Black leaders gather around Cuomo

NEW YORK – Governor Andrew Cuomo has become an outcast in many New York political circles, with almost the entire Congressional delegation, both US senators and most of the state legislature, asking him to step down because of the growing allegations of sexual harassment.

But the scandal-scarred leader was among friends on Wednesday at Mount Neboh Baptist Church in Harlem, smiling and showing a thumbs-up while receiving his coronavirus vaccine surrounded by black leaders and members of the clergy.

“Some people will say, why would the governor choose a time like this to come to Harlem to get his chance?” former deputy Charlie Rangel said at the event. “When people start to pile up on you … you go to your family and you go to your friends, because you know they will be with you.”

As Cuomo is abandoned by other Democrats in Albany and Washington, his strategy for staying in power – and perhaps even being re-elected – is a tried and tested political game: “Dance with the one who brought him”.

Cuomo, increasingly isolated, has relied heavily on black leaders during the crisis. His appearance in Harlem was the fourth such event he has held in the past few days – all broadcast online, but closed to the press, apparently due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Black voters came in large numbers to Cuomo in his last two Democratic primaries and remain among his most important and reliable support blocks. Two polls in recent weeks show that black voters continue to support the governor in large numbers, despite his support hemorrhage among elected Democrats.

Like many of the leaders who have supported Cuomo in recent weeks, Rangel – who had his own contact with the scandal – emphasized the need to reserve the trial until the conclusion of an investigation launched by the state attorney general on multiple allegations of harassment and inappropriate behavior Cuomo now faces.

“Stay away until you have some facts,” he said.

Any path to the governor’s re-election, if he survives long enough to run for a fourth term, will pass through the black electorate. A former aide to the governor said the strategy is in line with the state’s needs at the moment.

“Is good governance a good policy? Absolutely. It makes sense, because he was always there, ”said the former Cuomo employee, who remains close to the government.

The person, who asked to remain anonymous to talk about the governor’s strategy, noted that most black voters are older, women and “not on Twitter” – an electorate that Cuomo and his father, the late Mario Cuomo, have always courted.

“The name Cuomo is synonymous with that,” said the person.

The governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the strategy.

At least six women, including several former aides, have accused Cuomo of misconduct, ranging from groping aggressively to inappropriate comments. Attorney General Tish James, the first black woman to hold office, launched an investigation into the allegations, and the state legislature started the process to open an impeachment investigation.

A Siena College poll released this week revealed that 69 percent of black voters believe that Cuomo should not resign, the highest figure for any of the demographic groups surveyed, while only 22 percent said they should. This compares to 35% who say he should resign among all polled voters and 41% among white voters.

Black voters were the least likely to say that Cuomo committed sexual harassment – with 21% saying they believe so – and the most likely to say they are satisfied with the way he handled the charges, 71%.

And if Cuomo ran for a fourth term in 2022, 59% of black voters said they would support him, while 29% said they would prefer another. Among voters in all disputes, 52% want someone else, while only 34% re-elect Cuomo.

“We all know how many people, especially in our community, are now in prison because of accusations. Claims and facts are two different things, ”Pastor Johnnie Green, pastor of Mount Neboh, said in an interview after Wednesday’s event.

He said the calls for Cuomo to resign before the investigation were “absurd”.

“I think it is premature and there will be a lot of confusion on the face of many people if the facts come to their advantage,” he added.

Cuomo’s support among black voters is far from monolithic, and a number of black elected representatives are among those who ask that he resign or be removed. They include state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, representatives Jamaal Bowman and Mondaire Jones, New York City public attorney Jumaane Williams and many state lawmakers.

Some consider their survival strategy cynical.

“I am a little disgusted that he is trying to use blacks as a shield for what he did,” said state senator Jabari Brisport (D-Brooklyn), who called for Cuomo’s impeachment.

“I saw colleagues compare what’s going on with Cuomo to Central Park Five or Emmett Till, and I think they’re completely wrong. We are talking about a governor who pushed for policies that really hurt blacks more in this state, ”he said. “We are the last ones who should come to your defense now.”

Williams called Cuomo’s tactics “sleazy”, saying he exploited the experience of black New Yorkers with false allegations in the criminal justice system to serve his own defense.

“The black community has a long history of trauma around many issues and it is definitely within Cuomo’s manual to use trauma and people’s sensitivity against them. So I’m not surprised, ”he said. “It is not above him.”

In the past few days, Cuomo has appeared alongside black clergy in Syracuse, Long Island, and at the Javits Center in Manhattan to promote the Covid-19 vaccine, and reveled in positive comments about his pandemic leadership.

He was recently supported by a statement launched by 21 female Democratic members of the Assembly, led by majority leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, who argued that demanding Cuomo’s immediate resignation would undermine the authority of the first black attorney general.

“We ask that she have adequate time to complete her investigation, instead of undermining her role and responsibility as the New York state police chief,” the group said.

Cuomo’s allies also distributed statements supporting his wait-and-see stance from a group of black members of the clergy and from the New York NAACP Conference President Hazel Dukes, whom Cuomo referred to as his “second mother”.

“As a civil rights defender, I believe in due process,” Dukes said in an interview. “You have no proof. You have no proof. “

Rev. Al Sharpton said he is reluctant to ask for Cuomo’s resignation before the results of the investigation are released, and is hearing the same sentiment from chapter leaders in his National Action Network and listeners to his radio program.

“There is an innate distrust of jumping to conclusions, because we have been more victims,” ​​Sharpton said in an interview.

But that could change if it becomes clear that Cuomo is incapable of governing and legislative leaders are unable to negotiate the state budget with him.

“It would push me to the top, and a lot of the black community,” said Sharpton.

Cuomo was twice re-elected among the primary opponents on his left, driven by the strong support of black neighborhoods in New York City, even when he fell out of favor with some upstate residents and white liberals.

Before the scandal broke, he was expected to run for a fourth term. He did not provide answers in response to questions about whether he still plans to run.

Green predicted that black voters would support Cuomo unless the investigation found evidence of irregularities.

“He has a very impressive track record. It will be difficult to deny him a fourth term, if the facts of those allegations turn out to be in his favor. It will be difficult to argue against a fourth term, ”he said.

But Brisport said that as the allegations continue to emerge, his support will wane.

“Everyone has their limit. Some people reached their limits months ago or years ago in response to the governor, and some people have not yet arrived, ”he said.

Sharpton said it all depends on who gets in the ring against Cuomo. Williams and James were mentioned as potential candidates.

“If he was being challenged by Jumaane Williams, he would be hurt. If he were running against Donald Trump Jr., he would probably have an increase in votes. ” Sharpton said.

Anna Gronewold, Shannon Young and Bill Mahoney contributed to this report.