Appearing on Fox News on Tuesday, newly announced Republican New York gubernatorial candidate Andrew Giuliani said Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s poor leadership has helped his campaign the most.
“It is a daunting task. But the truth is, I think the person who has helped the most in this is Andrew Cuomo,” Giuliani said. “The truth is New Yorkers, businesses, people who are educating their kids, parents — they realize that New York is not giving them the best options to set their footprint, whether it’s from an education standpoint, an economic development standpoint, or whether it’s just from a public safety standpoint.”
The candidate continued: “Sean, you are a prideful New Yorker; you’ve been in New York your entire life. Have you ever seen a time when both New York state and New York City has had such a lack of leadership, I would call it criminal leadership?”
Giuliani, the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and a White House aide under President Donald Trump, broke the news Tuesday that he is running for governor, which will mark his first run for office. In the crowded Republican field, Giuliani will have to face off against Rep. Lee Zeldin, a Long Island Republican who is well-funded and aligned with Trump.
Democrats in New York have called for Cuomo, a third-term incumbent, to resign after the continuous allegations of misconduct. In fact, the majority of U.S. House Democrats from the state have called on the governor to step down. Cuomo is facing increasing scrutiny for his mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to multiple allegations of sexual harassment.
“The repeated accusations against the Governor, and the manner in which he has responded to them, have made it impossible for him to continue to govern at this point,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y. “Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of the people of New York. Governor Cuomo must resign.”
Cuomo has continually denied any wrongdoing in both the nursing homes scandal and the sexual harassment allegations. In the case of the nursing homes, Cuomo is the target of a federal investigation looking into the falsification of death rates among seniors.
Since COVID-19 hit, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers have fled the city. Tax rates remain high in New York, and lockdowns have shuttered businesses in record numbers. One report from April concluded that Cuomo’s state led the nation in small business closure, tied with Pennsylvania.
“Yeah. Well, Sean, all I can ask you is wait 18 months,” said Giuliani. “Because right now I can see why people are leaving New York. That’s why we need to win in 2022. If we don’t take back New York in 2022, it might be a generation again before New York comes back. I don’t want to be a grandfather.”
