Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s son told The Washington Examiner he plans to challenge New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in next year’s gubernatorial election.
“I plan to run,” Andrew Giuliani, a former top White House aide to Donald Trump, told the outlet on Wednesday.
“Outside of anybody named Trump, I think I have the best chance to win and take the state back, and I think there's an opportunity in 2022 with a wounded Democratic candidate, whether it's going to be Gov. [Andrew] Cuomo, whether it's going to be a radical [Attorney General] Letitia James, whether it's going to be a no-name lieutenant governor, I think there's a very, very real chance to win,” he said.
Giuliani, who worked as the director of the Office of Public Liaison in the Trump White House, has no elected experience.
The 35-year-old former golf executive recently landed a job at Newsmax as a political commentator.
Trump ally joins race:
New York Rep. Lee Zeldin, another Republican Trump ally, announced on Thursday that he will run for governor as well.
"From the tax policy to the public safety to the attacks on our freedoms, we're seeing a weakened governor because of all of the scandals, the loss of life, the cover-up, the investigations, but it's been impacting us in many ways and it's time for us to do something about it," the Long Island Republican told Fox News.
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik has been rumored as a potential contender as well, along with several county officials.
Cuomo eyes fourth term:
New York has grown strongly Democratic since the state elected Republican Gov. George Pataki nearly 20 years ago but Republicans sense an opening with Cuomo wounded by scandal.
Cuomo is expected to seek a fourth term despite facing an impeachment investigation and a state attorney general investigation into sexual harassment allegations by more than a half-dozen women.
Cuomo has also faced political blowback for his directive requiring nursing homes to accept coronavirus patients and for inserting a legal immunity waiver for the nursing homes into the last state budget.
