The US could soon witness a miracle in the current American political landscape- a Republican Governor in New York. The state of New York is witnessing a unique turn of events – the sitting Democrat Governor is facing a wave of unpopularity over allegations of sexual harassment and investigation regarding COVID-19 deaths in New York nursing homes. However, there are signs that Andrew Cuomo will still run for New York Governor in 2022 also, giving the Republicans a strong edge.
As for the Republicans, they have been eyeing a greater vote share in New York for quite some time. Even in the 2020 Presidential polls, Donald Trump managed to increase his vote share in the state that has remained a Democrat stronghold for quite some time. Now, Republicans understand that they have a brilliant opportunity to unseat Cuomo and come to power in New York after nearly two decades.
The Democrats would, in fact, have never felt as threatened in New York as they are doing now. A new Siena College Research Institute poll released Monday morning revealed that more than half of New Yorkers view their Governor Andrew Cuomo unfavourably.
Cuomo’s ratings are going down consistently. Siena spokesman Steve Greenberg said, “While the erosion in Cuomo’s favorability, job performance and re-elect ratings was not as large in April — falling between six and 10 points — as it was in March — falling between 10 and 19 points — his ratings continue to push further into negative territory.”
Yet, Cuomo remains undeterred. When asked about the latest poll release, Cuomo said, “They do these polls all the time.” The New York Governor added that he doesn’t “put too much stock into them.”
In fact, Cuomo has been resisting widespread calls to step down as the New York Governor. Over 135 state lawmakers and nearly the entire Congressional delegation from New York, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, have asked the Governor to step down.
Yet, Cuomo has been asking everyone to wait for the result of the Attorney General’s investigation. In a news conference last month, he said, “Women have a right to come forward and be heard and I encourage that fully. But I also want to be clear, there is still a question of the truth, I did not do what has been alleged. Period.”
Cuomo’s office has also pushed back against allegations of covering up nursing home deaths. It has denied that nursing homes fatality records were altered.
The state of New York has no gubernatorial limits and in May 2019 itself, Cuomo announced that he would run for a fourth term in 2022. Even after the two recent scandals, Cuomo has remained unmoved and it is likely that he will run for Governor in 2022 even with a record number of New Yorkers viewing him unfavourably.
Anyhow, Republicans are preparing for the big opportunity- 2022 New York Governor polls. Two Trump allies- Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) and Andrew Guiliani are looking at the big job. While Zeldin declared that he would run for Governor, Guiliani revealed that he discussed his gubernatorial ambitions with former President Donald Trump.
Republicans are thus looking at a power-packed primary advantage against a visibly unpopular Andrew Cuomo. Yet, State Party Chair Nick Langworthy has underscored that ultimately the GOP will have to put all its weight behind a single candidate.
The star candidates from the Republican Party are getting further motivated by rising Republican popularity in New York. According to a Fox News analysis of Presidential election results last year, President Trump gained nearly 200,000 votes from New York City residents in 2020 compared to 2016: a 4.6% boost. Democrats lost 3% of the voters for Biden compared to Clinton’s count in 2016. The biggest shifts came from the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn, which were the hardest hit by COVID.
The voter pattern in New York clearly favours the Republicans, while causing a sense of discomfort for Democrats like Cuomo.
Meanwhile, Cuomo is set to face further opposition from within his party, especially with the rise of far-left leaders like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York. It will be that much easier for the Republicans to run over a divided Democrat gubernatorial campaign in New York.
So, Cuomo’s own unpopularity is bound to cause a major embarrassment for Democrats next year, with a Republican likely to take charge as the New York Governor.
