New York State Attorney General Letitia James announces run for governor
Send a link to a friend
[October 30, 2021]
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Letitia James,
the New York state attorney general whose sexual harassment
investigation led to former Governor Andrew Cuomo's resignation, said in
a Twitter message on Friday that she intended to seek the state's
highest office.
"I'm running for Governor of New York because I have the experience,
vision, and courage to take on the powerful on behalf of all New
Yorkers," the Democrat wrote. "Let's do this, together."
James, 63, is the first candidate to challenge fellow Democrat Kathy
Hochul, the former lieutenant governor who replaced Cuomo to become the
state's first woman governor when he stepped down on Aug. 24.
Hochul, also 63, a Buffalo native, has already announced her candidacy
for a full four-year stint as governor of the country's fourth most
populous state when the remaining portion of the term she inherited from
Cuomo expires at the end of 2022.
Other Democrats who may be planning a run include New York City Mayor
Bill de Blasio, whose term expires at the end of this year and who the
New York Times reported earlier this month has told associates he
intends to challenge Hochul.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2021/Oct/30/images/ads/current/remington_sda_100120.png)
If James were to win the Democratic nomination and go on to defeat her
Republican opponent, she would become the first Black female governor of
any of the 50 states. Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams narrowly missed
reaching that milestone in 2018.
Elected in 2018, James is in her first term as attorney general, an
office from which some of her predecessors, including Cuomo, have
stepped up to governor, thanks in part to its jurisdiction over
high-profile legal cases in the country's financial capital.
This year alone, James joined a probe of former U.S.
President Donald Trump's namesake company that led to its indictment on
tax fraud charges and asked a federal bankruptcy court to dissolve the
National Rifle Association.
[to top of second column]
|
![](../images/103021pics/news_m59.jpg)
New York State Attorney General, Letitia James, speaks during a news
conference, to announce criminal justice reform in New York City,
U.S., May 21, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo/File
Photo/File Photo
![](../images/ads/current/centraldirect_lda_SPONSOR_2021.png)
She has also joined other state attorneys general in seeking tighter
antitrust restrictions of Big Tech companies and challenging the
restrictive abortion law of Texas.
But her most prominent move in the state's political arena was her
168-page report on Aug. 3 that found Cuomo unlawfully groped, kissed
or made suggestive comments to 11 women, many of them aides in his
office.
Cuomo has denied touching anyone inappropriately and decried the
report as unfair, even as he prepared to leave the governor's
mansion after declaring that remaining in office would paralyze
state government.
His attorney, Rita Glavin, accused James of bias, claiming that her
report "purposefully omits key evidence."
James began her political career as a member of the New York City
Council from her native Brooklyn and was elected in 2013 as the
city's public advocate, which serves as a watchdog over other
municipal agencies.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2021/Oct/30/images/ads/current/atlantabank_lda_SFARM_2019.png) |