American Democratic politician who served three terms as governor of New York. He resigned in 2021 over accusations of sexual harassment, which he denies. As governor he muscled through the state legislature the law enabling congestion pricing in Manhattan in 2019.
During the covid-19 pandemic he was a vocal defender of lockdowns, arguing: "Economic hardship? Yes, very bad. Not death. Emotional stress, from being locked in a house? Very bad. Not death."
In 2025, at the age of 67, he ran for mayor of New York City, positioning himself as a centrist who would make streets safer and services more competent. He relied on a lavishly funded super-PAC rather than grassroots volunteers. Polls showed him receiving far more support from black and Latino New Yorkers than his progressive rivals. He grew up in what was then the white ethnic Queens of Archie Bunker. He won endorsements from ageing Democratic heavyweights such as Jim Clyburn and Bill Clinton, and his super-PAC received $8.3m from Mike Bloomberg. He lost the Democratic primary on June 24th 2025 to Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic Socialist, and announced plans to run as an independent in the November general election. He lost the general election on November 4th 2025. His path had been complicated by the incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, who hung on in the race until September despite his corruption indictment.
One nice thing about egotists: they don't talk about other people.