Andrew Giuliani's chances of becoming the next governor of New York are slim, according to bookmakers, while embattled Governor Andrew Cuomo still has a high likelihood of reelection.
Giuliani, son of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, formally announced his bid for governor on Tuesday. The 35-year-old had indicated in April that he was planning to enter the 2022 race.
However, Giuliani's odds of becoming the next governor of New York stand at 33/1, Betfair, an online gambling company that operates the world's largest online betting exchange, has told Newsweek on Tuesday.
These odds mean the implied probability of Giuliani winning the election is just 2.9 percent. However, his campaign is in its early stages and he will have to compete for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.
Betfair gives Cuomo's odds of victory as 1/1, also known as evens, meaning an implied probability of 50 percent.
Cuomo is currently serving his third term as governor and has previously said he will run for a fourth but the Democrat has been under fire recently after several women accused him of sexual harassment.
The governor recently backtracked on a previous apology to his accusers, saying that his behavior was "not harassment."
"Harassment is not making someone feel uncomfortable. That is not harassment," Cuomo told a press conference on May 13. "If I just made you feel uncomfortable, that is not harassment. That's you feeling uncomfortable."
He has also faced strong criticism over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic after it emerged aides had pressured state officials to undercount deaths from COVID in nursing homes.
Both the harassment allegations and Cuomo's handling of nursing home deaths are being investigated by the New York attorney general and the FBI respectively .
Most recently, questions have been raised about what role Cuomo's aides played in "drafting, editing sale and promotion" for his book American Crisis: Leadership Lessons From the Pandemic. New York Attorney General Letitia James is examining the matter.
Giuliani spoke to the New York Post about his run for governor and referenced his father, who was mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001 and won national acclaim in the aftermath of 9/11.
However, Rudy Giuliani has faced increased scrutiny in recent months for his role in challenging the results of the 2020 presidential election. And the FBI recently raided his home and office as part of a probe about his dealings with Ukraine, when he was serving as former President Donald Trump's personal lawyer.
"I'm a politician out of the womb. It's in my DNA," Andrew Giuliani told the Post. He said that a potential contest between him and Cuomo would be "one of the epic showdowns in the state's history."
"I know we can defeat Andrew Cuomo in 2022. I am going to be the 57th governor of New York," he said.
Newsweek has contacted Andrew Giuliani's campaign and Governor Andrew Cuomo's office for comment.
