams had gone on the record to assert that “Trump Derangement Syndrome is real” as he shifted gears to an independent campaign while he reelection support remained in the single digits based on his own failings in leadership, Cuomo’s campaign spokesman Richard Azzopardi spun the favor of his boss

“New York is in crisis — a crisis of affordability, of quality of life, and of leadership and Governor Cuomo is the only person in this race with the proven track record of results to tackle these issues head on, which is why he has built a broad coalition of support that reflects our great city and is leading in every borough, and with every race and gender, and those who represent them and with organized labor,” contended the statement. “Since the beginning, we said all of this was political and wasn’t going anywhere, and four years later that has all borne out.”

Staff Writer

Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn’t researching current events and their impacts, you’ll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.

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