29 March 2021: New York Democratic Party "In Bind" Over Cuomo Scandals

Cuomo's defiance leaves N.Y. Democrats in a bind

This article looks forward to the 2022 elections and the role Governor Cuomo's multiple scandals wlll have upon the decisions New York's Democratic Party will soon need to make to prepare for them. While much of the article focuses on the reactions to the multiple allegations of Governor Cuomo's sexual harassment, the following excerpt considers how the Cuomo administration's COVID nursing home deaths scandals affects the perception of his leadership during the coronavirus pandemic:

Luke Perry, director of the Utica College Center of Public Affairs and Election Research, said the investigations into the suppression of nursing home death data are testing how New Yorkers view Cuomo's competence, while the sexual harassment scandals have put questions about his character in focus.

The governor is expected to try to keep his position "at least to see what happens with the investigations," he added.

"The combination of these two — competency and character — have completely changed the landscape for him in a relatively short time," Perry said.

If history is any guide, the members of New York's Democratic Party will do whatever it takes to retain their hold on power. If that means sweeping Cuomo's scandals under the rug, they will. If that means expelling Cuomo from office, they will. We think the most likely option they will pursue is to sweep Governor Cuomo's scandals under the rug in the short term and keep him from being impeached before the elections while keeping him from running for re-election.

But here's the money quote from the article:

Lynn Krogh of Cooperstown, who managed the unsuccessful campaign of 2018 GOP gubernatorial nominee Marc Molinaro, said she believes many Democratic leaders would prefer to dump Cuomo and rally behind a woman as their candidate for governor next year.

"It makes complete and total sense that they would but right now they face this massive roadblock named Andrew Cuomo," Krogh said.