New York Governor Andrew Cuomo introduced the country to another one of his lovely daughters during his daily coronavirus press briefing. Sitting alongside him on his May 5 panel was Mariah Kennedy-Cuomo, his 25-year-old, who he revealed told him that New Yorkers aren’t wearing face masks because he’s a “bad communicator.” All joking aside, Mariah had a solution for getting the 1% of the state who still won’t comply with COVID-19 precautions to take wearing protective gear seriously. Learn five key facts about the governor’s daughter and her innovative new initiative:
1. She’s encouraging New Yorkers to create ads about the importance of wearing face masks. Mariah’s father was proud to announce during his May 5 briefing that Mariah found a potential solution to a major problem. “Mariah’s suggestion is, why don’t we ask New Yorkers to produce an ad that the state could run on explaining to New Yorkers why they should wear a mask — the rationale and the health reasons and the social responsibility,” the governor said. Mariah is working as a volunteer with the New York Department of Health on the new initiative. The way it works? Contestants will create 30-second ads and submit them to THIS website. New Yorkers will vote on the best, and it will air on television. The governor joked that Mariah’s boyfriend is allowed to submit an entry, “but he will lose.”
2. She went to Brown University, like her younger sister, Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo. Mariah graduated from the Ivy League school with honors in 2017. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in history. At Brown, she wrote for the Brown Daily Herald, and was a communications analyst for the Brown Entrepreneurship program, according to her LinkedIn.
3. She’s a human rights activist. Mariah volunteers for the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights non-profit, which is currently run by her mother, Kerry Kennedy. The organization, which advocates for human rights, was started by Mariah’s grandmother, Ethel Kennedy in 1968 — just months after her grandfather, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated.
4. She’s a twin! Along with younger sister Michaela, 22, Mariah has a twin sister named Cara Kennedy-Cuomo. So far, Cara hasn’t been a guest at any of their father’s press briefings, but it’s clearly only a matter of time.
5. She’s part of two political dynasties. On her mom’s side, she’s the granddaughter of RFK and Ethel Kennedy, as we mentioned. That makes her the grandniece of President John F. Kennedy, as well. And she’s not just the daughter of a New York governor; she’s the granddaughter, too. Grandpa Mario Cuomo was the governor of New York from 1983 to 1994.