Rudy Giuliani Says He's Given Son Advice on Running For Office

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has said he's given his son, Andrew Giuliani, advice on running for office as the younger Giuliani begins his campaign for New York governor.

The 35-year-old is seeking the Republican nomination in 2022's gubernatorial election where he could potentially face three-term Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is still expected to run despite recent scandals.

Rudy Giuliani, who served as mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001, told Newsmax TV on Monday that he was impressed by his son and pointed to his own experience in electoral politics.

Newsmax TV host Greg Kelly asked Giuliani about his son's campaign and the former mayor struck a positive note.

"Andrew Giuliani, your son, is running for governor and quite frankly he's impressing people. I'm impressed," Kelly said.

"I know, I know," a smiling Giuliani said. "I have people that have called me and said 'Gee, I didn't know he knew all that and he's able to take command of the situation so well.'"

"What do you think? Would you give him pointers?" Kelly asked.

"I do but he doesn't need too many," Giuliani said. "I mean, I have done it a few more times than he has, so there are a few things he can learn but he's - hard to say because I'm his father - he's impressing me, too."

Giuliani was once widely considered a future Republican presidential candidate but didn't succeed in winning the party's nomination when he ran in 2008 despite an initial lead in the polls. The nomination went to the late Senator John McCain.

"Some of the coverage has been negative," Kelly said on Monday. "But guess who had negative coverage in the early stages? Donald Trump. They didn't take him seriously at all."

"And me," Giuliani said, telling Kelly that he had not been taken seriously when he first ran for office

"When I made the transition ... he'll just be a prosecutor, he'll just put people in jail," Giuliani said. "Course that was a good thing to do back then. In fact, it wouldn't be bad somebody unlike this mayor [Bill de Blasio] who lets people out of jail, who puts people in jail."

Giuliani appeared to be referring to de Blasio's decision to release hundreds of nonviolent inmates from prisons amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Andrew Giuliani described himself as a "politician out of the womb" in an interview with the New York Post published on May 18. He will face several opponents in the Republican gubernatorial primary, including Representative Lee Zeldin of New York's 1st congressional district.

Newsweek has asked the Andrew Giuliani campaign for comment.