Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation on Tuesday, August 10, effective in two weeks’ time. Cuomo announced his resignation amid a slew of sexual harassment allegations and the New York attorney general releasing a report that found he sexually harassed 11 women. Had he not resigned, Cuomo would have faced near-certain impeachment from the Democratic state legislature.
Cuomo’s resignation marks the downfall of a governor once touted as a “pandemic hero” — a change that has rapidly occurred in the span of a year. Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul will finish off Cuomo’s term, becoming New York’s first-ever female governor.
In his third term, Cuomo’s resignation marks the end of a political dynasty in New York. Cuomo was first elected in 2010, then reelected in 2014 and 2018, both times defeating progressive challengers in the primary. He is the son of Mario Cuomo — a liberal icon who served as New York’s governor for three terms in the 1980s and 90s.
As governor, Cuomo oversaw the passage of acts by the state legislature to legalize same-sex marriage in the state and legalize both medical and recreational marijuana. He enacted a $15 minimum wage, signed one of the strictest gun control laws in the U.S. in 2013 after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut that killed 26 people. He banned hydrofracking and helped enact pay equity laws and capped the property tax.
In 2020, Cuomo rose to become one of the most popular governors in the United States. During the COVID-19 pandemic, New York saw the first major outbreak of the virus in the U.S. His handling of the pandemic, which included strict lockdowns and a shutdown of most businesses, was praised nationally, and to date, since that initial outbreak, New York has fared better than most states in terms of COVID-19.
His downfall came after it was discovered he covered up the true number of nursing home deaths due to COVID-19 and 11 women came forward alleging him of sexual harassment.
The first woman came out against Cuomo in December 2020, whose claims the governor’s office dismissed as false. But as more and more women came out against him, calls for Cuomo’s resignation only grew louder. Among those calling for his resignation and an independent investigation included all of New York’s Democratic congressional delegation. The allegations prompted New York Attorney General Letitia James to open an investigation into Cuomo.
On August 3, the independent investigation released a report after five months of investigation, concluding that Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women. His behavior included unwanted groping, kissing, and inappropriate sexual comments, and retaliation against a woman who made allegations against him.
Over the following week, Cuomo denied any inappropriate touching. But public sentiment against Cuomo was strong, and numerous counties’ attorneys general began to pursue criminal investigations against Cuomo. In the state legislature, where Democrats have a supermajority, an impeachment of Cuomo was made virtually certain.
Ultimately, Cuomo decided to resign at his own will on Tuesday, capping the end of a tumultuous journey for the scandal-plagued governor. After his resignation takes effect on August 24, the state’s lieutenant governor, Katie Hochul, will succeed him to finish off his term until 2022.
That leaves Hochul with just over a year to do enough to convince voters to vote for her in 2022. It could make for a competitive primary in 2022, though the state’s governorship is highly unlikely to flip.
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