In a 17-minute video statement, New York’s former Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday that he was running to replace New York City’s embattled Mayor Eric Adams.

Cuomo, who resigned from the governorship in 2021 after a string of sexual harassment allegations, cited crime and disorder in the city, including that arising from the influx of migrants, as reasons to change leadership.

“The city just feels threatening, out of control, and in crisis,” he said in the video announcement. “These conditions exist not as an act of God, but rather as an act of our political leaders, or more precisely, the lack of intelligent action by many of our political leaders.”

Cuomo, whose response to the Covid-19 pandemic initially earned him high approval ratings, was facing scrutiny for mishandling the management of nursing home responses to the virus and covering up the consequences, understating the death toll by over 80 percent according to New York State Attorney General Letitia James.

Adams, who was indicted on federal corruption charges last year, has faced pressure to resign. The Department of Justice dismissed the charges in February. The same day, Adams announced his intention to cooperate with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement push in the Big Apple.