It’s only been done by four men since the end of World War II, but Rep. Chris Gibson (R-N.Y.) is determined to be the next Republican governor of New York State.
Jimmy Vielkind of Politico reported on Tuesday that the New York congressman, who has represented the Hudson Valley since 2011, is amping up his run for governor.
The congressman announced just days after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) was inaugurated that he was looking into a 2018 statewide run.
New York may be a deep blue state, but Gibson has a history of defying the odds. Gibson won his congressional district by 52 percent even though it voted for President Obama by 55 percent. In 2014, he defeated his well-funded and high-profile opponent Sean Eldridge by nearly a 30 point margin, 63 percent to 35 percent respectively.
The congressman also has a independent voting record.
He has broken with his party on several key issues including funding for National Public Radio and warrantless wiretaps under the Patriot Act. He is opposed to the No Child Left Behind Act and Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-Wisc.) budget plan. He was against shutting down the government over Obamacare, and even voted against John Boehner (R-Ohio) for Speaker of the House.
His moderate record may help in the deeply Democratic state. He supports hydrofracking if the technology improves to show that it’s safe; he’s pro-choice but voted to defund Planned Parenthood and ban abortion after 20 weeks.
Fellow New York Rep. Peter King (R) called him a “very unique guy” in an interview with Politico.
“What you see is what you get. He’s, first of all, a real friendly guy, but almost a total iconoclast. There’s no easy way to categorize Chris in terms of where he’s going to come from: he could be liberal on one issue, conservative on another,” King said.
Gibson has said in the past that he votes based upon a bill’s constitutionality and if it serves the best interests of his constituents.
“If the answer is yes to both of them, then I vote for it, and I don’t care who authored it,” Gibson said.
He has the good fortune of being backed by many labor unions including the New York State United Teachers, who like his opposition to test-based evaluation, putting him at odds with Cuomo. NYSUT President Karen Magee said in an interview with the New York Times that Gibson has a “good chance” of getting their support in a 2018 race against Cuomo.
Republicans in New York are usually at a disadvantage among women and minorities. Females compromise 53 percent of the electorate and statewide Republican candidates have failed to capture more than a third of their vote. Minorities comprise a third of the electorate and 80 percent tend to vote for Democrats.
There is hope for Republicans winning gubernatorial races in Democratic states, as was proven in 2014 when Republicans won in Massachusetts, Maryland and Illinois.
