In the wake of a damaging independent report alleging he sexually harassed nearly a dozen women, New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s defiant press conference earlier this week made clear he doesn’t intend to leave the governor’s office of his own volition. He’s staring down near-certain impeachment in the state Assembly, and it’s virtually impossible to see how the embattled politician could even try to run for a fourth term in 2022.
It’s a stunning fall from grace for the scion of one of the Empire State’s most influential political families. At this point last year, Cuomo was riding high, acclaimed for having led his state through one of the worst COVID infection rates in the country. His daily, no-nonsense press conferences became must-see television, and his approval ratings soared to 61 percent in a Siena College poll last October, while 73 percent approved his handling of the pandemic. There was even some minor chatter that Cuomo could be a potential replacement candidate for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
But even back then, Cuomo’s hubris (though not an
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