Cuomo Facing Backlash From His Own Party

Several Democrats across the country have called for the resignation of New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo. These calls are a result of sexual harassment allegations made against the Governor and his handling of nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, these calls for resignation are apparent within student led organizations such as SLU Democrats. 

SLU Democrats have made calls similar to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s joint call for resignation. SLU Dems signed a letter from College Democrats of New York  that condemned the Governors accusations. The Secretary of SLU Dems, Niamh Creedon- Carey stated that this letter expressed that college Democrats believe and support survivors. 

The effectiveness of the calls for Cuomo’s resignation are unclear to Democrats. “It’s hard to say if the calls for him to resign will be effective in getting him to resign, but hopefully they’re effective in illustrating that the Democratic party in New York does not condone sexual harassment and assault,” stated Creedon- Carey. 

In 2013, Cuomo called for the resignation of two New York Assemblymen because of their sexual assault allegations, as reported by The Washington Post. This is disappointing to Creedon- Carey, who believes that, “it’s the sort of hypocrisy that I think we’ve seen from a lot of Democrat politicians.” To Creedon- Carey, Democrats use the Me Too movement to gain support and attack opponents. Democrats do this “without examining their own terrible and abusive behaviors, which is a really really upsetting phenomenon to see play out repeatedly over the last few years,” stated Creedon- Carey. 

Cuomo refusing to resign points to the hypocrisy of the Governor according to other members of SLU Democrats. The Treasurer of SLU Democrats, Alexander Reyes believes that Cuomo is not representing the same values he stood for when he ran for Governor. “I believe that when you demand someone to resign their positions because they did something wrong and now you committed the same mistake you have to stand with your values and must do the same,” said Reyes. 

For Democrats, it is unclear if the Democratic party will be affected long term. Creedon- Carey mentioned that it is difficult for young women to keep supporting a party that allows politicians to abuse their power and harass staff members. For this reason, Creedon- Carey observed that the party may lose supporters and voters in upcoming elections. “I would hope that the Democratic party learns a lesson from this and becomes a party that not only publicly strongly condemns sexual violence but that also does more to protect their staff and to remove abusers from positions of power,” stated Creedon- Carey. 

Democrats are also concerned for members of the party. “What I am concerned about is that many Democrats are silent and they are afraid to speak against their members of their own party, stated Reyes. “The whole Democratic party should be calling him out right now. The solution to this would be the next election to vote him out.” 

On Friday, March 12, Cuomo responded to calls for his resignation by stating “People know the difference between playing politics, bowing to cancel culture, and the truth,” as reported by CBS News. On Thursday, March 11, New York Assembly speaker Carl Heastie authorized an impeachment trial in response to Cuomo’s accusations. CBS News reported that more than 55 state lawmakers stated in a letter that they want the Governor out of office. 
For students wondering what they can be doing to affect change regarding the allegations, Reyes and Creedon-Carey offer advice. Creedon- Carey suggests that NY students contact representatives to show that you want to put pressure on Cuomo. Additionally, Creedon- Carey stresses that it is a great time to consider becoming a trained Advocate at St. Lawrence.  Reyes believes that voting the Governor out is also effective. “As students we need to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions because we can’t afford a corrupt state when everyone sees New York as the leader state when it comes to progressive agendas,” stated Reyes.