Top Cuomo ally Jay Jacobs, the State Dem chair, joins calls for gov to step down
This one’s gotta hurt.
State Democratic Party chairman Jay Jacobs — one of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s closest political allies — publicly demanded the governor’s resignation Wednesday, joining the avalanche of politicians demanding his ouster.
![New York State Democratic Party chairman Jay Jacobs has called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/110718Democrats7BS-1.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=737)
Jacobs told The Post he only went public after spending the last 24-hours beseeching Cuomo to resign following Attorney General Letitia James’s bombshell report, which charged the powerful executive sexually harassed or groped 11 women and violated state and federal law as he attempted to retaliate against his accusers.
“I spoke to the governor about an hour ago. It was a sad conversation,” said Jacobs, a longtime ally, who was appointed to the powerful role as state party chief with Cuomo’s blessing.
“I was trying to encourage him to step down. That’s not his mindset at the moment. He wants to mount a defense of his position. I couldn’t hold out any longer,” Jacobs added.
“There’s a level of disappointment. We’ve known each other for a number of years. I held off as long as I could. The attorney general’s report broke the camel’s back.”
The once-close Cuomo ally said that the governor is even considering holding a Thursday press conference as part of his attempt to hang onto his job, after top Democrats in New York City, Albany and Washington D.C. all called for him to quit.
![Jacobs call for Gov. Cuomo's resignation comes after a probe found the governor had sexually harassed several women.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/andrew-cuomo-8.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024)
Jacobs blasted Cuomo’s extraordinary statement Tuesday, in which the governor sought to cast his behavior with women as a continuation of decades-long practices and to recast criticism of the abusive work environment in his office as sexist.
“The world’s changed. You have to know that,” Jacobs said. “The defense doesn’t resonate with the people of this generation. It’s not the 1950s. It wasn’t right then.”