New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has hired two Florida fundraisers as he eyes a possible presidential bid in 2020, according to news reports Saturday.
"Hiring out-of-state fundraising staff, particularly in a battleground state, opens up money spigots beyond what would normally be available and is a key first step to laying the groundwork for a run," a Democratic source told The New York Post.
One fundraiser is Jon Adrabi, who was deputy national finance director for Hillary Clinton's campaign, the source said.
He is expected to build relationship with Democrats in Florida, a key battleground state.
Cuomo's objective is to hire political consultants with expertise outside of New York, the source said.
For Clinton, Adrabi oversaw "all finance operations" in the southeastern United States, including Florida, as well as in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to his biography on a Miami Beach consulting firm where he now works.
Adrabi declined to comment to the Post.
Cuomo, 59, has been governor since 2011. He has repeatedly ruled out a presidential bid and has focused on seeking his third term in 2018.
His father, Mario Cuomo, also served three terms in the Statehouse in Albany. He died in 1994.
The governor already has a $22 million campaign war chest, the Post reports.
Still, Andrew Cuomo has been raising his profile since the Democrats lost to President Donald Trump in November — including being named as policy chairman of the Democratic Governors Association in December.
In addition, Cuomo attended the annual dinner of the National Governors Association last month in Washington after not doing so for six years, the Post reports.
Cuomo also spoke to building trades' members at a national conference in Florida last week — and over that weekend he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a 15-hour trade mission to Jerusalem.
"When Hillary Clinton was running, he never wanted to have anyone speculate he’s running," Karen Hinton, a former Cuomo aide, told the Post. "But now, the strategy is pretty different.
"He is positioning himself to be seen as a liberal who can speak to a national audience."
Basil Smikle Jr., director of the New York State Democratic Party, was referred to the Post by Cuomo's office.
He did not dispute the Florida hiring, adding that Cuomo "always fundraises across the country and uses local consultants."
Cuomo also has several other fundraisers planned in New York for next month — and the sources told the Post that an event in South Florida is being planned.
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