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Despite the Cuomo controversy, many members of New York’s business community seem to have rallied around him. CNBC reported on donors who decided to cut their contributions to the Democratic governor after a series of scandals. Despite the scandal surrounding the Democratic governor of New York City, many business-minded New Yorkers seem to be rallying around him.
Cuomo did not confirm his announcement prior to the scandal that he would run for a fourth term as New York Governor – a performance that was different from that of his father, Governor Mario Cuomo. In July, a poll of Siena College found that a majority of New York voters want someone else than Cuomo to run for governor in 2022. Only 35% of registered voters would like Cuomo re-elected, while 56% would like to see another candidate.
Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks after an announcement during an on-stage briefing in Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, New York City on May 17, 2021. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced his 2021 agenda for regeneration, reconstruction, and re-development, which includes a national leading proposal to not only defeat COVID-19, but also address critical issues facing New York and the country including boosting the state economic recovery, creating a more fair and more equitable state, reopening the state, leading a growing green energy economy and rebuilding and strengthening state infrastructure. Governor of New York State Andrew Cuomo (R-NY) speaks after an announcement on May 19, 2020 at a news conference in Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, New York.
Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference in New York on Wednesday, June 23, 2021. Cuomo’s campaign aides have announced plans to donate money to his re-election effort amid an ongoing investigation into allegations that he sexually harassed workers and manipulated data on nursing home deaths. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo rejected claims that he sexually harassed women and mislead the public about the death of Covid-19 in a nursing home
Democrats’ most reliable political backers, including labor unions, wealthy executives and Democratic Party officials, said they had no plans to give money to his re-election bid. Drake Ventures LLC, which is linked to political operative Roger Stone, paid $5,000 for’strategy campaign advice’ on March 24 of this year and made three other payments totalling $20,000. He continued to pay Stone despite the ongoing investigation.
Meanwhile, Republican Matt Gaetz faces an ongoing federal investigation into alleged sex trafficking, and new reports on campaign finance reveal how he is spending money he took during the investigation. After it was revealed in late March that the Justice Department was investigating if Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old and paid her to travel with him, Gaetz launched a nationwide fundraising campaign amid the allegations. According to reports, his campaign raised $1.4 million between 30 March and the end of June, down from $18 million raised in the first three months of the year.
Andrew Cuomo reached an agreement on Tuesday on the state’s $21.2 billion budget by agreeing to a tax hike for wealthy New Yorkers and establishing a fund for undocumented workers who were excluded from financial assistance during the pandemic. Under Governor Cuomo’s proposal, the New York State Gaming Commission would issue a call for proposals recommending one or more providers of mobile sports betting in New York. A bill detailing the finer points of the proposal was unveiled Tuesday night.
The New York State Gaming Commission will require companies operating mobile betting apps to put in place safeguards against abuse and addiction. He also mentioned Cuomo’s leadership in the pandemic environment, public works and the redevelopment of Penn Station and LaGuardia Airport. Construction on New York Power Authority’s 86-mile Smart Path project in Massena and Croghan has already started, and construction has begun on several key projects in the western city of New York and the mid-Hudson metropolitan area.
After years of warnings that tax increases on New York’s rich risk displacing a pillar of the state’s tax base, he bowed to progressive demands to raise taxes on wealthy New Yorkers. Also he had to contend with an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment, the use of his office to underestimate nursing home deaths, new revelations that took relative precedence over COVID-19 testing, and the use of state workers to secure a book deal for $4 million while his usual budget strongholds disappeared. Cuomo’s influence in budget deliberations has been strong in recent years, to the point that he has not diminished during his three terms as governor.
