Andrew Cuomo

Andrew Cuomo

Democratic Party

Prior offices

U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

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Attorney General of New York

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Governor of New York

Successor: Kathy Hochul

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Education

High school

Archbishop Molloy High School, 1975

Bachelor's

Fordham University, 1979

Law

Albany Law School, 1982

Personal

Religion

Christian: Catholic

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Andrew Cuomo (Democratic Party) was the Governor of New York. He assumed office on January 1, 2011. He left office on August 24, 2021.

Cuomo (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for Governor of New York. He won in the general election on November 6, 2018.

To learn more about the series of events between December 2020 and August 2021 that led to Cuomo's resignation, click here.

Cuomo was re-elected to a second term in 2014 and a third term in 2018. He ran on a joint ticket with the lieutenant gubernatorial nominee, Kathy Hochul (D). Cuomo also ran in the 2018 election on the Independence Party, Women's Equality Party, and Working Families Party tickets. He was the 56th governor of New York.

Cuomo faced no opposition for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2010. In 2014 and 2018, he faced challenges from candidates who cast themselves as progressive alternatives. Zephyr Teachout challenged him for the Democratic nomination in 2014, and Cynthia Nixon challenged him in 2018. Cuomo won around two-thirds of the vote against each challenger.

Prior to being elected governor of New York, Cuomo was the state's attorney general from 2007 to 2010. He also served in the cabinet of President Bill Clinton (D) as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1997 to 2001.

Biography

Cuomo was born on December 6, 1957, in Queens, New York. The son of former Governor Mario Cuomo (D), he graduated from Archbishop Molloy High School, Fordham University, and Albany Law School. Cuomo was his father's campaign manager. He headed his father's transition committee and served as an advisor during the senior Cuomo's governorship.

Cuomo worked as a New York assistant district attorney and for the law firm of Blutrich, Falcone & Miller between 1984 and 1986, when he founded the Housing Enterprise for the Less Privileged (HELP). Before becoming governor, Cuomo worked at the federal level, serving as assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from 1993 to 1997 and as secretary of HUD from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton (D). Returning to the state level, Cuomo served as New York attorney general from 2007 to 2010.

Political career

Governor of New York (2011-2021)

Andrew Cuomo was elected governor of New York in 2010 and assumed office on January 1, 2011. He won re-election in 2014 and 2018. He resigned on August 23, 2021.

New York State Attorney General (2007-2010)

Cuomo served as attorney general of New York from 2007 to 2010.

U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (1997-2001)

President Bill Clinton (D) appointed Cuomo secretary of housing and urban development. Cuomo served from 1997 to 2001.

Elections

2018

See also: New York gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018

See also: New York gubernatorial election, 2018 (September 13 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for Governor of New York

Incumbent Andrew Cuomo defeated Marcus Molinaro, Howie Hawkins, Larry Sharpe, and Stephanie Miner in the general election for Governor of New York on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Andrew Cuomo (D)	59.6	3,635,340
		Marcus Molinaro (R)	36.2	2,207,602
		Howie Hawkins (G)	1.7	103,946
		Larry Sharpe (L)	1.6	95,033
		Stephanie Miner (Serve America Movement Party)	0.9	55,441
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	7,115

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,104,477
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of New York

Incumbent Andrew Cuomo defeated Cynthia Nixon in the Democratic primary for Governor of New York on September 13, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Andrew Cuomo	65.5	1,021,160
		Cynthia Nixon	34.5	537,192

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,558,352
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Greg Waltman (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of New York

Marcus Molinaro advanced from the Republican primary for Governor of New York on September 13, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Marcus Molinaro

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• John DeFrancisco (R)
• Pankaj Shah (R)

Green primary election

Green primary for Governor of New York

Howie Hawkins advanced from the Green primary for Governor of New York on September 13, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Howie Hawkins

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Reform Party primary election

No Reform Party candidates ran in the primary.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Joel Giambra (Reform Party)

2014

See also: New York gubernatorial election, 2014

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Andrew Cuomo/Kathy Hochul Incumbent	54.3%	2,069,480
	Republican	Rob Astorino/Chris Moss	40.3%	1,536,879
	Green	Howie Hawkins/Brian Jones	4.8%	184,419
	Libertarian	Michael McDermott/Chris Edes	0.4%	16,967
	Sapient	Steven Cohn/Bobby K. Kalotee	0.1%	4,963
Total Votes				3,812,708
Election results via New York State Board of Elections

Governor of New York, Democratic Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Andrew Cuomo Incumbent	62.9%	361,380
Zephyr Teachout	33.5%	192,210
Randy Credico	3.6%	20,760
Total Votes		574,350
Election results via New York State Board of Elections.

2010

See also: New York gubernatorial election, 2010 and Gubernatorial elections, 2010

New York Governor/Lt. Governor, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Andrew Cuomo/Robert Duffy	61%	2,910,876
	Republican	Carl Paladino/Gregory Edwards	32.5%	1,547,857
	Green	Howie Hawkins/Gloria Mattera	1.3%	59,906
	Rent is 2 Damn High	Jimmy McMillan/No candidate	0.9%	41,129
	Libertarian	Warren Redlich/Alden Link	1%	48,359
	Anti-Prohibition	Kristin Davis/Tanya Gendelman	0.4%	20,421
	Freedom	Charles Barron/Eva Doyle	0.5%	24,571
	Blank	-	2.3%	107,823
	Void	-	0.1%	3,963
	Scattering	-	0.1%	4,836
Total Votes				4,769,741
Election results via New York State Board of Elections

2006

New York Attorney General, 2006
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Andrew Cuomo	58.3%	2,509,311
	Republican	Jeanine Pirro	39.3%	1,692,580
	Green	Rachel Treichler	1.4%	61,849
	Libertarian	Christopher B. Garvey	0.7%	29,413
	Socialist Workers	Martin Koppel	0.2%	10,197
Total Votes				4,303,350
Election results via New York Board of Elections

2006 Race for Attorney General - Democratic Primary Election
Candidates		Percentage
Andrew Cuomo (D)		53.5%
Mark Green (D)		32.4%
Sean Patrick Maloney (D)		9.3%
Charles G. King (D)		4.8%
Total votes		755,008

2002

In 2002, Cuomo ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination in the state's gubernatorial election. Cuomo withdrew his candidacy on the eve of the state convention, saying, "I will not close a gap in an election by opening one in the body politic." His name still appeared on the ballot in both the primary and general election contests. He received 14% of the vote in the primary and 16,000 votes out of a total of 2.2 million cast in the general election. George Pataki (R) defeated Democratic nominee Carl McCall in the general election.

Campaign themes

2018

Campaign website

Cuomo’s campaign website stated the following:

“	Civil Rights and Criminal Justice Reform New York was founded on the values of equality, justice and tolerance, and Governor Cuomo has fought over the past eight years to uphold that legacy. He established the Liberty Defense Project to assist immigrants threatened by intimidating policies and made history by creating the Office for New Americans as the first statutorily created immigrant services office. He has fought to pass the DREAM Act and will not stop fighting for DREAMERs. Additionally, he reformed an antiquated criminal justice system by raising the age of criminal responsibility to 18, implementing discovery reforms, and launching innovative re-entry programs to ensure a lower recidivism rate and fairness for all New Yorkers. Governor Cuomo has worked to provide opportunity for all, to welcome immigrants, and to protect individual and religious freedoms. He will defend these New York’s values against the extreme conservatives who are looking to take us backwards. Gun Safety While Washington ignores the scourge of gun violence, Governor Cuomo is taking action. Following Sandy Hook, he passed the SAFE Act — the toughest and smartest gun safety program in the nation. And as students across the nation speak out against gun violence in the wake of continued shootings, Governor Cuomo further strengthened New York law by enacting legislation that removes guns from domestic abusers. Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, a multi-state coalition was formed to share research and data to keep New Yorkers safer. Fighting for Women’s Equality Governor Cuomo knows that when women succeed, New York succeeds. He has fought to champion women’s rights and break down barriers to equality. Under Governor Cuomo, New York passed the most comprehensive paid family leave program in the nation, launched the most aggressive public university sexual assault policy in the country, fought for a comprehensive policy to combat sexual harassment, achieved the smallest wage gap in the country, and ensured that contraceptive coverage is not interrupted regardless of what happens in Washington. He will always protect a woman’s right to choose and will fight the extreme conservatives in Washington who threaten that right. LGBTQ Community Pride was born at the Stonewall Inn in New York, and Governor Cuomo is a tireless fighter for the rights of the LGBTQ community. Under the Governor’s leadership, New York became the first large state to pass marriage equality and to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity, transgender status or gender dysphoria. He has pledged to end the AIDS epidemic by 2020. Educational Opportunity for All From pre-kindergarten to college, Governor Cuomo is committed to providing the nation’s best educational opportunities to all New Yorkers. The Governor increased education funding to record highs, fought for funding equity in education, expanded full-day pre-k, launched New York’s first 3-year-old pre-k program, expanded community school programs, and passed the groundbreaking Excelsior Scholarship, a first-in-the-nation program to provide cost-free tuition at New York’s public colleges and universities. He puts students first and works to ensure that all New Yorkers are empowered to achieve their dreams. A Healthier New York Governor Cuomo believes health care is a right, not a luxury, and has fought to expand quality and affordable health care for more New Yorkers. From redesigning Medicaid to reduce costs and improve care, to embracing the Affordable Care Act, and enrolling nearly one in five New Yorkers through the state’s marketplace, Governor Cuomo strengthened New York’s health care system and set an example for other states to follow. He is also laser focused on combating the opioid epidemic, making record investments in treatment services and increasing access to life-saving Naloxone. Protecting New York’s Environment Governor Cuomo has taken decisive action to lead the fight against climate change, create the clean energy jobs of tomorrow, and protect our environment for generations to come. From banning fracking, to making record investments in conservation, clean water, and renewable energy like offshore wind and solar, to standing up to Washington’s proposal to drill off New York’s coast, Governor Cuomo is picking up the mantle of climate leadership where Washington is failing. Building a New New York To grow New York’s competitiveness in the 21st century global economy, Governor Cuomo is building today for a better tomorrow. Under the Governor’s leadership, and with the support of the men and women of organized labor, New York advanced a nation-leading $100 billion infrastructure program to rebuild roads, bridges, tunnels and airports, make historic investments in public transportation, and expand access to high speed broadband. Creating a Strong Middle Class Governor Cuomo knows that the American Dream depends on economic mobility and a strong middle class. Today, every New Yorker pays a lower tax rate than they did before he took office. He took action to change a largely flat, regressive income tax into a fairer tax system by adding additional brackets. Now New York has more private sector jobs than at any point in history. Governor Cuomo is also fighting to protect New Yorkers against Washington’s devastating elimination of full state and local tax deductibility and to protect our economy. Combatting Income Inequality Governor Cuomo is fighting for economic justice by securing New York’s groundbreaking $15 minimum wage, enacting critical protections for New York’s workers, passing the largest affordable housing and anti-homelessness program in state history, expanding the child care tax credit for working families, and passing the first in the nation plan to provide free college for New York students. Governor Cuomo has fought to give all New Yorkers the opportunity to succeed.	”
—Andrew Cuomo’s campaign website (2018)

Presidential preference

2020

See also: Presidential election in New York, 2020 and Democratic National Convention, 2020

Cuomo endorsed Joe Biden (D) in the 2020 presidential election.

2016

See also: Presidential election in New York, 2016 and Democratic National Convention, 2016

Cuomo endorsed Hillary Clinton (D) in the 2016 presidential election.

Campaign donors

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The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may not represent all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer, and campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Andrew Cuomo campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Result	Contributions
2018	Governor of New York		$37,030,713
2014	Governor of New York*		$48,027,072
2010	Governor of New York*		$26,165,833
2006	Attorney General of New York		$11,366,678
2002	Governor of New York*		$13,598,690
Grand total raised			$136,188,986
Source: Follow the Money
*These funds represent a joint-ticket race with the lieutenant gubernatorial nominee.

Noteworthy events

Governor (2011-2021)

Resignation (2021)

See also: Resignation of Andrew Cuomo, 2021

On August 10, 2021, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced that he would resign effective August 24. Kathy Hochul (D), formerly the lieutenant governor, served out the remainder of Cuomo's term, which ended on January 1, 2023.

Between December 2020 and August 2021, a series of events unfolded involving Cuomo that resulted in calls for his impeachment or resignation from office. He said on August 10, "Given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing."

Cuomo was the ninth governor of New York to resign from office and the 218th governor in the nation's history to do so. Click here for more information.

The following is an overview of the events and background that led to Cuomo's resignation.

On January 28, New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) released a report on her office's investigation into nursing home responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report stated that many nursing home residents died from COVID-19 in hospitals after they were transferred from nursing homes and that these deaths were not reflected in the Department of Health's count of nursing home deaths. The report stated that nursing home resident deaths appeared to be undercounted by about 50%.

On February 17, the F.B.I. and U.S. Attorney's office began an investigation of the actions of Cuomo's task force in relation to the handling of nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cuomo said about the timing of the release of nursing home fatality data, "More than anything it was just a capacity issue. ... Remember, at the same time we’re managing the pandemic; that’s what everyone was doing, and these things take time and the No. 1 priority was saving peoples’ lives."

Between December 2020 and April 7, 2021, at least 11 women accused Cuomo of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior. In February, James announced that her office would be conducting an investigation into the accusations.

Cuomo denied these allegations, saying, in part, “To be clear I never inappropriately touched anybody and I never propositioned anybody and I never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable[.]”

On August 3, James released the investigation report, stating that Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, breaking state and federal laws in doing so. The report's executive summary read, in part, that Cuomo "sexually harassed a number of current and former New York State employees by, among other things, engaging in unwelcome and nonconsensual touching, as well as making numerous offensive comments of a suggestive and sexual nature that created a hostile work environment for women."

Cuomo responded to the report's release, stating: "I never touched anyone inappropriately or made inappropriate sexual advances. I am 63 years old. I have lived my entire adult life in public view. That is just not who I am, and that’s not who I have ever been."

Prominent Democrats called for Cuomo’s resignation. They included President Joe Biden (D); U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.); Govs. Phil Murphy (D-N.J.), Tom Wolf (D-Pa.), Ned Lamont (D-Conn.), and Dan McKee (D-R.I.); state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D); and state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D).

Stance on Syrian refugee resettlement (2015)

Main article: U.S. governors and their responses to Syrian refugees

After the attacks in Paris, France, on November 13, 2015, many U.S. governors declared their support or opposition to Syrian refugee resettlement in their states. Cuomo expressed support for the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state of New York. He said:

“	The day America says close the gates, build the wall, then I say take down the Statue of Liberty because you’ve gone to a different place.	”
—Governor Andrew Cuomo

Firearms policy (2013-2015)

Following the December 14, 2012, school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, Gov. Cuomo sought to make firearms policy a legislative priority in 2013. The legislature passed the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Act during the 2013 session. The legislation included restrictions on ammunition and the sale of guns, as well as provisions to keep guns from people with mental illness who made threats. New York was the first state to pass new laws after the Newtown shooting.

As a part of the legislation passed following the Newtown shooting, provisions were put into place that expanded bans on certain types of weapons and high-capacity magazines. One provision was a database that would track ammunition sales in real time and allow background checks on ammunition sales. However, on July 10, 2015, Cuomo's administration agreed to suspend the implementation of the database, according to a memorandum of understanding.

The memorandum was signed by the Cuomo administration and the Senate's Republican leadership. New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D) told reporters he did not participate in the negotiations. Heastie commented, “The law may not be ‘suspended’ by a memorandum such as this. I believe the law should be followed and implemented as intended." State Senator Michael N. Gianaris (D), the deputy Senate minority leader, said the agreement was unconstitutional.

Republicans characterized the agreement as a win for Second Amendment rights in the state. An official with the National Rifle Association (NRA), James J. Baker, called the memorandum “a step in the right direction to restore a degree of sanity after the SAFE Act’s over-the-top demonization of lawful New York gun owners."

Cuomo's office stated the memorandum only codified an already existing delay in the implementation of the database provision in the SAFE Act and had no impact on the law. Alphonso B. David, the governor’s counsel, said the memorandum of understanding "provides assurances to all that the database will not be implemented until it is ready and tested.”

Ballot measure activity

Ballotpedia is not aware of any personal political advocacy by this officeholder related to ballot measures we track. If you are aware of any, please email us.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.

Cuomo was married to Kerry Kennedy, the seventh child of Robert F. Kennedy, for 13 years until they divorced in 2003. They have three children together.

State profile

Demographic data for New York
	New York	U.S.
Total population:	19,747,183	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	47,126	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	64.6%	73.6%
Black/African American:	15.6%	12.6%
Asian:	8%	5.1%
Native American:	0.4%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.9%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	18.4%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	85.6%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	34.2%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$59,269	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	18.5%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in New York. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in New York

New York voted for the Democratic candidate in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, 18 are located in New York, accounting for 8.74 percent of the total pivot counties.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. New York had 14 Retained Pivot Counties and four Boomerang Pivot Counties, accounting for 7.73 and 16.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by David Paterson (D)	Governor of New York 2011–2021	Succeeded by Kathy Hochul (D)
Preceded by Eliot Spitzer (D)	New York Attorney General 2007–2010	Succeeded by Eric Schneiderman (D)