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Three mayoral candidates have been accused of sexual misconduct. They deny wrongdoing. Will it be a deciding issue for Democratic voters?
March 10, 2025Updated 7:46 a.m. ET
Four years ago, allegations of sexual misconduct turned the New York political sphere upside down.
Numerous allegations against Andrew M. Cuomo led to his resignation as governor in August 2021; months earlier, Scott M. Stringer, a former city comptroller, saw his bid for mayor fall short after two women accused him of sexual harassment decades earlier.
This year, three Democratic candidates for mayor of New York City — Mr. Cuomo, Mr. Stringer and the incumbent, Eric Adams — will provide a durability test for the #MeToo movement in New York politics. All three have faced allegations of sexual misconduct; all have forcefully denied the accusations and challenged the accusers in court.
The contours of the June 24 Democratic primary have mostly centered on issues of competency and who might best steer the city through concerns of public safety, affordability and interference from President Trump, a Republican.
But some of the accusers, their lawyers and women’s groups are trying to keep the #MeToo allegations front and center, hoping to persuade voters that they should be viewed as disqualifying behavior.
By far the most visible and most organized effort is aimed at Mr. Cuomo. Outside a recent union gathering for the former governor, participants in a “Women Against Cuomo” rally shouted to union members who were waiting in line: “You are endorsing a sexual harasser!”
“We’re here to remind everyone who thinks that they are supporting a man who’s going to stand up for them, who he actually is,” Erica Vladimer, co-founder of the Sexual Harassment Working Group, said at the rally.
