New York Attorney General Letitia James has been speaking with her advisers and supporters about the possibility of running for governor next year, according to people familiar with the matter and cited by CNBC.
In the weeks since James’s investigation into former Gov. Andrew Cuomo ended early last month, she and her political advisers have been testing the waters to see if she would have the backing of donors and supporters if she chooses not to run for reelection. for attorney general and instead runs for governor.
Recognition of James’s name within the state and beyond has exploded in recent years. In addition to its investigation into Cuomo, his office has been investigating the National Rifle Association and former President Donald Trump’s company, the Trump Organization.
James and his allies have been weighing the pros and cons of running in a Democratic primary for governor, some of these people added. But a downside would be to resign from the powerful position of attorney general.
Another potential hurdle is that the current governor, Kathy Hochul, has done quite well at the polls and has several months to gain popularity and donor support from a position of considerable power.
Some prominent names in New York political circles have already started making calls on James’ behalf.
Luis Miranda Jr., a longtime political consultant and father of famed musician and producer Lin-Manuel Miranda, has been one of the people who has made calls to assess support for a possible James candidacy for governor, people familiar with it said. These people refused to be identified so that they could speak freely about the private conversations.
Miranda, according to her company’s website, was James’s primary consultant when he successfully ran for New York City public defender.
Miranda has also been involved in the successful Senate campaigns of Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer, and Kirsten Gillibrand. Additionally, he was a consultant to New York Mayor Bill de Blasio when he ran for reelection in 2017.
A spokesperson for James declined to comment to CNBC. Miranda also did not return a request for comment prior to publication.
James, who also goes by the name Tish, was elected in 2018. She is the first black woman to hold the position.
Cuomo resigned after James’ report on the evidence found around the 11 women who accused the former president of sexual harassment, something that the former governor continues to deny. Then-Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul succeeded him to become the state’s first female governor.
James also has the Trump Organization in his sights. His office told CNBC in May that it was investigating the business “as a criminal” in addition to a civil investigation into the company.
James’ office said the charges filed earlier this year against the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, are “part of an ongoing criminal investigation by Attorney General James and the district attorney. from Manhattan, Cyrus Vance Jr. ”
James has indicated that she believes her investigations into the Trump Organization, Cuomo and the National Rifle Association have helped her build a solid foundation for a possible run for governor, according to several people who have spoken with her recently.
An August poll by the progressive group Data for Progress shows James leading the way in terms of a candidate with enough buy-in for the primaries – he even ranks ahead of Hochul and other potential candidates. The survey’s sample size was more than 800 likely voters in New York, and its margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Hochul, who said he would run, has been building his own foundations.
A recent Siena poll shows that Hochul received a 42% favorability rating, while a nearly identical number said they either didn’t have an opinion of her or didn’t know enough about her. Since becoming governor, Hochul has been recruiting top donors across the state, including some who previously supported Cuomo.
But there would be more competition beyond Hochul. New York City Public Defender Jumaane Williams, a progressive, has also said he is considering running for governor. Meanwhile, De Blasio has been evaluating support for a possible candidacy for governor.
Attorney James’ campaign raised just over $ 1 million in the first half of 2021. She received contributions from a group of wealthy donors, who could help her if she ran for gubernatorial election.
Karla Jurvetson, a Silicon Valley philanthropist, donated just over $ 49,000 to James’ campaign in March. David Karp, founder and former CEO of short-form blogging platform Tumblr, donated $ 25,000 to James’ campaign in April.
Real estate titan Scott Rechler donated $ 10,000 to his attorney general’s campaign account in June.
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