Comeback Cuomo?

Former governor Andrew Cuomo is making his move to return to power, having tossed his hat into the ring for the New York City mayor’s race and now leading in major polls. Where does his relationship with the Jewish community stand? How do you pull off one of the most unlikely comebacks in American political history?

The wheel of fortune spun several dizzying, complete revolutions for Andrew Cuomo before it steamrolled right over him four years ago, when he resigned New York State governorship in ignominy and disgrace. Even Donald Trump has never come back from a setback like that; no one expected to hear much from Cuomo on the public stage again.

But Cuomo hung on, the wheel kept rolling, and now he is poised to ride it back to power. However, the track it is charting runs right through the Orthodox Jewish community of New York City. That’s the part of town in which, on his last gallop through during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuomo left a lot of people feeling bruised and mud-splattered. Now, looking to clean up and patch up, he has packed a big box of humble pie and set out on a tour to make amends.

As the race comes down to the wire, Mr. Cuomo sat down with Mishpacha for an exclusive appeal directly to voters. What did he have to say, and will it be enough?

You decide.

The Comeback Kid            

Andrew Cuomo is no stranger to comebacks. In fact, he wrote the book on it — All Things Possible: Setbacks and Success in Politics and Life was published in 2014. His political career began in 1982 at the tender age of 25, as campaign manager and later staffer for his father, New York governor Mario Cuomo. He was appointed secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by President Bill Clinton, and was later very seriously considered for appointment to the US Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton mid-term.