The newest entrant into the New York governor's race casts himself as an angry reformer who wants to tear down the walls of state government, slash spending, impose a cap on taxes and stamp out corrupt interests.

In this era of voter revolt, the outsider platform has a familiar ring. But this time it's being delivered by a familiar name: Andrew Cuomo, whose political career has been anchored in Albany starting in 1982 when his father, Mario, was elected governor.

Andrew Cuomo, center, launched a run for governor with his father, Mario, and his companion, Sandra Lee. Associated Press

"The New York State government was at one time a national model," he said in announcing his campaign Saturday, ending one of the worst-kept secrets in state politics. "Now, unfortunately, it's a national disgrace.

Reinvention is a hallmark of politics. And Mr. Cuomo, a Democratic attorney general, is not the first candidate for governor who has run against the capital, which has served as a punching bag for aspiring executives including Al Smith and Eliot Spitzer.

Mr. Cuomo's shift from the state's consummate political insider to outsider has raised the eyebrows of some of the most jaded political observers.

"As George Washington Plunkitt said, he's seen his opportunity and took them. In essence, the opportunity is to cash in on the anti-Albany, anti-incumbent, anti-government sentiment," said Norman Adler, a Democratic lobbyist who worked as a political aide to former Gov. Mario Cuomo. "He's wrapping his arms around the results of the polls."

Asked if he considered himself an outsider, Mr. Cuomo on Sunday demurred: "We use those words: Are you an outsider, are you an insider, are you an upside-downer? …Do I think I know how state government works. Yes. Do I think that's an asset? Yes."

It's a balancing act that the state's Democrats are confident that Mr. Cuomo, 52 years old, can pull off. He is by far the best known candidate in the race. His poll numbers have been ensconced in the mid-60s, and he has raised several times more money than the combined war chests of his Republican rivals.

Republicans say they are confident they can expose chinks in Mr. Cuomo's armor, but have yet to settle on a challenger. The two leading candidates, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy and former Rep. Rick Lazio, are locked in a bitter contest that could lead to a primary.

"The culture has not changed at all under Andrew's tenure," Mr. Levy said. "It's been worse than ever. There have been a lot of headlines, but his actions have not diminished the dysfunctional nature of Albany."

To older New Yorkers, Mr. Cuomo may be best known as the political enforcer and confidant to his father, who served as governor from 1982 to 1994, and for his marriage to Kerry Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy's daughter, which ended in divorce in 2003. Mr. Cuomo is now dating Food Network host Sandra Lee.

At 24, after attending Albany Law School, Mr. Cuomo ran his father's successful campaign for governor against New York City Mayor Ed Koch, led the transition team and served in the administration as a special assistant, while living in the governor's mansion.

In 1993, he joined the Department of Housing and Urban Development and later became its head, becoming the youngest member of the Clinton administration cabinet, a post that became a springboard to an unsuccessful run for governor in 2002. With the help of labor and other parts of the coalition that were key in his father's campaigns, Mr. Cuomo was elected attorney general in 2006.

Mr. Cuomo's allies say his record as attorney general is proof enough of his independence. Since taking office in 2007, Mr. Cuomo has conducted a three-year probe of the state's $130 billion pension fund, exposing kick-back schemes and indicting a former deputy controller and a prominent Democratic consultant.

Mr. Cuomo has also pursued corruption allegations against a Bronx state senator who spearheaded a coup last summer against the Democratic-led Senate.

And in 2007, Mr. Cuomo dealt Mr. Spitzer, then a popular new governor and a political rival, his first major setback when the attorney general issued a report that found "troubling" evidence that the Spitzer administration had used the state police to leak damaging information about a Senate Republican leader.

Mr. Spitzer has suggested that Mr. Cuomo targeted him for political purposes, a charge that Mr. Cuomo denies.

Despite Mr. Cuomo's blistering attacks on their performance and ethics, Democratic state lawmakers have rallied behind the attorney general's candidacy, which they are counting on to be a bulwark against anti-Albany sentiment.

Write to Jacob Gershman at