New York State Attorney General Letita James will run for governor. She announced her decision in a video posted to Twitter on Friday.
In her recorded message, James stressed the importance of affordable housing, lifting the quality of schools and tackling the climate crisis.
James has served as the state’s attorney general since 2019 and investigated sexual harassment charges against former Governor Andrew Cuomo, which ultimately led to his resignation in August.
James will face current democratic Governor Kathy Hochul in the primaries in June, and more Democratic candidates are expected to join. New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio is expected to announce his run in the coming weeks.
On the Republican side, U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin (NY-1) and the son of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, Andrew Giuliani, have announced bids for the race.
The New York gubernatorial election will take place on Tuesday, November 8, 2022.