Oct. 29 (UPI) — New York Attorney General Letitia James on Friday announced her plans to run for governor of the state, pledging to “take on the powerful.”
James announced her candidacy in a video posted to Twitter.
“I’m running for governor of New York because I have the experience, vision and courage to take on the powerful on behalf of all New Yorkers,” she said.
The video said she’s running to bring good-paying jobs, a better healthcare system, a protected environment, affordable housing and better schools to the state.
James, a progressive, will face the more moderate New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in the Democratic primary in June. The general election will take place in November 2022.
Hochul took office in August, replacing former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned in the wake of a damning report on sexual misconduct allegations from James’ office.
The attorney general report found that Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women both in and out of government. The former governor allegedly took steps to retaliate against one of his accusers and fostered a hostile workplace.
“This is a sad day for New York because independent investigators have concluded that Gov. Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and, in doing so, broke the law,” James said.
“I am grateful to all the women who came forward to tell their stories in painstaking detail, enabling investigators to get to the truth. No man — no matter how powerful — can be allowed to harass women or violate our human rights laws, period.”
