Andrew Cuomo is leading the pack in the race for New York City mayor, and he’s doing it by painting a bleak picture of the city’s current state. From public safety to immigration to the rise of e-bikes, Cuomo has centered his campaign on the idea that things are falling apart and only he has the experience to fix them. But a closer look at his record suggests he may be more part of the problem than the solution.
In a speech last fall at a Black church in Brooklyn, Cuomo warned that “things are getting worse,” a line he has since turned into a campaign slogan. The former governor has doubled down on this message throughout his campaign, arguing that New York is in crisis and that his experience makes him uniquely qualified to lead it out.
So far, his strategy seems to be working. Cuomo’s name recognition dwarfs that of his competitors, and he is already behaving as if his return to office is all but guaranteed. Yet his career tells a different story—one filled with missed opportunities, internal party sabotage, and scandals that remain unresolved.
Cuomo rose to prominence in the early 2000s, first as the state’s attorney general and later as governor. During his time in office, he carefully built a reputation as a political heavyweight who could get things done. But much of that image was manufactured. He frequently positioned himself as a centrist who could balance competing interests, but in reality, he often worked against his own party to consolidate power.
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Perhaps the most glaring example was his support for the Independent Democratic Conference, a group of breakaway Democrats who aligned with Republicans in the state Senate. Their alliance blocked numerous progressive initiatives and effectively diluted the influence of New York City’s Democratic base. Cuomo publicly claimed neutrality but quietly encouraged the arrangement, using it as a way to present himself as a bipartisan problem-solver.
Even Cuomo’s supposed managerial achievements don’t hold up under scrutiny. He boasts about completing major infrastructure projects like the Second Avenue Subway and the Mario Cuomo Bridge, but both had serious flaws. The subway expansion diverted resources from the rest of the system, worsening citywide service. The bridge, named after his father, experienced significant safety issues shortly after opening, including reports of bolts detaching from the structure.
His current campaign has already raised concerns. Cuomo has refused to release a list of clients from his consulting business, declined to disclose stock holdings, and missed a critical campaign finance deadline that cost him nearly 3 million dollars in public funds. He has also skipped debates and leaned on artificial intelligence to draft policy proposals, undermining public confidence in his transparency and preparedness.
Meanwhile, a pro-Cuomo super PAC continues to operate in ways that appear to blur legal lines, further complicating his image as a rule-abiding public servant.
It’s also impossible to ignore the circumstances that forced Cuomo out of office in 2021. He resigned after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment, allegations he continues to dismiss as cultural misunderstandings. That response has done little to reassure those who hoped for accountability. During the pandemic, Cuomo was also criticized for downplaying the number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes and using state resources to help write his memoir.
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Despite all this, Cuomo appears confident in his political comeback. He frames himself as the only leader capable of standing up to the chaos of the Trump era. But in many ways, Cuomo’s leadership style mirrors the very traits he claims to oppose: combative, self-promoting, and dismissive of rules.
As voters weigh their options for mayor, they should take a hard look at Cuomo’s full record. While he may be a familiar face in New York politics, his history suggests that putting him back in office would be a step backward at a time when the city needs steady, principled leadership.
