Report: Cuomo won't run against Clinton in 2016
Despite widespread speculation he's been eying the job, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told associates he won't run for president if former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton does, according to the New York Post.
Cuomo, New York's first-term Democratic governor and the son of former Gov. Mario Cuomo, would face a steep challenge in mounting a nomination bid against Clinton, who has a wide and readily accessible base of support, and who also has strong ties within New York political circles.
"The governor has told people in recent weeks that there's not a chance for him to run if Hillary gets in the race because she'll easily wrap up the Democratic nomination,'' a Cuomo administration insider told the Post. "He knows that and he accepts that, and so he won't even be thinking at all in those terms -- unless Hillary decides not to run, which seems unlikely."
Clinton has declined to make clear her political intentions going forward, and faces little pressure to make a decision anytime soon. But her advocates - including a super PAC aimed at backing her in a 2016 bid - are already ginning up support on her behalf.
So far, few appear poised to match her popularity: A slew of recent polls have shown Clinton topping Democrats and Republicans alike, including a recent University of New Hampshire poll showing the former secretary of state leading other top Democratic prospective candidates by an overwhelming margin, with Clinton at 61 percent and Vice President Joe Biden's trailing her with seven percent. Cuomo came in behind Biden.
A spokesperson for Cuomo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
