The attorney general of New York, Letitia James, plans to run for governor, according to three people familiar with his plans who spoke Wednesday with The Associated Press.
James will enter the race as a formidable candidate for the Democratic nomination just months after issuing a critical report that led to Andrew Cuomo leaving office over a sexual harassment scandal.
The three people who know about their plans are not authorized to speak about them publicly.. James is scheduled to make the announcement this week, according to one of the people.
Kimberly Peeler-Allen, a James campaign advisor, said in a statement: “Attorney General Letitia James has made a decision regarding the gubernatorial race. He will announce it in the next few days“.
James, 63, is the first woman to serve as New York attorney general and the first black person to hold that position. With wide support from sympathizers in the US city, she is expected to be a major threat to Governor Kathy Hochul, who was Cuomo’s lieutenant governor.
Hochul, who hails from the greater Buffalo area, he took office with a reputation for being downtown, but has been striving to win over the progressives of New York City, making numerous presentations in the city during his first months in office.
James, who was born and raised in the borough of Brooklyn and first ran for city council as a candidate for the liberal Working Families Party, he would in turn be tasked with winning over upstate Democrats, who might be more conservative.
Before this year, James was best known nationally for her frequent legal struggles with former President Donald Trump.
Since assuming the position of attorney general in 2019, his office has investigated Trump’s business affairs and sued the Republican government dozens of times over federal policies on immigration, the environment, and other issues.
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