Impossible to sustain, analyst says of Cuomo 4:02
Editor's Note:
Julian Zelizer, a CNN political analyst, is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University and the author of the book "Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party ".
Follow him on Twitter @julianzelizer.
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(CNN) -
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is stepping down.
The politician who was willing to fight all the scandals that plagued his tenure finally encountered a challenge that he could not overcome.
After the nation's leading Democrats, from President Joe Biden to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, asked him to step down in the wake of New York Attorney General Letitia James's devastating report on accusations of sexual harassment, Cuomo finally relented.
Who is Andrew Cuomo, the New York Governor who announced his resignation amid allegations of alleged sexual harassment?
Although Cuomo called the investigation into his alleged misconduct "politically motivated" and maintained his innocence, he also said that a month-long fight to stay in office would hurt New York State, which "would never want to be useless in any way." , and agreed to leave his post in 14 days.
While we can't know for sure why Cuomo decided to resign Tuesday, we do know one thing: The Democratic Party was no longer on the side of a leader who was already vulnerable after facing other scandals.
He could have stayed and fought, but given his party's decision to abandon him, he probably would have lost.
And no one wants to be a politician forced out of office, especially by members of their own party, who currently hold the majority in Albany.
It was a surprising turn of events, as at one point in the pandemic, the governor of New York was considered one of the most powerful and important members of the Democratic Party.
In fact, according to Michael Wolff's book "Landslide," former President Donald Trump came to fear that Democrats would put Cuomo at the forefront of the presidential nomination instead of Biden.
Following Cuomo's resignation, Kathy Hochul will be New York's first female governor
The Democratic Party's decision to pressure Cuomo to resign points to a fundamental difference between the two major parties, once again revealing how committed the Republican Party is to preserving partisan power at all costs.
When Trump faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct (all of them denied by him), the Republican Party backed him heavily.
When the US House of Representatives twice brought the former president to trial for abusing his power and stoking a violent insurrection, the majority of the Republican Party backed Trump, backing a politician they believed would be pivotal to his future. electoral success.
What changed in the Republican Party after Trump?
Instead, Democrats have decided to put principle before party or power.
Faced with an issue that has become key to Democratic politics, the fight against sexual harassment at work, the party stood firm.
Despite the potential risk of opening the post of governor to Trump-loyal New York representative Lee Zeldin, the party said enough.
Collectively, the Democrats rallied against their own and relentlessly pressured Cuomo to resign.
While the Republican Party seems much more united, the Democratic Party has proven more willing to balance partisan interests with those of the general public.
And on Tuesday, Cuomo was finally forced to acknowledge this reality, a consequence of his own behavior at work.
Andrew Cuomo