Being the front-runner in a race for mayor of New York City often comes with exceptional scrutiny. But few have presented their opponents with quite as many targets as former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

In the weeks since Mr. Cuomo joined a crowded Democratic primary field and immediately catapulted to its front, a group of New Yorkers whose relatives were nursing home residents who died of Covid have repeatedly blamed him for their suffering.

Women’s groups have picketed his campaign events to remind voters of the sexual harassment accusations that drove him from the governor’s office.

Then, on Thursday, years-old sworn testimony surfaced in The New York Post describing Mr. Cuomo and his longtime top aide, Melissa DeRosa, as having been in an “emotionally intimate” relationship.

Mr. Cuomo’s proximity to Ms. DeRosa would seem to have little bearing on his qualifications to be mayor. But the sudden re-emergence of the long-denied rumors underscored how his tenure as governor left Mr. Cuomo with a lengthy list of enemies and political baggage ripe for attack.

For now, Mr. Cuomo has maintained a comfortable polling lead against nine Democratic challengers, including Mayor Eric Adams. Yet as New York City political history has long demonstrated, a perceived lead comes with real risks — especially months before Primary Day.