The hype about Andrew Cuomo running for mayor continues to grow, with the recent release of a campaign-style video of Cuomo at a Valentine’s event, an endorsement letter from his former rival Carl McCall and endorsement from the Staten Island Democratic Party.

The polls consistently show the former governor holding a formidable lead with about a third of the vote, while the other leading mayoral contenders are stuck at around 10%. Assuming he runs, the case Cuomo and his supporters will make is a simple one: He’s a proven manager, and only he has the stature to stand up to Donald Trump and Elon Musk and defend New York City from their attacks. 

In many ways, it’s a reprise of Cuomo’s performance in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he held daily press conferences that stood in stark contrast to Trump’s delusional craziness. Where Trump was unhinged and conspiratorial, Cuomo was calm and fact-based — a strong, reassuring father figure who was ready to take Blue America into his protective arms. Cuomo’s schtick won him an Emmy Award and the admiration of legions of self-declared “Cuomosexuals.”

But, as with so much about Cuomo, the image disguised the underlying reality. In real life, New York had one of the highest COVID death rates of any state, in part because Cuomo had ordered nursing homes to take sick COVID patients from hospitals, a favor he delivered for the Greater New York Hospital Association, one of his largest campaign contributors. For a full recap on a scandal that left more people dead than the total U.S. casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, read John Teufel’s recap. 

Andrew Cuomo’s Nursing Home Scandal Looms Over His Potential Mayoral Bid
By John Teufel

We had Cuomo’s number throughout his sordid reign in Albany. Here are some highlights of our coverage: 

Take the Cuomo Pop Quiz (See center-spread graphic)
By John Tarleton and Leia Doran

As Virus Spreads in Nursing Homes, Gov. Cuomo’s Big Donors Are Immune from Liability
By Theodore Hamm

Cuomo’s Web of Real Estate Donors (See center-spread graphic)
By Georgia Kromrei

Andrew Cuomo and the State Senate
By Ross Barkan

How Cuomo Wrecked the Subway System
By Peter Rugh and John Tarleton

Cuomo’s Corporate Friendly Public Education Policies
By Peter Rugh

NYC’s Vanishing Hospitals
By Peter Rugh

Cuomo’s Free College Hustle
By Peter Rugh

Gov. Cuomo’s Greatest Achievement: Achieving Virtually Nothing
By Peter Rugh

Interview with Zephyr Teachout: ‘The Wrong People Are in Jail Right Now’
By John Tarleton

So how did Cuomo do it? Writing at the height of the nursing home and Me Too scandals that would ultimately take down Cuomo, The Indy’s John Tarleton wrote about how the fault isn’t just with Cuomo and New York’s unique political and media culture that produces larger-than-life strongman politicians like him, but with ourselves. 

Why Cuomo Has Got to Go: He’s Toxic and He’s Been a Drag on New York
By John Tarleton

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