The son of former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Andrew Giuliani announced that he will be running for governor of New York in 2022. NBC New York’s Andrew Siff reports.
Rudy Giuliani's son Andrew, a former assistant to President Donald Trump, is launching a bid for governor of New York after weeks of speculation.
The younger Giuliani held an event Tuesday afternoon to formally unveil his bid, in which he said he has "a vision and I know I can get this down," while promising to be tough on crime — referencing his father in doing so.
"In a Governor Giuliani, you will get somebody who has a strategy to reduce crime in a record-setting fashion — I've heard that before, his name was Giuliani also," he said.
On his website, Giuliani touts his experience as CEO of his own golf company, as a surrogate for the Trump campaign (his most recent position) and as a liaison to corporate America.
"I'm not going to run away from my past. I spent four years with Trump in the White House," Giuliani said.
When asked about his lack of political experienced, the 35-year-old said he's "the only candidate who spent five different decades in politics or public service." He quickly acknowledged his age, and clarified by saying "parts of five decades."
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He also said that having gotten COVID last fall, he has not gotten the COVID-19 vaccine — offering an explanation that contradicts CDC guidance.
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"The one good thing about the antibodies, if you've had (COVID), is it actually is even better than the vaccine," Giuliani said.
The former mayor's son first tipped his interest in a bid for governor early last month. He was also recently seen defending his father after a federal raid on Rudy's Manhattan apartment and office in April, saying at the time "if this can happen to the president's lawyer, this can happen to any one of us."
He would face an uphill battle in his first run for office against Rep. Lee Zeldin, another loyal Trump supporter who already raised significant money in his GOP bid for governor and won the backing of many of the state party's officials. Former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino is also running and said Tuesday that he texted Giuliani to welcome him to the race.
The New York governor’s race has gotten more convoluted with the controversy surrounding Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been expected to run for a fourth term but has been accused by multiple women of sexual harassment in the workplace and faces several investigations into his behavior.
Cuomo didn't have any appearances on Tuesday, and there was no comment from his staff regarding Giuliani's candidacy.
Andrew Giuliani was a young child when his father became mayor. At the elder Giuliani’s 1994 inauguration, the then-7-year-old joined his father at the podium, mimicking his gestures and repeating some of his words.
The incident was played for laughs in a “Saturday Night Live” skit starring Chris Farley.
In 2008, he sued Duke University, saying he had been improperly cut from the golf team. The school said the cut was proper and based on bullying behavior, which Giuliani denied. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2010.
After leaving the White House, Andrew Giuliani was hired by the conservative network Newsmax as a contributor.
