ALBANY – New York Attorney General Tish James announced on Friday that she will run for governor in 2022, ending months of speculation about her political ambitions and opening the door to what could be the most contentious Democratic pre-election for governor in a decade.
James, whose thorough investigation by former Gov. Andrew Cuom led to his resignation in August, announced his long-awaited candidacy in a video highlighting her Brooklyn roots, her record in strong businesses and her 76 challenges to the Donald Trump administration. “But who counts?” she shrugged.
“I have led my career on a simple principle: on behalf of the vulnerable, we oppose the strong to become a force for change,” she said. in an 83-second video.
James was generally considered one of the strongest potential opponents of Governor Kathy Hochul, a former deputy governor who took over Cuoma’s position after he was toppled by a scandal involving a dozen allegations of sexual abuse.
While Hochul went down in history as the first woman to run the country, James would be the first black woman to be elected governor of the country. In addition to this dynamic, the primary between the two could represent tectonic shifts happening within the party, Democratic strategist Neal Kwatra said.
“New York, arguably the strongest governor appearance in the country, will almost certainly get its first properly elected female CEO,” he said. “On top of this history, you have a current rivalry that is upsetting the Democratic Party between the progressives, the liberals and the moderates. As this race follows the victory of Eric Adams in New York and the race of Mayor Buffalo, it will be a new opportunity for all factions in the party to confirm their worldview for the components of the winning coalition at major competitions across the country.
James has long been at the top of the shortlist of candidates, partly because of her current title – “AG” means “ambitious governor”, jokes the New York political class – and partly because of the national public she has gained from Donald Trump, National Rifle Association in Cuomo.
Her role in the collapse of Cuom – double reports detailing Cuom’s administration insufficient number of Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes and then its confirmation allegations of sexual harassment – is likely to define the narratives of her candidacy in the coming months.
She was widely praised for the former governor’s investigations she conducted in her office. But according to her findings, he is Cuom’s personal lawyer and spokesman they continued to burn the theory that the probes were biased because James wanted Cuom’s office, despite both being triggered on Cuom’s instructions.
“What Tish James did was an abuse of the justice system in a way that would make Bill Barr blush,” Cuoma spokesman Rich Azzopardi said in a version on the subject in a statement after James ’announcement.
These claims could force James into a consistent defensive mode during her run, especially if Cuomo – known for his propensity for revenge – uses any of his $ 18 million in campaign money to encourage this narrative. But Cuom’s credibility can be a rapidly declining good.
This was announced on Thursday by the Albany County Sheriff Cuomo is now awaiting criminal charges in relation to one of the reports of sexual harassment detailed in the James report – more specifically, that he is accused of groping a former employee in an executive mansion. On Friday, Sheriff Craig Apple said “a lot of evidence” In the case of.
James has been defending herself for months with questions about running, saying she is “still thinking” about where she could make the biggest impact in New York and that her plans for 2022 will be “completely dependent on people. ”
Her actions this year showed a slow crescendo of campaign launch, including a rare nationwide tour in October to award opioid settlement funding to communities from Long Island to North Country, and speeches that turned into a campaign. It was recently equipped with a handful nationally known strategists and fundraisers, which is important because fundraising has traditionally not been James ’strong point. Hochul said her campaign is making an effort to raise $ 25 million.
James is the only Democrat to have officially declared a challenge for the current president so far, but New York public defender Jumaana Williams he filed papers in set up a “research committee”. Outgoing New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and tail. Tom Suozzi (DN.Y.) also showed interest in running.
A recent poll in Siena found Hochul with a strong advantage (39 percent) in a hypothetical four preselections that included James (20 percent), de Blasio (10 percent) and Williams (8 percent). Hochul overtook James 47-41 in a one-on-one match, but pollsters warn that the results cannot be taken too seriously until the entire field is solidified.
The leader of the Republican Party that appointed the U.S. representative. Lee Zeldin her alleged candidate for governor next year, she called in a statement James a “radical leftist ideologue” who used her power to politicize the office.
“The truth is, it doesn’t matter which Democrat is running for governor, as next year’s election will be a referendum on their 15-year destruction of our country thanks to their pro-criminal, socialist agenda,” Nick Langworthy said.
The match between Hochul and James could put many Democrats and organizations looking to elevate blacks and politicians into difficult positions, especially if they have existing relationships with Hochul or its likely vice president, Lieutenant Brian Benjamin.
“I have talked to quite a few elected Black officials and not everyone is convinced [James] it’s completely inside, ”said one of the Democratic strategists, who has worked in New York political circles for decades and asked for anonymity for free speech. “There are a lot of people who don’t want that to happen. They don’t want to see the primary one leading to all these kinds of splits. “
Hochul has already been approved by several district committees, NAACP President Hazel Dukes and national Great Emily’s fundraising list. She has fought publicly and privately since taking office. Early Friday, Hochul appeared with James to advocate for democratic unity ahead of the upcoming New York mayoral election.
James has been a rising star in the party since her 2003 election as a city council member and represents parts of Brooklyn, which has increasingly become the city’s political center of gravity. She was the first city official to win on the Labor Families line.
She then became a public defender of New York City before earning the State Party’s confirmation as Attorney General following the resignation of Eric Schneiderman on allegations that he physically abused several women.
James, while not the most liberal politician in the country, is a favorite of progressives in the lower state who want to completely wipe out Cuoma from New York. That might require the removal of his former deputy governor, they say, despite Hochul’s distance claims from the “toxic” culture of the previous administration and promises to clean up Albany.
Other Democrats in the country will benefit from the domino effect that will happen if James leaves her current position. James will be vying for votes with fellow Williams and de Blasio – two other well-known politicians who consider Brooklyn to be their base.
The official Brooklyn party seemed to already support her candidacy – even though Brooklyn Democrats have been infamously divided in recent years.
“New York State has just welcomed its first governor, Kathy Hochul, and now we have the opportunity to welcome the country’s first black governor, Tish James,” Brooklyn Democrat Speaker and National Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn said in a statement this week. “Brooklyn will finally be able to elect a governor who will authorize and elevate all Brooklynites.”
James would also have to give up his re-election as Attorney General because of her candidacy for governor, and at least half a dozen Democrats across the country have expressed interest in her position.
This was stated by the deputy head of the majority of the state senate Mike Gianaris “I” hope James will run for governor to a question in an August podcast. It’s Gianaris from Queens one of a handful Democrats who want to run for attorney general if James resigns.
“AG is immediately and easily the leading candidate in the lower state, in a pre-election dominated by lower-voter voters, and against the incumbent president still resisting in the north of the state, that’s a good thing,” said Democratic political adviser Eric Phillips . “It’s not exactly her match for defeat, but it can quickly turn out that way.”