Scandal-scarred former Gov Andrew Cuomo is the frontrunner in NYC mayoral race

The former three-term New York governor, who resigned amid multiple scandals in 2021, on Monday unveiled the second plank of his public safety agenda for the nation's most populous city.

"Enough is enough, and we need to pass sensible laws," Cuomo emphasized in a statement. 

Hours later, the former governor landed another major organized labor endorsement, this time from the group that represents nearly 29,000 electrical workers.

The former governor's entry into an already crowded field of contenders rocked the race, with less than four months to go until the city's Democratic mayoral primary, which will likely determine the winner of November's general election.

Thanks in part to his near-universal name recognition among New Yorkers, Cuomo was topping the mayoral polls even before he announced his candidacy on March 1.

The survey, conducted just before and just after Cuomo launched his bid, indicated the former governor at 31% support among registered Democrats in New York City, with Adams a distant second at 11%.

Behind Adams, in single digits, was the rest of the roster of Democrats aiming to oust the mayor. 

That field includes state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, city public advocate Jumaane Williams, former city comptroller Scott Stringer, current city comptroller Brad Lander, city council speaker Adrienne Adams - who launched her bid after the poll's release - as well as two state senators and a former state assemblyman.

That same survey also indicated Adams' approval rating among New York City voters stood at just 20%, which was the lowest for any New York City mayor in three decades of Quinnipiac polling in the city.

Adams' poll numbers were sinking even before he was indicted last year on five counts, which accused the mayor of bribery and fraud as part of an alleged "long-running" scheme to personally profit from contacts with foreign officials.

The top federal prosecutor in New York City resigned rather than comply, and argued that the mayor had agreed to a quid pro quo with the Justice Department.

"This story has become bigger than just New York City because it now involves the Trump administration, and all of that is weighing on the mayor's standing among voters," Mary Snow, an assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll, told Fox News.

The 67-year-old Cuomo is aiming to reintroduce himself to voters as a tested manager, a forceful executive, and as a law-and-order moderate who will rescue a city that he says "feels threatening, out of control, and in crisis."

Cuomo, in his first campaign event after announcing, touted the massive infrastructure refurbishing projects in and around New York City he managed during his decade tenure as governor, which included LaGuardia Airport, the Moynihan Train Hall, and the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, which he renamed after his father, a former there-term governor.

But some of his rivals in the mayoral race, and a host of critics, have targeted Cuomo since he launched his campaign, over his many transgressions as governor.

Cuomo has spent the past four years fighting to clear his name after 11 sexual harassment accusations - which he has repeatedly denied - forced his resignation in August 2021. He was also under investigation for his handling of the COVID pandemic amid allegations his administration vastly understated COVID-related deaths at state nursing homes.

But Cuomo's favorable rating among New York City voters in the new poll was above water, at 48%-41%.

Rich Azzopardi, a longtime Cuomo spokesman and adviser, told Fox News, "We normally don't comment on polls but notable that in this survey he's 48-41 among all New York City voters and 57-29 among Black voters."

Azzopardi argued that Cuomo's "far ahead in every poll actually about the mayor's race and that's because New Yorkers know this city is in crisis and Andrew Cuomo is the candidate with the experience, the record and the ability to help save it."

But with three and a half months to go until the June 24 primary, there's no let-up in the attacks on Cuomo from his rivals.

"The question is:  (a) how big of an issue will candidates make Cuomo's baggage in the campaign, and (b) will that strategy resonate with voters?" Quinnipiac's Snow asked.