WINNERS & LOSERS

Who was up and who was down over the past five years

The future looks di erent after the rise and fall of various men who tried to channel the #MeToo energy for their own purposes or simply drowned in the wave that swept women to power at the city, state and federal levels. Many a political bro has gone away. At the rate women have been winning over the past five years, the first female governor in the state’s history is going to have plenty of backup at the start of a new era.

ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ

In 2016, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was working as an organizer for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign; in 2021, Ocasio-Cortez is as much of a hero of the progressive left as Sanders himself. Ocasio-Cortez’s meteoric rise was defined by her 2018 defeat of then-Queens Democratic boss Joe Crowley – a win that signaled not just Crowley’s end but arguably that of the Democratic Party machine.

WINNERS

OUR PICK

LOSERS

OUR PICK

ANDREW CUOMO

Just when it looked like Cuomo was beating the curse of the third term, he just couldn’t help but hide nursing home data, harass staff and ruin everything. Longtime allies have abandoned him and his political enemies are more empowered than ever. What a fall for the once almighty Cuomo. He could lay low with a $50,000 pension, but Cuomo looks to be too busy plotting a 2022 comeback. Great.

THE BEST OF THE REST LETITIA JAMES

Letitia James has gone from New York City’s public advocate to the state’s attorney general. Many people who viewed Cuomo as one of James’ strongest allies were shocked after she released her nursing home report and a report that corroborated allegations of sexual harassment from 11 women.

ANDREA STEWART-COUSINS

No one other than state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins has had the honor of being a winner on City & State’s annual Winners and Losers list for the past three years in a row. She has became a formidable force in state politics, disrupting Albany’s old “three men in a room” tradition.

THE REST OF THE WORST BILL DE BLASIO

New York City’s lame duck mayor has been thriving this summer: playing cornhole, shooting hoops and reveling in the political demise of longtime rival Cuomo. But Bill de Blasio hasn’t had the smoothest couple of years, which culminated in his ill-advised decision to join a crowded presidential race in 2019.

RUDY GIULIANI

Had the former New York City mayor not joined former President Donald Trump’s campaign in 2016, it’s possible that his legacy might still be intact. Once known as “America’s mayor,” Giuliani is now better known as a clown in the Trump circus.

WINNERS & LOSERS is published every Friday morning in City & State’s First Read email. Sign up for the email, cast your vote and see who won at cityandstateny.com.

Vol. 10 Issue 31

August 16, 2021

15TH ANNIVERSARY How AOC transformed New York

I am not a creep Cuomo'sNixonian exit

She sways races with an endorsement, shifts the political conversation with a tweet. Now that Cuomo's out of the picture, she's the face of New York politics.

CITYANDSTATENY.COM @CITYANDSTATENY August 16, 2021

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