New York state AG Letitia James announces run for governor

By Brendan O’Brien | Reuters

NEW YORK – Letitia James, the New York authorities lawyer wide whose intersexual harassment probe led to erstwhile Governor Andrew Cuomo‘s resignation, said successful a Twitter connection connected Friday that she intended to question the state’s highest office.

“I’m moving for Governor of New York due to the fact that I person the experience, vision, and courageousness to instrumentality connected the almighty connected behalf of each New Yorkers,” the Democrat wrote. “Let’s bash this, together.”

James, 63, is the archetypal campaigner to situation chap Democrat Kathy Hochul, the erstwhile lieutenant politician who replaced Cuomo to go the state’s archetypal pistillate politician erstwhile helium stepped down connected Aug. 24.

Hochul, besides 63, a Buffalo native, has already announced her candidacy for a afloat four-year stint arsenic politician of the country’s 4th astir populous authorities erstwhile the remaining information of the word she inherited from Cuomo expires astatine the extremity of 2022.

Other Democrats who whitethorn beryllium readying a tally see New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, whose word expires astatine the extremity of this twelvemonth and who the New York Times reported earlier this period has told associates helium intends to situation Hochul.

If James were to triumph the Democratic information and spell connected to decision her Republican opponent, she would go the archetypal Black pistillate politician of immoderate of the 50 states. Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams narrowly missed reaching that milestone successful 2018.

Elected successful 2018, James is successful her archetypal word arsenic lawyer general, an bureau from which immoderate of her predecessors, including Cuomo, person stepped up to governor, acknowledgment successful portion to its jurisdiction implicit high-profile ineligible cases successful the country’s fiscal capital.

This twelvemonth alone, James joined a probe of erstwhile U.S. President Donald Trump’s namesake institution that led to its indictment connected taxation fraud charges and asked a national bankruptcy tribunal to dissolve the National Rifle Association.

She has besides joined different authorities attorneys wide successful seeking tighter antitrust restrictions of Big Tech companies and challenging the restrictive termination instrumentality of Texas.

But her astir salient determination successful the state’s governmental arena was her 168-page study connected Aug. 3 that recovered Cuomo unlawfully groped, kissed oregon made suggestive comments to 11 women, galore of them aides successful his office.

Cuomo has denied touching anyone inappropriately and decried the study arsenic unfair, adjacent arsenic helium prepared to permission the governor’s mansion aft declaring that remaining successful bureau would paralyze authorities government.

His attorney, Rita Glavin, accused James of bias, claiming that her study “purposefully omits cardinal evidence.”

James began her governmental vocation arsenic a subordinate of the New York City Council from her autochthonal Brooklyn and was elected successful 2013 arsenic the city’s nationalist advocate, which serves arsenic a watchdog implicit different municipal agencies.