Washington. As the corona pandemic began, two governors on opposite ends of the United States made their names for themselves: Andrew Cuomo in New York and Gavin Newsom in California were hailed for their leadership style and handling of the crisis. Now the star seems to be sinking for both Democrats.
At Cuomo, it is especially the question of the number of corona victims that puts him under pressure. His government has been charged with trying to cover up the true extent of the pandemic. At its core, it’s about the death rate in nursing homes. Newsom sees itself cornered by critics of its corona restrictions – and because of personal disregard of the corona rules.
Both have one thing in common: the crisis that made them big can now bring them down. In March last year, when schools and workplaces closed for the first time, the hour came for the governors who controlled the lockdown arrangements in their states.
Cuomo had sharply criticized the Trump administration
The New Yorker Cuomo turned to the population in daily briefings on television, showed himself compassionate, almost philosophical and also with sharp criticism of the US government under the then Republican President Donald Trump. The TV appearances quickly became popular.
Newsom in California implemented corona restrictions quickly and early, and it allowed the west coast state to avoid the worst for a while. The governor was gentler, more reassuring, avoided partiality and was well received.
But governors in such a crisis are ultimately judged not by words and demeanor, but by hard facts, as the Californian strategist Rob Stutzman emphasizes. And the results were bad everywhere: “In the end, the different approaches of the governors made little difference, because, well, it’s about a virus.”
Cuomo and the nursing homes
Despite the dramatic Covid 19 death toll in New York, Cuomo’s popularity initially rose, and in the spring and summer he was even brought into play as a possible presidential candidate because of his Corona policy. In the fall, Cuomo published a book with the self-confident title “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic” (American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic).
But then Cuomo stumbled through revelations about how Corona was handled in nursing homes. The public prosecutor’s office denounced the government for the low number of victims in the homes because certain deaths were not included in the statistics. As a result, the state of New York named the number of at least 15,000 dead, almost twice as many as originally stated.
Biden presents national Covid strategy
–
US President Joe Biden unveiled a national strategy to fight the coronavirus pandemic on the first full day of his term in office. © Reuters
— –
“Nursing home history has raised questions about his leadership style and the success of his leadership during Covid,” says policy professor Christina Greer of Fordham University in New York. And with a view to Cuomo’s publication, she explains: “The governor wrote a book in which he propagated his achievements, and we do not even know if we are halfway through the pandemic.” There have been too many moments when already Political strategist Rebecca Katz, herself a democrat, sums up that victory has been declared.
Newsom and the Corona rules
In California, the setback for the governor was less abrupt. Much played into one another. For example, an exposed Newsom had to admit in November that he had attended a lobbyist’s birthday party in a posh restaurant while urging Californians to avoid meetings.
At the same time, the image of California as a model for the fight against Corona began to fade, the number of cases rose and hospital capacities shrank. That played into the cards for the republican recall demands raised before the pandemic, and the campaign gained momentum.
Then in January Newsom abruptly lifted restrictions on going out, accusing him of ignoring science. And then there were also problems with vaccine distribution. In the meantime, the number of corona cases is falling in California, but Newsom’s popularity is not coming from the low.
In many other US states, the virus has put governors in much less distress. These include Republican Charlie Baker in Massachusetts and Democrat Jared Polis in Colorado. But the examples of Cuomo and Newsom show that dealing with crises in densely populated countries is even more critical – and always happens in the spotlight.
“New York and California are under the microscope,” says Jared Leopold, former spokesman for the Association of Democratic Governors (DGA). “Everything good that happens here looks five times better, and everything bad looks five times worse.”
–
