NEW YORK -- New York Attorney General Letitia James will make her political future clear very soon -- and it involves a gubernatorial run in 2022.
According to the New York Times, James has informed allies that she will run and aides have made calls seeking early endorsements to jumpstart her campaign. The announcement reportedly could come as soon as Thursday.
A senior adviser for James only said Wednesday that James “has made a decision regarding the governor's race. She will be announcing it in the coming days."
James has been the state’s attorney general since 2019. Before that, she spent four years as New York City’s public advocate and a decade in as a Brooklyn city councilwoman.
James has dropped hints of possibly running for the Governor’s Mansion in 2022 over the past month, and has made some recent hires for adviser and fundraising positions, according to the New York Times.
James' AG’s office most notably released a report in August detailing allegations of sexual harassment from several woman against then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo resigned from office on Aug. 23.
James would be going up against Gov. Kathy Hochul as she seeks a full term. She could also run alongside current NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Mayor Bill de Blasio — both of whom have not yet confirmed whether they will run, but Williams formed an exploratory committee.
On the Republican side, former Westchester Executive Rob Astorino, Long Island Rep. Lee Zeldin and Andrew Giuliani, Rudy’s son, have declared as running for governor.
Hochul led James 47%-31% head-to-head in a Siena College poll that was released last week. James placed third among respondents in a field that included Hochul, Cuomo, James, Williams and de Blasio.
It wasn't a question of if, but when James would announce her intention to run for governor. She could become New York's, in fact the nation's, first female Black governor, but first she has to win the Democratic primary in a potentially crowded field, according to political strategist Hank Sheinkopf.
"She should do very well statewide, certainly, against Gov. Hochul. It would be a real race, but again it depends how many people are in the field and Tish James is announcing now so she can frankly try to clear the field so there are less people who can interfere with her base which is Brooklyn, among them could be Bill de Blasio and Jumaane Williams," Sheinkopf told WCBS 880's Marla Diamond.
Also a potential obstacle is Cuomo. He's trying to eat away at James' credibility, dipping into his $18 million campaign war chest to pay surrogates who continue to accuse James of using her office for political gain, a claim she denies citing the independent lawyers charged with investigating sexual misconduct claims against Cuomo.
Related
