Editor’s Note: The video above originally aired on Feb. 7

NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) – Andrew Cuomo announced he’s running for New York City mayor in the upcoming election after months of speculation. 

The former New York governor will take on incumbent Mayor Eric Adams in the Democratic primary. 

“We know that today our New York City is in trouble,” Cuomo said in a 17-minute announcement video posted to social media.

“These conditions exist not as an act of God, but rather as an act of our political leaders, or more precisely, the lack of intelligent action by many of our political leaders,” he continued.

Before Cuomo entered the race, many polls showed him as an early favorite for New York City voters. A February poll by PIX11 News, Emerson College and The Hill showed Cuomo was the first choice for 33% of Democratic voters. Some 10% of voters said Adams was their first choice for mayor. 

Cuomo served as New York governor from 2011 to 2021, when he resigned after an independent investigation found he had sexually harassed multiple women, including state employees. His resignation also came on the heels of criticism and investigations related to his handling of nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“New York tough means New York loving, and I love New York and I love you,” Cuomo said at the time of his resignation. “I would never want to be unhelpful in any way, and I think given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing.”

He joins an already crowded pool of candidates for the June 24 primary, including Adams, City Comptroller Brad Lander, State Senators Zellnor Myrie and Jessica Ramos, former Comptroller Scott Stringer, State Assemblymembers Zohran Mamdani and Michael Blake and hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson.

Some of the candidates, like Lander, have already taken aim at Cuomo. But Adams has been more measured in anticipation of Cuomo’s candidacy.

“There’s a lot of time ‘til June,” Adams said just ahead of petitions to get on the ballot being circulated in late February. “I’ve talked before about Andrew Yang leading me by double digits in February [last election] and we saw what happened. We’re not calling Andrew Yang mayor, we’re saying Eric Adams is mayor.”

Cuomo began pondering a political comeback less than a year after his resignation, as several of the more serious sexual harassment claims against him did not turn into criminal charges.

And, he’s already secured the endorsement of Bronx Congressman Ritchie Torres, who said he is not interested in “relitigating” the sexual harassment scandal in the upcoming election. 

“I represent a working-class district, largely African-American and Latinos, and Andrew Cuomo has immense popularity and credibility with the people I represent, so I’m representing the preferences of the people of the Bronx,” he said.