Andrew Cuomo used to be everywhere. If you lived through 2020, you probably remember those daily televised briefings—the PowerPoint slides, the stern-yet-comforting "New York Tough" mantra, and that deep, gravelly voice that made half the country feel like someone was actually in charge. He won an Emmy for those performances. People were calling themselves "Cuomosexuals." Fast forward to now, and the guy is mostly a cautionary tale of how quickly a political titan can hit the pavement.
The story of the 56th governor of New York isn't just about a messy exit. It’s about a man who governed like a Roman emperor in a digital age, only to find out that the old-school "bully" tactics don't play as well when the world starts looking closer at the fine print.
The Builder and the Boss
Honestly, you can't talk about Andrew Cuomo without talking about concrete. He loved to build things. Huge, shiny, expensive things. He was obsessed with infrastructure in a way that felt like a throwback to the Robert Moses era.
While most politicians just talk about fixing a bridge for twenty years, Cuomo actually got it done. He replaced the Tappan Zee with the massive Mario M. Cuomo Bridge (named after his father, because of course it was). He turned LaGuardia Airport from a "third-world country" laughingstock into a legitimate world-class terminal. He opened the Second Avenue Subway. These weren't small wins; they were massive, multi-billion dollar projects that required cracking heads and demanding results.
But that "cracking heads" part was the double-edged sword. He was known for a "my way or the highway" style that left a trail of enemies from Albany to Buffalo. If you were a Democrat who didn't fall in line, he’d find a way to freeze you out. If you were a Republican, he’d often try to cut a deal that made them look like the junior partner. It worked for a decade, until it didn't.
The Pandemic Pivot and the Nursing Home Disaster
When COVID-19 hit New York City, Cuomo became the national face of the response. He stood in contrast to the chaos in Washington, D.C., projecting a sense of total control. But behind the scenes, things were getting messy.
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One of the biggest stains on his legacy—and a key reason he eventually lost his grip on power—was the nursing home scandal. Essentially, his administration issued a directive on March 25, 2020, that required nursing homes to accept COVID-positive patients being discharged from hospitals. The logic was to free up hospital beds for the "surge," but the result was a catastrophe for the state's most vulnerable seniors.
The Number Shuffle
It wasn't just the policy itself; it was the cover-up. A report from Attorney General Letitia James eventually revealed that the governor of New York's office had undercounted nursing home deaths by as much as 50%. Basically, if a nursing home resident died in a hospital instead of the facility, the state didn't count it as a "nursing home death."
Why? Because they were worried the Trump administration would use the real numbers as a "political football." That choice to prioritize optics over transparency ended up being the first major crack in his armor.
The Fall: 11 Women and a Resignation
The end didn't come because of the nursing home data. It came because of a 165-page report that detailed a pattern of sexual harassment.
In August 2021, Letitia James released the findings of an independent investigation. It was brutal. The report concluded that Cuomo had harassed 11 women—most of them current or former state employees. The allegations ranged from "inappropriate" comments about their sex lives to nonconsensual touching and kissing.
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Cuomo’s defense was... well, it was vintage Cuomo. He claimed he was just "old-fashioned" and that his "natural instinct is to be aggressive." He argued that the "line had been redrawn" and he hadn't realized it.
The pressure was too much. Even his old allies, including President Joe Biden and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, told him it was over. On August 23, 2021, Andrew Cuomo resigned. He walked to a waiting helicopter and left Albany, seemingly for good.
The Failed 2025 Comeback
If you think a guy like Cuomo stays down for long, you haven't been paying attention. In early 2025, he decided to run for Mayor of New York City. He pitched himself as the "experienced hand" who could save a city he claimed was in decline.
He had the money. He had the name. He even had some surprising endorsements, including a weirdly timed nod from Donald Trump. But the voters weren't having it. He ended up losing the Democratic primary to Zohran Mamdani, a millennial socialist who represented everything Cuomo spent his career fighting against. Cuomo tried to run as an independent in the general election, but he lost that, too. It felt like the final closing of the book on the Cuomo dynasty.
What Most People Get Wrong
There's a common idea that Cuomo was some sort of ultra-progressive hero because of the marriage equality act or the $15 minimum wage. In reality, he was a centrist who mostly moved left when he felt a primary challenge breathing down his neck. He was a master of political survival first, and an ideologue second.
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He also had a notoriously toxic relationship with former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio. Their "bickering" wasn't just personality clashes; it actually delayed critical lockdown decisions during the start of the pandemic. Experts suggest that the delay in closing schools and businesses—caused by the two of them trying to out-maneuver each other—likely cost thousands of lives.
Key Takeaways for Navigating NY Politics
If you’re trying to understand the current state of New York, you have to look at the vacuum Cuomo left behind. Here is how his tenure still affects the state today:
- Infrastructure Momentum: The major projects he started are still the backbone of NY transportation. If you're traveling through LaGuardia or the Moynihan Train Hall, you're walking through his legacy.
- The Power of the AG: Letitia James’s office is now seen as the most powerful check on executive power in the state. No governor will ever feel "untouchable" in Albany again.
- Political Realignment: His defeat in the 2025 mayoral race showed that the old "machine" politics is dying. The state is trending much further left than the centrist "Cuomo-ism" of the 2010s.
If you want to keep tabs on how the state is moving forward, watch the upcoming budget battles in Albany. That’s where the "builder" legacy is being dismantled or doubled-down on by the new guard.
To stay truly informed on New York's political shifts, you should follow the New York State Board of Elections for upcoming filings and the Office of the New York State Attorney General for ongoing oversight reports. These are the two places where the "fine print" of power actually gets written.