Don’t call him President Cuomo, yet!
Gov. Cuomo moved swiftly this weekend to halt an eruption of media speculation that he’ll be a front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 because of his victory in bringing gay marriage to New York.
Cuomo ordered his staff not to discuss or even speculate on the possibility that he harbors presidential ambitions.
He also directed his aides to turn down invitations to appear on several high-profile national news shows to discuss gay marriage, believing the media would turn them into discussions of a possible presidential campaign, administration insiders said.
“He’s seen this dance before, with his father,” said a source close to Cuomo, referring to former Gov. Mario Cuomo’s flirtation with a presidential run in 1992.
“It’s distracting and possibly destructive to a governor, and you have to shut it down immediately, immediately, because it will begin to fuel itself if you don’t.”
Cuomo has repeatedly turned down most requests for interviews by national and New York news outlets during his first six months in office, but interest exploded following Friday night’s gay-marriage vote.
“The governor also views the speculation as disrespectful to the position of governor, and it would make the governor look like just another politician looking to take the next step on the ladder, which is not the case,” the source said.
While Cuomo and his aides insist it’s far too early to talk about a presidential run, that won’t stop prominent New York Democrats from doing so.
“I absolutely see him as a candidate for president in 2016,” said Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan).
“He dealt with a national crisis in terms of the state budget deficit this year. He set an agenda and dealt with it by cutting spending and not raising taxes.”
Stuart Appelbaum, the openly gay president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, said, “We now know who the LGBT community will be deservedly supporting for president in 2016, Andrew Cuomo.”
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The governor, meanwhile, is expected to head in several new and controversial directions with the end of the legislative session, including a multipronged effort to stimulate business development in the state.
A crucial decision will involve whether the state will approve the exploitation of natural-gas reserves in the Southern Tier on the Pennsylvania border.
A state report on the safety of gas drilling using the controversial “hydrofracking” process is due to be presented to Cuomo July 1.
Cuomo is also expected to finally name the six state prisons he’s been authorized by the Legislature to close.