Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York might have resigned in shame final yr amid accusations of sexual harassment, however he nonetheless controls a battle chest of greater than $16 million, in response to information launched on Tuesday.
Mr. Cuomo, as soon as one of many strongest fund-raisers within the Democratic Social gathering, left workplace final summer season with $18 million in marketing campaign funds. It was a staggering quantity, particularly for a departing official — although that sum has been surpassed by his successor, Gov. Kathy Hochul, whose group introduced on Tuesday that her marketing campaign raised practically $21.6 million in 5 months, with greater than $21 million in money readily available.
The latest disclosure report confirmed that Mr. Cuomo’s stockpile had diminished since leaving workplace, as he made vital expenditures to regulation corporations, reflecting the morass of authorized difficulties he has confronted.
However with greater than $16.4 million in money readily available, Mr. Cuomo stays among the many best-funded political figures in New York.
Mr. Cuomo isn’t fund-raising as a candidate, however he has continued to speak with supporters and to pay just a few advisers — and he has additionally continued to soak up some donations, particularly low-dollar donations, a few of which got here from exterior New York. Some associates have mentioned he seems eager about regaining relevance in public life, at the same time as many big-spending onetime allies have reduce ties. He reported greater than $200,000 in contributions and greater than $2 million in expenditures for the newest marketing campaign finance interval.
The discharge comes a number of weeks after high prosecutors in Nassau, Westchester and Albany Counties declared the sexual harassment allegations in opposition to Mr. Cuomo to be disturbing, credible and severe, however concluded that they’d not prosecute him for against the law.
Mr. Cuomo has plainly been emboldened by these developments.
Final week, Mr. Cuomo’s lawyer, Rita Glavin, held a information convention wherein she questioned the credibility of among the girls who accused Mr. Cuomo of misconduct, and laced into the state legal professional basic’s workplace, which oversaw the investigation that concluded Mr. Cuomo sexually harassed 11 girls.
She declined to invest on Mr. Cuomo’s political future, however mentioned he was exploring “no matter authorized choices he has accessible to him.”
Mr. Cuomo’s marketing campaign arm paid for an e mail to supporters on Tuesday morning that sharply criticized Legal professional Normal Letitia James and promoted Ms. Glavin’s look. Ms. James and her group have strongly defended the report.
On the similar time, Mr. Cuomo has remained in contact with associates and onetime allies, sounding a few of them out over the past a number of months in regards to the political panorama, at the same time as many Democrats have made clear they hope he stays on the sidelines. One Democrat acquainted with a few of Mr. Cuomo’s calls mentioned that he appeared to have began growing his outreach within the New York political enviornment earlier this month, as a decide dismissed a legal grievance that had accused him of groping a former aide within the Government Mansion in late 2020.
One other one who spoke with him in latest weeks mentioned Mr. Cuomo seemed that he was in search of vindication, and made clear that he believed those that had known as for his resignation had made a mistake.
Mr. Cuomo might use his remaining funds past any effort to hunt workplace himself, from making political donations — although accepting cash from him could be politically fraught for a lot of Democrats — to attacking perceived adversaries to efforts to enhance his picture.
Nicholas Fandos contributed reporting.