Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Democrat Jumaane Williams, New York City's Public Advocate who ran for lieutenant governor of New York three years ago, announced Tuesday that he's now running for governor.
Williams is a progressive candidate who will square off with other party candidates in the Democratic primary next spring, including incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is said to also be considering a bid.
"There is a movement building in New York, a courageous progressive movement that challenges the powerful and helps restore that power to the people, a movement that I'm proud to be a part of," Williams said in a video message posted online Tuesday.
"Our state needs to move forward from a pandemic, from an era of scandal and from old ways of governing that have failed too many for too long."
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Williams ran against Hochul for lieutenant governor in 2018 and won 46.7% of ballots to Hochul's 53.3%.
Hochul became governor in August after the resignation of Gov. Andrew Cuomo over a sexual harassment scandal.
The date of New York's Democratic primary has not yet been announced, but it's expected sometime in the spring.
Andrew Giuliani, son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Long Island Rep. Lee Zeldin and former Westchester County executive Rob Astorino have declared their candidacy for the Republican nomination.
The general election will be held on Nov. 8, 2022.
