Andrew Giuliani grew up around politics, with his dad Rudy Giuliani, 76, serving as New York City’s mayor from 1994-2001. The 35-year-old current Newsmax political contributor eventually followed his father into the profession, having worked for former President Donald Trump. Now the Republican has big political aspirations of his own, wanting to challenge embattled incumbent Andrew Cuomo — or whoever is on Democratic ticket in 2022 — for governor of New York. Andrew told the Washington Examiner on Apr. 7, “I plan to run,” setting up a possible challenge against two of New York politics’ biggest names in a Cuomo-Giuliani showdown. We’ve got five things to know about the NY Republican gubernatorial hopeful.
Andrew thinks either he or one of the Trump children could be New York’s next governor
“Outside of anybody named Trump, I think I have the best chance to win and take the state back, and I think there’s an opportunity in 2022 with a wounded Democratic candidate, whether it’s going to be Gov. [Andrew] Cuomo, whether it’s going to be a radical [Attorney General] Letitia James, whether it’s going to be a no-name lieutenant governor, I think there’s a very, very real chance to win,” Andrew told the Examiner. So far, neither Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump or Ivanka Trump have expressed interest in the 2022 election, though Don Jr. floated a run as New York’s governor in 2017.
Andrew worked in former President Trump’s administration
He served in the Trump White House as a director of the Office of Public Liaison. In 2019 Andrew was promoted to Special Assistant to the President. Andrew’s dad Rudy famously served as the 74-year-old POTUS’s personal attorney. “Andrew worked tirelessly for President Trump in the White House while still having a smile on his face every day,” political strategist Boris Epshteyn told the Examiner after Andrew announced his run, adding, “I know that he was specifically focused on issues vital to New Yorkers.”
Andrew has never won an elected office and has little political experience, but is very close to Donald Trump
He entered the Trump White House as an appointee with no political experience. In a Nov. 18, 2019 article in The Atlantic titled “What does Rudy Giuliani’s son do?” Rudy told the author it “wasn’t the usual ‘hire my kid’ situation. He’s known the president since he was a baby. Now, did he know him in the first place because he was the mayor’s son? Sure, but they also had a relationship independent of me.” A former senior White House official called Andrew’s position a “a nepotism job” to the publication. According to two former White House officials who were close with Giuliani, “Trump has long been a father figure to his personal lawyer’s son,” the magazine wrote about Trump and Andrew’s close relationship.
Andrew’s sister Caroline was vocal in telling people to vote for Joe Biden over Trump in the 2020 presidential election
In an Oct. 15, 2020 Vanity Fair op ed, the film producer called herself “multiverses apart, politically and otherwise,” from her dad Rudy and that “I may not be able to change my father’s mind, but together, we can vote this toxic administration out of office,” saying that Trump’s politics were “cruel and selfish.” Caroline added that, “The only way to end this nightmare is to vote. There is hope on the horizon, but we’ll only grasp it if we elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”
Andrew is a longtime golf aficionado, playing at the pro level
He lettered in golf all four years in high school and his team won New Jersey’s State title during Andrew’s junior year. He played golf while attending Duke University and turned pro in 2009, playing professional golf for the next seven years. Andrew stuck with it as a career until 2016, when he also worked as a sales intern at a boutique investment bank. His biggest win came in August 2009 when he took first place in the 94th Metropolitan Open. Andrew has been a frequent golfing companion of Donald Trump since his teenage years.