On Friday morning, the man who made Joe Biden the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee weighed in on another contentious Democratic primary. Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), 84 years old and no longer the assistant leader of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives, endorsed former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for mayor of New York City.
In his statement, Clyburn praised Cuomo — who a state investigation found sexually harassed 11 women during a decade-long tenure as governor, and who has spent tens of millions of taxpayer dollars fighting those allegations — for his “character.” He said the 67-year-old Cuomo, as mayor, would be “uniquely positioned to play an important role in the future of the national Democratic Party.”
Cuomo should not need Clyburn’s endorsement, nor that of former President Bill Clinton, who chimed in on his behalf on Sunday. He has the name identification one can only earn from being the son of a former governor and then winning five terms in statewide office in his own right. He has a massive financial advantage: His campaign and allied super PACs, flush with more than $8 million from former mayor and billionaire media mogul Michael Bloomberg, have spent more on television ads than the rest of the sprawling field combined.
