Andrew Cuomo to run for N.Y. governor

Andrew Cuomo, heir to one of the best known names in New York politics, announced Saturday morning that he was running for the job his father, Mario, held for 12 years.

Cuomo, New York’s Democratic attorney general, surprised no one and yet caught everyone off guard by simply posting a nearly one-hour video on his campaign website. He is expected to make an in-person announcement in Manhattan later Saturday.

It has long been clear he was running, especially after the current governor, David Paterson, withdrew from the race.

A former Secretary of Housing and Urban Affairs in the Clinton Administration, Cuomo has amassed a $16-million war chest and already reportedly has been maneuvering behind the scenes to control who else would be on the Democratic ticket with him this fall.

Cuomo ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2002 and many expected him to try again in 2006. But he steered clear of the race when then-Attorney Gen. Elliot Spitzer got in. Spitzer was elected but stepped down a year later after he was caught up in a scandal related to prostitutes.

In the video, Cuomo talked about his plan to reform New York’s state government which is facing a deficit that by next year is expected to balloon to $20 billion. “This state is at a crossroads. Sometimes to see the future we must remember the past. Today we must remember who we are as New Yorkers. Remember first the great assets of New York.”

As attorney general, Cuomo, 52, has had a high profile taking on a wide range of investigations from practices on Wall Street to safe use of Facebook.