One explanation for Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s infamous animosity toward State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is jealousy over Jennifer Cunningham, according to a new book.
In “The Contender: Andrew Cuomo, a Biography” (due March 31 from Twelve), Michael Shnayerson writes about the “troika” of the two men and Schneiderman’s ex-wife, who helped guide both to election victories.
“Cunningham was an attractive divorcée, a few years younger than Andrew, and together they might have raised eyebrows even if her ex wasn’t a New York state senator,” the book states in an excerpt exclusively obtained by The Post.
“In fact, she and Eric Schneiderman were happy co-parents to their daughter, Catherine, and Cunningham remained Schneiderman’s chief campaign adviser.
“But ever after, Andrew would seem to regard Schneiderman with a special animus, and this odd political troika did seem somehow to account for that. One close observer from that time would feel sure that Andrew and Cunningham had become lovers, but Cunningham, asked directly, would deny it with a laugh. ‘There were rumors,’ she recalled. ‘But they simply weren’t true.’”
Shnayerson delves into “the complex psyche of Andrew Mark Cuomo” for other reasons to explain the disdain Cuomo feels for Schneiderman, but he comes back to Cunningham.
“Back in 2005 and 2006, when she’d managed Andrew’s AG campaign, Cunningham had helped guide Schneiderman’s re-election campaign for state senate, too. Andrew brooked no rivals, personally or politically. He wanted Schneiderman gone.”