9 December 2021: Letitia James Terminates Campaign for Democratic Nomination for NY Governor

NY Governor’s Race Has Been Scrambled Again

This report indicates New York State Attorney General Letitia James has decided to drop her campaign to become New York's next elected governor. Here's an excerpt from the article:

In a surprise announcement, New York attorney general Letitia James has dropped out of the primary contest for governor. James, a progressive favorite looking to become the state’s first elected black governor, will run for reelection instead and bide her time seeking a higher office. James had been a leading figure in toppling Andrew Cuomo, issuing scathing reports on the governor over sexual harassment, the fatal policy of sending Covid patients back to nursing homes, and the coverups of both. In recent polls, James was below 20 percent of the vote, around half the support of Governor Kathy Hochul, but it is still early.

Given that ranking, James would have had an uphill battle for the governorship. We view her decision to withdraw from the race as a pragmatic one, unlike many of today's politicians whose egos just waste their supporters' money and everyone's time when they run. We think James is likely coast to re-election as New York's state attorney general, where she's demonstrated a commendable degree of independence from the political establishment Andrew M. Cuomo created. Cuomo, of course, being a top example of the kind of politician who wastes supporters' money and everyone's time.

For our part, we're looking forward to seeing how her office moves forward on prosecuting Andrew M. Cuomo's multitude of scandals, which involve quite a lot of lower level officials still working in New York's state government. As we see it, she doesn't need to be governor to make her mark as a serious reformer. Not many candidates have that capability.