Andrew Cuomo Running for Governor of New York: Vows Corruption Cleanup

Ending months of speculation, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo formally declared his candidacy for governor Saturday, disclosing his intentions in a video in which he said corruption in the state had reached a point that would make the notorious "Boss Tweed blush."

In the 21-minute video carried by the Albany Times Union, Cuomo, a Democrat, sketched his campaign themes: a plan to freeze state worker salaries, streamline state government, clamp a 2 percent cap on property tax increases, and impose new ethics and disclosure rules on public officials.

Since Gov. David A. Paterson's ethical issues made it virtually impossible for him to seek reelection -- and the governor before him, Eliot Spitzer, was decked for consorting with a prostitute -- Cuomo's looming candidacy took on a sense of inevitability. His father, Mario Cuomo, was a three-term New York governor who was often viewed as a potential Democratic presidential candidate. He never took the plunge and lost in a bid for a fourth term as governor in 1994.

Andrew Cuomo is not expected to face serious opposition for the Democratic nomination. The announcement video was released by his campaign.