Andrew Giuliani teases possible New York gubernatorial run

Andrew Giuliani, a special assistant in the Trump White House and son of Rudy Giuliani, is mulling a run for governor of New York next year.

In an interview with the conservative-leaning Washington Examiner, Andrew Giuliani said he’s “heavily considering” running against Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been battered by a series of controversies — including allegations of sexual harassment made by several women.

Giuliani said that he thinks Republicans — who last won a New York gubernatorial contest in 2002 — have a “very, very real chance to win” and that he would have the best shot “outside of anybody named Trump.”

“I think I'm the right candidate, and this is the right time to help change New York state, and we've got a playbook that works,” he said.

Representatives for the New York State Republican Committee did not immediately respond to requests to comment, nor did a Cuomo spokesperson.

The GOP has lost significant sway in Albany in recent years, having been shut out of statewide office for more than 15 years and losing its grasp on the state Senate in the 2018 elections. Democrats consolidated their gains in 2020 and now have supermajorities in both legislative chambers, though the GOP did pick up two congressional seats that were held by Democratic freshmen.

Giuliani told the Washington Examiner he plans to launch his campaign later this month after a meeting with leaders of the state Republican committee, though it remains to be seen if he will follow through. The New York Post reported in September that he was considering emulating his father and running for mayor of New York City in 2021, a bid never materialized.

The elder Giuliani himself previously flirted with running for governor only to decide against the idea not long after flaming out as a presidential candidate during the 2008 cycle.

While some media outlets interpreted Andrew Giuliani‘s comments as definite, he said Wednesday afternoon that he's still making up his mind.

“I‘m considering a run for governor,“ he said on Newsmax. “I haven‘t made any decisions.“

In addition to being the son of the former New York City mayor, Andrew Giuliani also has close ties to former President Donald Trump and has frequently golfed with him. However, Trump remains deeply unpopular in the state and lost New York by more than 20 percentage points to President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

But Trump’s stamp of approval remains the coin of the realm in Republican party politics, with numerous candidates emphasizing their ties and allegiance to the former president.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump’s former White House press secretary, is running for governor of Arkansas, and Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, is weighing a Senate bid in North Carolina.