Poll Finds New Yorkers Want Gov. Andrew Cuomo to Resign, Bettors Say No Chance

Posted on: April 15, 2021, 12:03h. 

Last updated on: April 14, 2021, 05:47h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Embattled New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) has been facing calls for his resignation since the first of what became many allegations of sexual misconduct levied against him came to light in December.

New York Andrew Cuomo odds resignation
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is pictured during a 2020 press conference. The third-term governor is not adhering to calls for his resignation amid a nursing home scandal and numerous allegations of sexual misconduct levied against him. (Image: Getty)

Eleven women have brought such claims, their severity ranging from suggestive remarks towards them, to one woman claiming Cuomo forcibly reached up her blouse after she was called to the Governor’s Mansion. 

A new poll conducted by Invisibly Realtime Research finds that a majority of New Yorkers feel the governor should resign. Fifty-nine percent of the 2,515 New York residents asked said Cuomo should exit Albany because of the sexual harassment allegations against him. 

Political bettors say there’s little chance of that happening anytime soon.

The PredictIt market, “Will Cuomo resign before May 1?” has “Yes” shares trading at just two cents. “Cuomo in office at the end of the year?” has “Yes” shares trading at 69 cents. 

Damage Done

New York does not have term limits, meaning Cuomo could seek a fourth term in 2022. Cuomo has previously stated his intentions to do so. 

The governor continues to deny that he has ever acted inappropriately with women, including his female staffers and aides. But he did issue an explanation in late February as to why such claims might exist.

I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended,” Cuomo said in a statement. “Sometimes I think I am being playful and make jokes that I think are funny. I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. 

“To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that,” Cuomo explained.

Though he can only be forced out of office early by way of impeachment, the sexual allegations might have damaged his future political aspirations beyond repair. As for those 2022 gubernatorial hopes, PredictIt bettors feel New York’s Democratic Attorney General Letitia James is the odds-on favorite.

Her shares of securing the New York Democratic gubernatorial ticket are trading at 40 cents. Cuomo is a distant second at 26 cents, and New York Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul (D) third at a dime. 

Whoever wins the Democratic ticket is almost a sure thing to win the general election. New York’s last Republican governor was George Pataki, who held the office from 1995 through 2006. 

Presidential Aspirations

At the height of the pandemic, Cuomo was viewed as a Democratic contender to oust then-President Donald Trump. But the praise for his handling of the pandemic in New York is long a thing of the past. In January, an investigation from James’ office concluded that the Cuomo administration undercounted COVID-19-related deaths at nursing homes by as much as 50 percent. 

With the nursing home scandal and sexual misconduct allegations, the odds of a President Andrew Cuomo are today extremely long. The Betfair political betting exchange has him at 284/1 to win in 2024 — which equates to a 0.35 percent chance.