BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s bumpy win in the Democratic primary is energizing his general election opponents, who said Wednesday that a little-known liberal challenger’s better-than-expected showing exposed big problems for the governor within his own party.
The governor traveled to Buffalo for a victory celebration with running mate Kathy Hochul as his campaign pivots to the general election. Cuomo beat law professor Zephyr Teachout, 62 percent to 34 percent, in Tuesday’s low-turnout primary, a decisive win but a weaker-than-expected performance for a well-known incumbent facing a first-time candidate with few campaign resources.
“I think you saw a repudiation (of Cuomo) by his own party last night,” Republican candidate Rob Astorino, the Westchester County executive, told Talk 1300 Radio on Wednesday. “There is no passion whatsoever for Andrew Cuomo.”
Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins said disaffected Democrats should support him in the November election. Hawkins finished third in the 2010 race.
“We will work to win the vote of all the principled progressives who invested their hopes in the Teachout campaign,” he said.
While in Buffalo, Cuomo told reporters he was “happy, happy, happy” with the primary results. “Where I come from, you win with 60 percent, you say one thing: ‘Thank you very much,'” he said.
Teachout called him, he said. “We had a nice conversation.”
Analysts say Cuomo is well-positioned to win re-election. He remains ahead of Astorino in fundraising, and polls give him a 2-to-1 lead. While Cuomo’s centrism may have caused him problems with primary voters, it’s more likely to appeal to more moderate general election voters.
While the primary indicates that Cuomo has some weaknesses to repair with his base, many of same Democrats who supported Teachout in the primary could end up casting a vote for Cuomo in November, albeit reluctantly.
“The question becomes, where do these dissatisfied Democrats go in November? Astorino? Not likely,” said Baruch College political science professor Doug Muzzio. “Do they stay home? Do they go to Hawkins?”
Cuomo showed no indication he would now aggressively pursue Teachout supporters, acknowledging that he won’t please everyone.
“You have to make the right decisions and when you make responsible decisions for the people of the state sometimes you’re going to make people unhappy,” he said.
Unofficial election results show Tuesday’s turnout was just under 10 percent, low even for a gubernatorial primary. Turnout in the last competitive Democratic primary for governor in 2006 was 14 percent.
Cuomo agreed the low turnout favored Teachout and that many of his supporters didn’t go to the polls because they didn’t think he was in a serious primary race. He said he did well in traditionally liberal areas but not as well in areas with strong movements against hydraulic fracturing for natural gas, or fracking.
A moratorium on fracking has been in place while the state studies its environmental impact; Teachout called for an outright ban.
The governor spent much of the primary campaign snubbing Teachout, refusing to debate and even turning away from her when she approached him at a recent parade in New York City. His campaign unsuccessfully sought to kick her off the ballot by challenging her residency. The tactics only served to embolden Teachout, a Fordham University law professor.
“In some ways this was his doing,” Marist College political scientist Lee Miringoff said. “He inadvertently created a flurry of activity around Zephyr Teachout.”
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Klepper reported from Albany, N.Y. Associated Press Writer Michael Virtanen in Albany also contributed to this report.
