Andrew Cuomo's Anger Is Legendary. And It's Powering His Comeback. [View all]
NEW YORK — In 2021, as Assemblymember Ron Kim was drawing a bath for his children, his phone rang. It was Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and he was furious. Kim had criticized Cuomo’s handling of nursing home deaths during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, Cuomo was screaming. He threatened to “destroy” Kim, a fellow Democrat. He tried to pressure Kim into issuing a public statement and said Kim “hadn’t seen his wrath,” according to Kim’s later public account. Kim immediately pushed for impeachment legislation against Cuomo, who resigned six months later amid a sexual harassment scandal and a looming effort to remove him from office. Cuomo denies any wrongdoing.
Less than four years later, with Cuomo leading in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary that will take place Tuesday, Kim still hasn’t endorsed, but he told The New York Times that he’s had a change of heart about his former enemy. “I’ve always been open to giving people a fair shot,” Kim, who declined to comment for this article, said. “I want to see, sitting across from him, if he’s changed.”
Another state lawmaker, granted anonymity by POLITICO Magazine for fear of retribution from Cuomo’s camp, insists Cuomo hasn’t — and that his bullying has extended into his current campaign for mayor.
When Cuomo asked directly for an endorsement, the lawmaker said, “It sounded like he was on a vengeance campaign…. It didn’t sound like this was a campaign focused on working people, but revitalizing the Cuomo brand.” Then, after the lawmaker refused to endorse him, the threats started. Cuomo’s top aides contacted the lawmaker to suggest “I would live to regret my decision,” the lawmaker said.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/06/21/andrew-cuomo-comeback-anger-00395795
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