New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is pondering a bid for the White House in 2020 on the assumption that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton runs in 2016 and is defeated by the GOP nominee,
according to the New York Post.
Democratic Party insiders told the newspaper that Cuomo's new autobiography, his plans for travel to Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, and a vow to serve a four-year term if re-elected on Tuesday, are all part of a six-year strategy to position himself to make a future play for the presidency.
"If Hillary does go down and a Republican wins — and that could certainly happen after eight years of Obama — then the Democrat field will be cleared for 2020 and Andrew can make his move," a top Democrat official with strong ties to the governor told the Post.
"But if Hillary wins in 2016, Cuomo knows he can forget about a presidential run because Hillary will run for re-election in 2020 and nobody could stop her from that, leaving his only next chance in 2024."
Another senior Democratic source told the Post that Cuomo has notably shifted his focus away from New York legislative affairs toward a national and international outlook.
"Andrew is obviously not looking forward to spending any more time than he has to dealing with the legislative leaders and New York's problems," said the source. "His focus is increasingly on national and international issues."
Cuomo has already cultivated a national network of donors who have helped him raise over $40 million for his current re-election bid, according to the Post. The backers would theoretically step in to support him should he decide to mount a presidential bid.
"Things are in place and ready to go if the governor makes a move," a source told the Post.
One scenario would see Cuomo finish his next term as governor in 2018, after which he would spend time scoping out a possible run while working at a top law firm or making paid speeches, according to the Post.
The report comes just one day before New York voters go to the polls to determine whether to re-elect Cuomo or back GOP challenger Rob Astorino.
Cuomo is on track for a landslide victory with a
26-point lead in the latest poll, but one operative told the Post that Cuomo is worried about the prospect of winning less than 50 percent, given Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins is in the race.
Polls also indicate that the GOP will retake control of the state Senate, something for which Cuomo could get heat.
"Cuomo has done virtually nothing to help other Democrats, and we're not going to forget that," a well-known Democrat told the Post.
Another recent report said that Cuomo would be a top contender for the White House in the future, particularly since he has already done so much to raise his national profile.
"He's on the list, and if there wasn't this enormous gravitational pull toward Hillary, he'd be at the top of it," Matt Bennett, a former aide to Bill Clinton and Al Gore and co-founder of the moderate Democrat group Third Way,
told The Associated Press.
"The guy runs a huge state, runs it very well. He's about to get re-elected by an enormous margin. He checks all the boxes."
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