Fathers and Sons

How Andrew and Mario Cuomo Get Along

Former governor hands off in son’s campaign.

When Mario Cuomo runs for New York governor, he’ll do so in his father’s shadow. “Mario Cuomo’s relationship with his son has been close, intense and dominated by the former governor, who is a lover of ideas and argument, and is an often overpowering presence,” says The New York Times. “[T]he relationship between father and son is as loving, tangled and laced with competitiveness as it ever was.” Andrew served as his father’s campaign manager in 1982 when he was only 24 years old. Don’t expect Mario to play such a key role in Andrew’s campaign. The Times calls him an “eminence grise.” Says one adviser, “Mario now hears about decisions long after they have been made. That does not mean Andrew does not call. But there’s a difference between giving Dad a heads up and asking him to sign off.”