New York is now the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over 100,000 people had been infected in the state as of April 4, according to Johns Hopkins University data, and more than 2,500 had died.

Leading the counterattack is Andrew Cuomo, the state's three-term Democratic governor and currently the party's highest profile figure.

He's one of several state governors, from both parties, whose national profiles have soared since the epidemic began in the country, filling a vacuum left by the lack of clear leadership on a federal level and shining a light on the extensive powers of the governor's office.

From coordinating statewide healthcare needs to closing businesses and ordering people to stay home, governors have taken action to contain the spread of COVID-19 the White House could or would not.

Mike DeWine and Larry Hogan, Republican governors of Ohio and Maryland respectively, as well as Michigan's Gretchen Whitmer, California's Gavin Newsom, Illinois J.B. Pritzker and Washington's Jay Inslee, all Democrats, have enhanced their reputations by displaying leadership and management skills — and, unusually in an era dominated by national politics, having a mass and attentive audience.

Governorships were once the stepping stone to the White House. From 1976 to 2008, every president bar George H. W. Bush had previously run a state. But over the past 12 years that trend has reversed. In 2020, four Democratic governors ran for the nomination, including Inslee, and none made a mark.

Whitmer, dismissed by President Donald Trump as "the woman in Michigan" last week amid a dispute over federal support, has boosted her chances of a place on the Democratic ticket in November. Newsom, long spoken about as a future presidential contender, issued the first stay-at-home order in the U.S. and has a growing national profile.

But Cuomo, whose father Mario also governed New York for three terms, is the Democrat dominating the airwaves and winning praise from all sides.

The 62-year-old's daily briefings have become essential viewing, contrasting straight-talking clarity, honesty and calm with the mixed messages coming from the White House — and broadcast live on major networks. 

The online and media plaudits are echoed in public opinion.

A Siena Research poll of New York voters this week puts Cuomo's net approval rating for his handling of the crisis at 76 percent and overall net approval at 48. In the same poll, Trump is negative 15 percent for his crisis handling and negative 24 overall.

"New Yorkers approve of Governor Cuomo's handling of the coronavirus pandemic with near universal support," said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg. "At least 85 percent of voters from every region approve of his handling of the crisis, as do 95 percent of Democrats, 87 percent of independents and even 70 percent of Republicans."

Such has been the acclaim for Cuomo, and with Joe Biden, the prohibitive nominee, struggling to find a voice while self-isolating at home in Delaware, speculation has mounted over whether he could end up as the Democratic 2020 nominee

Asked by his brother Chris, a CNN anchor, on Monday if a President Andrew Cuomo was on the cards, the governor was careful not to give the story any oxygen.

Chris Cuomo: "With all this adulation you're getting for doing your job, are you thinking of running for president?"

Andrew Cuomo: "No, no."

Chris Cuomo: "No, you won't answer?"

Andrew Cuomo: "No, I answered, the answer's no."

Chris Cuomo: "Have you thought about it?"

Andrew Cuomo: "No."

Chris Cuomo: "Are you open to thinking about it?"

Andrew Cuomo: "No."

Chris Cuomo: "Might you think about it at some point?"

Andrew Cuomo: "No."

Chris Cuomo: "How could you know what you might think about at some point right now?"

Andrew Cuomo: "Because I know what I might think about. And what I won't think about. You're a great interviewer by the way."

The frequent on-air exchanges between the brothers have brought moments of light relief for Americans, and been shared around the world. Sparring over who was their mother's favorite and who was better at basketball even went viral on China's Weibo platform.

On Tuesday, it emerged that Chris, 13 years younger than Andrew, had tested positive for COVID-19. "I'm frightened for my brother. I'm worried about my brother, as everyone is worried about their humanity and everyone they love," Cuomo told a press conference the next day.

The exchanges have also helped humanize the image of the governor, a combative figure born into the Democratic Party and once married to a Kennedy, who has often appeared to care little about making friends or playing the traditional glad-handing political game.

"If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog," a quote often attributed to President Harry Truman goes. After divorcing Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert F Kennedy, in 2005 and breaking up with Food Network star Sandra Lee last year, he now lives in the 40-room governor's mansion with a Siberian-shepherd mix, Captain, for company.

However, he has reached across the aisle since winning the governorship in 2010 — irritating progressives with his willingness to work with Republicans, but in the process achieving progressive goals: legalizing gay marriage, expanding paid family leave, protecting women's reproductive health and raising the minimum wage.

"I call myself a progressive," he told Politico in February. "You want a further definition? An effective progressive, a competent progressive, an accomplished progressive. Progressive not just in words, progressive in actions."

Cuomo has also found a way to work with Trump. The men, both from Queens, have traded barbs repeatedly in recent years, but of late Cuomo has largely avoided the direct attacks on the president favored by other Democrats.

A deft mix of compliments and subtle criticism have has an impact. A U.S. Navy hospital ship has arrived and the military has built temporary hospitals, though pleas for ventilators have had limited success. 

"Cuomo working hard!" the president tweeted on Thursday, in rare praise for a Democrat. Some see similarities in the men, neither of whom are afraid of the limelight.

"They"re both combative egomaniacs," Mike Murphy, a Republican strategist, told the New York Times. "But Cuomo has the advantage of being the highly competent combative egomaniac."

That competence has helped elevate Cuomo, housing secretary in Bill Clinton's cabinet and later New York attorney general, to a national platform and a sea of popularity. The hashtag #PresidentCuomo trended last week.

Whether that is sustained beyond the pandemic remains to be seen and realistically, barring a brokered convention, there's not a route for him to be on the Democratic 2020 ticket. He publicly backs Biden, who has said his running mate will be a woman.

"It comes down to a simple concept, it's about leadership," Cuomo told his brother on Monday. "The experience, the wisdom, the capacity to do the job. Not just think about it, not just talk about it, not just tweet about it. Do the job."

The governor was detailing why Biden was a good pick for the Democrats, but could easily have been making a pitch for his own candidacy. Cuomo, like other governors, now has a captive audience and a bigger platform to pursue higher ambitions.