Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is running for mayor of the Big Apple.

Former New York State Governor, Democrat Andrew Cuomo, announced today that he is running for mayor of New York City, relaunching his political career after years of exile due to a series of sexual harassment allegations.

In a 17-minute video announcing his campaign, Cuomo presented himself as an experienced moderate politician who can save a city that is threatening to "spin out of control" and as someone who can strike a delicate balance between working with Republican President Donald Trump and fighting him when necessary.

"I'm not saying it's going to be easy. It's not going to be easy, but I know we can turn the city around and I believe I can help and that's why today I'm announcing my candidacy for mayor of New York City," he said.

Cuomo is expected to run a strong campaign, despite entering the race deeply damaged by the scandal that forced him to resign as governor in 2021.

He will face a host of lesser-known candidates in the Democratic primary, as well as incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is facing federal corruption charges and is under fire from critics who question his independence from Trump.

Cuomo enters the race with fundraising skills, the results of his three terms as governor, and potential support among the moderate voters who helped bring Adams to New York's helm.

However, it is unclear whether voters are ready to give Cuomo another chance after his extraordinary decline three and a half years ago, when he went from being a praised leader during the COVID-19 pandemic to being denounced for his behavior with women, but also under questioning about the fight against the pandemic.

Adams is seeking a second term despite facing calls from prominent Democrats to resign after being indicted last year on corruption charges and then courting President Trump while seeking to have the charges dismissed. Adams, 64, has maintained his innocence.

Cuomo entered politics in the 80s by helping his father, Mario Cuomo, win three terms as governor of New York, before taking office himself in 2010. He also served in President Bill Clinton's cabinet as Secretary of Housing, and before becoming governor, he served one term as New York's attorney general.

As governor, Cuomo signed legislation legalizing same-sex marriage and recreational marijuana. During his term in office, New York City expanded the Pennsylvania Railroad and renovated LaGuardia Airport.

He was known for his daily public briefings in the early days of the COVID pandemic that killed thousands of New Yorkers, but his response to the crisis also became the beginning of his political downfall.

In an audit, the New York State Comptroller found that the Cuomo administration pressured the Department of Health to intentionally understate the number of COVID deaths among residents of state nursing homes.

Cuomo signed a $5,1 million contract for a book about his leadership during the pandemic, but the state ethics board withdrew its approval after it said Cuomo misused state employees and resources to write it.

Cuomo said he did nothing wrong or unethical and sued the ethics board, which sought $5,1 million from him, in a lawsuit that is ongoing.

In August 2021, Cuomo resigned as governor, a week after New York Attorney General Letitia James released the results of an investigation that concluded Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women. He said he had done nothing wrong, but apologized to anyone who had been made uncomfortable by what he said were clumsy attempts to be gentle or funny.