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‘Tale of two governors’: New ad compares Parson’s handling of coronavirus to Cuomo

A new ad contrasts Gov. Mike Parson with embattled New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The two-minute spot, released by the pro-Parson Uniting Missouri group Friday, compared Missouri to New York in terms of recent positive COVID-19 cases, unemployment, and relocation in what it called “a tale of two governors.” The ad said media coverage of Parson’s efforts during the pandemic was unfairly negative while Cuomo was heralded for his handling of the global crisis. 

While Cuomo, a Democrat who has represented New York since 2011, was praised for his leadership during the earlier days of the pandemic — even winning an Emmy for his daily press briefings — he has come under fire for recent months for the thousands of nursing home deaths that occurred as the pandemic wreaked havoc. His administration has been accused of covering up the exact number of deaths, and the state’s attorney general, as well as the FBI, have launched probes. The FBI is reportedly looking into Cuomo’s efforts to protect nursing homes from liability. 

Cuomo has also recently been accused of sexual misconduct. 

“We made this ad to point out the blatant bias in the media when it comes to how states responded to COVID,” Uniting Missouri chairman John Hancock said. “Mike Parson was constantly ridiculed in the media for taking a data-driven approach that saved Missouri’s economy. Andrew Cuomo won an Emmy for implementing policies that left his state in shambles.”

“Missouri is better off because we have a governor who follows the science instead of the media,” Hancock said. 

This isn’t the first ad Uniting Missouri has released praising Parson during the pandemic. In July, the group released a digital spot criticizing state Auditor Nicole Galloway, his general election opponent, while praising Parson’s “laser focus on saving lives and livelihoods.” 

The new ad will on multiple digital platforms for an unspecified period of time.

As of Friday, more than 485,000 Missourians have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past year and about 8,300 people died. More than 1.7 million have tested positive in New York, and nearly 40,000 people have died. New York is home to more than 19 million people; Missouri’s population is about 6 million.