×

Reed continues to ponder gubernatorial run

U.S. Rep. Tom Reed said he will decide soon whether he plans to run for governor next year, as he continues to call for Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s impeachment.

On Wednesday, during a briefing with New York media across the state, Reed was asked multiple times about his interest in running for governor, as well as if he believes Cuomo will resign or be impeached.

During the briefing, Reed said he believes Cuomo will not resign and is the presumptive candidate for the Democratic ticket.

“As I see it right now, the only way Andrew Cuomo is not the candidate is if he is impeached. I just do not see him stepping aside or resigning from the office, even though obviously there’s a lot of folks calling for that on a bi-partisan basis, which we joined with,” he said.

When asked for a specific timeline on his decision, Reed replied, “sooner, rather than later, because this is a tall task. We are in that process of gaining that additional input from stakeholders.”

Reed, R-Corning, said Cuomo’s “abuse of power” is why the governor should leave the office, alleging that he “killed potentially 15,000 of our fellow New Yorkers” who lived in nursing homes as well as sexually harassed employees.

Reed said should he decide to run for governor, he will not run for re-election. Both offices are up in 2022 and Reed’s district may look different after redistricting. At the same time, Reed said if he does run for governor, he plans to complete his current term in office.

Reed also said his determination to run for governor will not not change should Cuomo or another Democratic candidate run for office. “One of the biggest concerns I have out of Albany is the one-party control of the legislature and the governor’s office,” he said.

Reed praised the work of Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland and Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, saying those two individuals have shown how a Republican governor can lead with a Democrat-controlled legislature. “That is the type of leadership that I think Albany and New York residents want to see,” he said.

Reed also rejected criticism of him calling for Cuomo’s impeachment while never calling for Donald Trump to be impeached even though there were multiple women who accused the 44th president of sexual harassment. He said it’s not just the sexual harassment, but also “the killing of 15,000 people in nursing homes and the cover up where you violated and obstructed justice and perjury.”

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today