NEW YORK (AP) – The two highest-ranking Democrats in New York’s legislature withdrew their support for Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday amid mounting allegations of sexual misconduct he faces and allegations that the reported number of nursing home deaths of elderly of the entity was less than the real total.
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins became the first senior Democrat in the state to say the governor, in his third term in office, should resign. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie did not openly demand Cuomo’s resignation, but stated in a statement that “it is time for the governor to seriously consider whether he can effectively serve the needs of the people of New York.”
On Saturday, two other women who worked with Cuomo publicly accused him of inappropriate behavior, adding to similar allegations in recent weeks.
“Every day there is a new version that is distracting from the work of government,” Stewart-Cousins said in a statement. “New York remains in the midst of this pandemic and still faces the social, economic and health impacts it has left behind. We need to rule without daily distractions. For the good of the state, Governor Cuomo must resign. “
The legislator demanded his resignation shortly after a press conference in which the governor said it would be “undemocratic” for him to leave office.
“There’s no way I’m quitting,” Cuomo told reporters.
“They cannot invalidate the will of the people, it is not their responsibility to invalidate the elections,” he said. “I was elected by the people of the state of New York. I was not elected by politicians.”
In a brief telephone conversation before the press conference, Cuomo told Stewart-Cousins that he would not leave office and that they would have to impeach him if they wanted to impeach him, according to a person familiar with the conversation and who spoke to The Associated. Press on condition of anonymity because it was a private conversation.
Cuomo said that the next six months will be decisive in seeing how gracefully New York manages to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.
“They will not distract me because there is much to do for the people,” he said, highlighting that the state must approve a budget within three weeks and apply 15 million more vaccines against COVID-19.
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AP journalist Michael Balsamo contributed to this report from Washington, DC
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