Eric Schneiderman's #MeToo Ouster Could Mean Revolution For Women

NEW YORK, NY — Publicly, he was a champion of the #MeToo movement and women's rights. But, privately, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman physically and psychologically abused girlfriends, a report published by The New Yorker Monday alleges.

And now, just hours after the allegations forced him to resign, a campaign has been launched to have him replaced by a woman.

"This is a man who has staked his entire career, his personal narrative, on being a champion for women publicly. But he abuses them privately," Tanya Selvaratnam, one of two women who spoke on the record about her experiences with Schneiderman, told the magazine. "He needs to be called out."

Several women may be looking to replace the Democratic attorney general as revelations of long-hidden abuse by powerful men upend political and cultural institutions.

Schneiderman's departure has already opened the door for a woman to serve as the state's top prosecutor for the first time. Solicitor General Barbara Underwood was named acting attorney general ahead of his official resignation on Tuesday.

"The work of this office is critically important," said Underwood, who'd worked as solicitor general for more than a decade. "Our office has never been stronger, and this extraordinarily talented, dedicated and tireless team of public servants will ensure that our work continues without interruption."

Who will permanently replace Schneiderman — and how — is still an open question. The attorney general's seat is up for grabs in the November election, but state law says the Assembly and Senate can name a replacement in a joint session. Democratic Assembly members would dominate that process with more than 100 votes.

Several Democratic women were reportedly on the long list of potential replacements, including Brooklyn Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein, Public Advocate Letitia James, former gubernatorial candidate Zephyr Teachout, U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice and Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas.

"We had a revolution for women in 1992 in politics. We’re having another one in 2018. Therefore it would make sense for the Legislature to be in line with that revolution," said Hank Sheinkopf, a veteran Democratic political consultant.

The Legislature's pick would "more likely than not" be a woman and a member of the Assembly, Sheinkopf said. Weinstein fits that bill as the chamber's longest-serving woman.

Weinstein, a Democrat, has been in the Assembly since 1981. She represents the 41st Assembly District encompassing parts of Flatbush, Flatlands and Sheepshead Bay and chairs the Ways and Means Committee.

Her office did not return a request for comment Tuesday, but news reports have identified Weinstein as a possible replacement for Schneiderman.

Teachout, a law professor who ran as a left-wing challenger to Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2014, said she's "seriously considering" a bid for attorney general.

"It is a major decision & will take real thought," Teachout wrote in a tweet Tuesday afternoon. "For today, I'm grateful for the women who dared speak up against one of the most powerful men in the US & for Barbara Underwood, the brilliant woman who will be acting NY AG."

Teachout is also an ally of the actress and gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon, who is waging her own Democratic primary bid against Cuomo this year.

James, the public advocate, has made moves toward a run for New York City mayor in 2021, but her name has also been floated as an attorney general candidate.

James is an attorney and worked as a public defender and an assistant attorney general in Brooklyn before her election to the City Council. A spokeswoman for James declined to comment.

Rice, a Democratic congresswoman from Long Island, may make a bid for the post whether or not she's the Legislature's pick, according to Nassau County Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs.

"I think regardless of what the Assembly and Senate do there's a good likelihood that she may decide to run in the primary," said Jacobs, who said he spoke with Rice about her interest.

Rice was the district attorney in Nassau County, New York City's neighbor to the east, for eight years before she was elected to Congress in 2015 and has since become a vocal critic of President Donald Trump. She was also the first Democratic representative to call for Rep. John Conyers' resignation last year after he was accused of sexual harassment.

A source close to Rice said she is "likely to run and likely to be ... a very formidable candidate." Rice ran unsuccessfully for attorney general in 2010, when Schneiderman beat her by fewer than three percentage points.

Politicos also floated Singas, Rice's successor in Nassau County, as a contender, Jacobs said, though the job was not "something she'd been considering." Cuomo appointed her as a special prosecutor Tuesday night to investigate the allegations against Schneiderman.

Singas is a career prosecutor and the daughter of Greek immigrants who settled in Queens. She was named Nassau's acting district attorney in 2015 when Rice took her House seat and won a full four-year term in a hard-fought election later that year.

A source close to Singas said Tuesday afternoon that the DA was "considering her options." But in a statement that night after Cuomo named her the special prosecutor, she said she "will not accept any appointment nor seek election to the office of the New York State Attorney General."

Those women are far from the only people considered possible successors to Schneiderman. The list also reportedly includes several men, such as Alphonso David, Cuomo's counsel; state Sen. Mike Gianaris of Queens; former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara; and former state Financial Services Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky.

This story has been updated.

(Lead image: Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigned after The New Yorker published allegations of abuse against him. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)