Andrew Giuliani, son of former mayor, announces bid for governor of NY

NEW YORK - Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, threw his hat into the ring Tuesday for governor of New York.

The eldest of two children for Rudy Giuliani and former TV news anchor Donna Hanover make the official announcement during FOX 5 NY morning program, ‘Good Day New York.’

"I am seeking the candidacy for the 57th governor of New York," said Giuliani, 35. "I am sick and tired of seeing New Yorkers moving to Florida, to Texas, to Tennessee. I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that New York City is not only the cultural center of the world but the economic center of the world."

Giuliani first entered the public sphere at the tender age of 7 when his antics during his father's inauguration ceremony in 1994 were widely publicized and even led to a skit on Saturday Night Live. While his father took the oath of office, Giuliani could be seen blowing kisses, climbing on the podium, and generally hamming it up as his father's one-man hype show of sorts.

"I'm going to have a co-addressee, I guess," the elder Giuliani said, referencing Andrew, practically glued to his father's hip.

The younger Giuliani told Good Day New York that he believes New York is the "land of opportunity."

"Like so many of our grandfathers and grandparents before us, they believed in New York. They believed that New York was the land of opportunity. The place where you could create a dream," Giuliani said. "We are going to get this done. We are going to win this in November of '22."

Giuliani said he was excited to make the announcement on Good Day New York because his mother used to work at Fox 5 News.

"My mother was an anchor for five or six years on Good Day New York," Giuliani said. "There is great, great meaning to that."

Even though almost three decades have passed since he first stood in the spotlight alongside his father, he is still very closely aligned with the 107th mayor of New York City.

 RELATED: Feds raid Upper East Side apartment, office of Rudy Giuliani

In fact, just weeks ago Giuliani was the very first to come to his father's defense, addressing the media assembled outside Dad's apartment after an FBI raid, which he called "disgusting."

And at his first official press conference as a candidate Tuesday, Giuliani said he speaks to his father multiple times a day, adding that Rudy will "certainly" play a public role in his campaign.

"[When] you've got the greatest mayor not just in the history of New York but in the history of America, you're foolish if you don't use him as an asset," the Republican contender said of his father. "There is no more effective playbook than the Giuliani playbook, and we will implement the Giuliani playbook for New York state."

Giuliani was part of a team in the Trump administration's Office of Public Liaison that helped set up the Paycheck Protection Program, which helped save jobs across the country during the pandemic.

"If you're dealing with the private sector and multiple federal agencies, you are ready to run a state," Giuliani said.

And he said he continues to embrace the former president.

"I'll say that right now. I'm not running from it and I'm not hiding from it," he said. "I'm proud of the policies we were able to accomplish."

But David Birdsell, a political science professor at Baruch College, argues that having the last name "Giuliani," in addition to being a vocal Trump supporter, might be too much for New York voters to swallow.

"In some states being strongly identified with Donald Trump would be seen as a virtue and the candidates are loudly claiming it," Birdsell said. "Whether that is a virtue in a Republican primary in New York is a very open question. It is clearly not going to be a virtue in a general election."

As for being tied to his father?

"Giuliani is a well-known and a big name in New York politics," Birdsell said. "Not necessarily a name that has a lot of positive spin these days." 

Other Republicans vying for the nomination include Rep. Lee Zeldin of Long Island, also a Trump supporter, and former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, a moderate who has previously mounted an attempt at the state's top job.

But with Andrew Cuomo's fate up in the air in the wake of an investigation following sexual harassment allegations, the question remains regarding who any of these contenders might face.

"I think it is highly likely — highly likely — that Cuomo hangs on through the end of his third term," Birdsell said. "It's another question entirely whether he decides to run again, and if he does whether he is successful."

As for that federal investigation into his father, Giuliani claimed to Good Day New York that the Justice Department started investigating Rudy Giuliani the day he started representing President Trump.

"If that doesn't send off signals you're not listening," Giuliani said. "Secondly, NBC News, Washington Post, and I believe the New York Times, all had to retract stories within 96 hours after that raid that they had falsely been claiming that he had been notified by the FBI before which was absolutely false."

Giuliani said he is ready to take on Cuomo if he wins the GOP nomination.

"I made five figures last year fighting for Americans. He made eight figures doing a book deal over here," Giuliani said. "Andrew Cuomo is only focused on Andrew Cuomo. He does not care about the well-being of New Yorkers."