"Cuomo's Gotta Go," said Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) on Twitter on Tuesday. And he wants to be the guy to kick him out. Fielding a nursing home scandal had already weakened Gov. Andrew Cuomo politically, but with a new trio of sexual harassment accusations against him, Cuomo finds even his own party starting to turn against him.
Zeldin sees an opening and he is "actively exploring" a run against Gov. Cuomo in 2022.
??With his nursing home cover-up & abuse coming more to light, it's clear #CuomosGottaGo. As a NYer, I can't sit back as Cuomo attacks our freedoms, our wallets & our safety. After many msgs of encouragement & discussing w/ my fam, I’m actively exploring a 2022 run for Gov of NY. https://t.co/iek5YiCF3E
— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) March 2, 2021
"After a lot of people reached out to me in recent days and weeks and after discussing it at length with my wife and daughters, I am now actively exploring a run for governor of New York against Andrew Cuomo is 2022," Zeldin told Newsday in a phone interview. "I feel like we have a need to save our state, that we have to work together to protect our freedoms, our wallets and our safety — and it doesn't matter whether you are a Republican, a Democrat or an independent."
Cuomo's downfall seemed to happen in record time these last few weeks. First his aide Melissa DeRosa admitted in a phone call with Democratic legislators that the administration hid the number of nursing home deaths because they fear a Department of Justice investigation. As New Yorkers were still reeling from that news, they watched as former female state employees came forward to present their sexual harassment allegations against the governor.
He issued a statement in which he said he was "truly sorry" if he had made anyone uncomfortable with his "insensitive" words or interactions.
On Monday New York attorney general Letitia James said that she is going to launch an investigation into the female employees' accounts.