In a complete flip-flop, influential South Carolina Democrat Rep. James Clyburn is endorsing former disgraced Gov. Andrew Cuomo for mayor of New York City. It’s an effort to help Cuomo appeal to Black voters four years after he resigned from office amid a widening sex scandal.
Clyburn joined with other top Democrats back in 2021, calling for Cuomo’s resignation as he faced a barrage of sexual assault allegations.
“Rep. Jim Clyburn, who was once the highest-ranking Black member of Congress, will endorse Cuomo today and make robocalls urging New Yorkers to vote this weekend before it gets hotter,” New York Times City Hall Bureau Chief Emma Fitzsimmons wrote on X.
Clyburn cited Cuomo’s experience in office, his accomplishments and his ability to build coalitions as the reason for his endorsement, according to The Hill.
Cuomo welcomed Clyburn’s support, saying he is “honored and humbled.” Clyburn and Cuomo have known each other for decades, since Cuomo served as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the 1990s under former President Bill Clinton.
Social media users were scratching their heads, speculating on why Clyburn would endorse the former disgraced governor. Many are not happy with either Clyburn’s endorsement or Cuomo’s candidacy.
“So Clyburn called on Cuomo to resign as governor but if endorsing him for mayor? It’s not about morality, it’s not even about winning. It’s about blocking young people and progressives. It’s about protecting corporate interests and maintaining the status quo- even if it means destroying the democratic party and driving the future base away.
Communications and campaign strategist Yonah Lieberman wrote, “Another embarrassing endorsement from an establishment Democrat who called on Cuomo to resign.” That post referred to a comment Clyburn made when Cuomo was still governor.
“It’s about power — unlimited power. There is a belief in their camp that centralized power is an ends and without it, nothing is possible,” an X user posted.
Cuomo resigned as governor in August 2021. But he’s leading in the polls among nine other candidates, including City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, City Comptroller Brad Lander, former Comptroller Scott Stringer, and NY State Rep. Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani is ranked second in the polls.
Incumbent New York Mayor and former Democrat Eric Adams is running for re-election as an Independent after his indictment on federal bribery charges last year. The Justice Department dropped the charges after President Donald Trump was elected to a second term. Critics contend the charges were dropped after Adams agreed to cooperate with the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Adams has denied the claims.
The primary is Tuesday and it’s the second time New Yorkers will use ranked-choice voting in the mayoral race, where residents will pick not only their top candidate, but rank several others in order of preference.
