(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Former President Bill Clinton issued a last-minute endorsement Sunday for disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is now running for mayor of New York City.
Clinton’s backing isn’t exactly shocking. Cuomo served as housing secretary in the Clinton administration before successfully running for attorney general and governor of New York.
The two men are also bound by sex scandals. Cuomo resigned as governor in 2021 after a bombshell state report detailed his pattern of harassing staffers.
Meanwhile, Clinton was exposed for having an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, paid a settlement to Paula Jones over harassment claims and was accused of rape by Juanita Broaddrick. He became the first president in decades to be impeached by the House and the first to enter a plea bargain with federal prosecutors for lying under oath.
In a robocall, Clinton said he was backing Cuomo “because he knew how to get things done.” The former president also said he believed Cuomo would “stand up and protect the people of this city” from President Donald Trump, as quoted by the New York Times.
Cuomo is currently seeking the Democratic nomination for mayor—a straight ticket to victory in deep-blue New York City.
He faces Zohran Mamdani, a member of the New York Assembly and a self-described Democratic Socialist.
Mamdani campaigned in Queens on Sunday with the far-left Working Families Party and Attorney General Letitia James, one of Cuomo’s chief critics and the prosecutor behind the sexual misconduct report that led to his resignation. James later ran for governor herself.
Clinton’s decision to back Cuomo marks a departure from meddling in the New York City primaries as he currently resides in upstate New York.
The Democratic primary is scheduled for Tuesday, while the general election will be held Nov. 5.
