This could be the year of attempted crisis comebacks.
Just as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is trying to make a comeback from his Partygate scandal, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is reportedly planning his own comeback from allegations of sexual harassment that led to his resignation last year.
According to a report on Sunday by the Wall Street Journal, Cuomo and his aides, “are intensifying an effort to revive his public standing, including discussing how to make his first public appearance since resigning in August, according to people close to him.
“Some political operatives who have spoken with Mr. Cuomo or his aides said they think he is considering a run for attorney general this year against New York Attorney General Letitia James.
“The people said Mr. Cuomo, who was attorney general from 2007 to 2010, never explicitly mentioned a campaign, but they inferred his interest based on the points he made about Ms. James and questions he asked about the state’s political climate. It is the former governor’s style to ask questions about his options as part of his decision making, the people said.”
Comebacks Not Impossible
Although it is not easy for politicians to recover from a scandal, it’s not impossible either.
As the Wall Street Journal noted, “Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and ex-U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, both Democrats, campaigned for office in New York City after they resigned amid sex scandals. Neither of their comeback bids was successful.”
A Possible Advantage
Cuomo might have an easier time recovering from his crisis than Spitzer or Weiner did theirs. That’s because the criminal charge against him has been dropped.
On January 7, Forbes reported that “Albany County District Attorney David Soares formally abandoned a forcible touching charge Friday filed against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo after a former aide accused him of groping her at the executive mansion, the only criminal charge that he has faced tied to a wave of sexual misconduct allegations that drove him from office last year.”
Whether Cuomo will fare as well in the court of public opinion remains to be determine.
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Plans Comeback After Sexual Harassment Claims: Report (forbes.com)
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