Category Archives: 2014 NYS Governor’s Race

Abortion and a Catholic Governor



The centerpiece of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s reelection campaign is the “Women’s Equality Party” and it’s “Women’s Equality Agenda.”  Leading that agenda is an effort at enacting state laws expressly providing for a right to abortion, now provided by the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade.

Cuomo is Catholic.  His religion and faith are not a central part of his public personalty, but he’s mentioned his Catholic faith several times in recent days while discussing his “Women’s Equality Agenda” and Rob Astorino’s opposition to abortion.  (Astorino is also Catholic and, following church teaching on the subject, personally and politically opposes abortion.)  Elected officials who are Catholic and support abortion rights have long faced a challenge in the divergence of their church and their politics, Mario Cuomo notably among them. Continue reading Abortion and a Catholic Governor

Cuomo & Clinton (Updated x 2)



Hillary Rodham Clinton joined Governor Andrew Cuomo for a rally today, supporting the governor at a “Women’s Equality Party” rally in midtown Manhattan.  Both made speeches, as did Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor Kathy Hochul, to a crowd of approximately 250 people.

Gaggle:

Cuomo spoke with the press afterward, with questions mostly focused on the election, the debate last night and the “Women’s Equality Party” and “Women’s Equality Agenda”.  Question topics included whether the “Women’s Equality Party” and “Women’s Equality Agenda” is a “smokescreen” and abortion a “bogeyman” intended to deflect attention from his record (deemed “a highly insensitive and obnoxious question” by Cuomo), his reaction to U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara’s statement yesterday that his office continues several probes related to Cuomo’s Moreland Commission, whether he’s endorsing Hillary Clinton for president, his view on the inclusion of Libertarian Party candidate Michael McDermott in the debate last night, whether he personally follows the Catholic Church’s position on abortion, whether the state will release SAFE Act assault weapon registration statistics, his position on the three November ballot propositions, whether he’ll support Hillary Clinton if she runs for president, what his girlfriend is making for dinner tonight (really), if he’s in the process of deciding whether to run for president and whether he was surprised by the New York Times endorsement he received this week.

Continue reading Cuomo & Clinton (Updated x 2)

Debate Performance Analysis



Tonight’s gubernatorial candidate debate was a net gain for Rob Astorino, and a modest net loss for Andrew Cuomo.  Held in Buffalo, the one hour debate among Andrew Cuomo, Rob Astorino, Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins and Libertarian Party candidate Michael McDermott is the only scheduled debate between Cuomo and Astorino.

Dramatically behind in public polls and with little money, Astorino’s odds of winning on November 4th are extremely long.  Desperate for any positive movement, he needed a solid performance tonight and succeeded.  It’s unlikely to change the outcome of the election however, but it will give him a boost. Continue reading Debate Performance Analysis

Astorino on Grimm



Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino tonight expressed support for incumbent, and indicted, Congressman Michael Grimm.  Grimm, who represents Staten Island and a small section of Brooklyn, faces Democrat Dominic Recchia in the general election.  We spoke at the conclusion of a town hall Astorino held on Staten Island.

Cuomo Campaigns; The Bronx & Washington Heights Edition (Updated x 2)



Governor Andrew Cuomo campaigned in the Bronx and Washington Heights today, at rallies aimed at Puerto Rican and Dominican-American voters.

Disruption:

The Bronx rally had two disruptions, with the second the more dramatic.  As Governor Cuomo spoke about the DREAM Act, a group of about 8 protestors stood and successively shouted at him.  Cuomo continued speaking, not acknowledging the disruption.

The video sound is as it occurred, unedited and not dubbed.  My camera was plugged into the event sound feed, with the lectern microphone as the sole sound source.  The audio of the protestors is therefor very limited.  As the shouts rose the event staff brought the music back up, as you’ll hear.  The narration is simply Cuomo continuing his speech, with some striking coincidence between his words and the action in the back of the room.

Update – Gaggle:

Governor Cuomo spoke with the press following his Bronx rally.  He began with an opening statement and then answered questions on topics which included the Independence Party (whose ballot line Cuomo is on), the protest at the rally and Cuomo’s efforts on passing the DREAM Act, a recent report that 34,000 people have been designated under the SAFE Act as ineligible to own guns and the prospect of Ebola-related restrictions on commercial flights.

Continue reading Cuomo Campaigns; The Bronx & Washington Heights Edition (Updated x 2)

Hochul on the Hustings, Hudson Edition (Updated)



Multi-party candidate for lieutenant governor Kathy Hochul campaigned through the Hudson Valley Saturday, with a “Women’s Equality Party” bus tour stopping in Mt. Kisco, Poughkeepsie and Kingston.  At each stop Hochul announced her (and running mate Andrew Cuomo’s) endorsement of the local Democratic state senate candidate; Justin Wagner in Mt. Kisco, incumbent Terry Gipson in Poughkeepsie and incumbent Cecilia Tkaczyk in Kingston.

These races are highly competitive and are expected to play a central part in determining control of the state senate.  Wagner is seeking an open seat, currently held by Republican Greg Ball.  Tkaczyk faces former state senator George Amedore, who she defeated in 2012 by 18 votes and Gipson faces a strong challenge from Republican Sue Serino.  It’s notable that Cuomo is engaging in these races, although that engagement is tempered by the lack of appearing in person.

Hochul’s Poughkeepsie appearance at Marist College, spectacularly perched above the Hudson River, included Senator Gipson declaring “well that’s a surprise” immediately after Hochul announced the Cuomo/Hochul endorsement.  It may not have been an immediate surprise, seeing as this was a planned campaign stop, but it is a marked longer-term turn of events.  In 2012 Cuomo endorsed and campaigned for Republican and then-incumbent Senator Steve Saland against Gipson.  Saland was one of four Republican senators voting in favor of marriage equality in June 2011, and Cuomo publicly supported all four.

When I asked Hochul about the change from opposing to supporting Gipson, she offered that she and Cuomo “feel very strongly that Senator Gipson will be the vote we need to get the full Women’s Equality Agenda through the legislature.”

We also spoke with Hochul about the three propositions on the November ballot – her views are here.

Ballot Propositions – Hochul Edition



There are three ballot propositions on the November ballot. If approved by voters they will: 1) Create a redistricting commission to draw the new state legislative and House of Representatives’ district lines every 10 years, with the commission members appointed by the state legislative leaders, 2) amend the current constitutional requirement of distributing paper versions of proposed bills to state legislators to allow for electronic distribution and 3) authorize New York State to borrow up to $2 billion for school funding, with a stated purpose of “improving learning and opportunity for public and nonpublic school students”, including the purchase of equipment, expanding school broadband access, building classrooms for pre-K and replacing trailers and installing “high-tech security features.”

Kathy Hochul supports all three propositions.  She’s the first of the five statewide candidates we’ve spoken with to do so.  Her running mate, Governor Andrew Cuomo, supports the first and third propositions but stated that he has not taken a position on the second, which would allow the use of electronic bills in the legislature.  We spoke with Hochul at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, her second of three stops today on a “Women’s Equality Express” bus tour.

Gubernatorial candidates Cuomo and Astorino give their positions here.  Comptroller candidates DiNapoli and Antonacci give their positions here.

Jindal for Astorino



Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal joined New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino at a press conference this evening, denouncing President Obama’s and Governor Cuomo’s efforts at fighting the Ebola virus as weak and ineffective.  Although both are Democrats, Obama and Cuomo do not appear particularly close generally and they have not had a shared public presence to date in the fight against Ebola. They are, however, the respective political targets of Jindal and Astorino.

In their opening statements Astorino and Jindal also focused on a shared target – Common Core.  Astorino frequently criticizes Common Core and pledges to stop its implementation if elected.  Jindal, once a supporter, has significantly structured his putative presidential bid around his opposition.

Press questions were on two broad topics; Ebola and Chris Christie. I asked Astorino and Jindal about Governor Cuomo’s statement today that only the federal government can ban flights from West African countries, not the New York and New Jersey governors as Astorino and others have demanded, and Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye’s statement that no such direct flights arrive at Newark or JFK.  Astorino first called for such ban on October 7th.  As you can see (in the first question) those statements didn’t seem to alter Astorino or Jindal’s views or demands.  I also asked Jindal whether the Louisiana attorney general’s recent effort (supported by Jindal) to block the incinerated remains of possessions of Ebola victim Thomas Duncan from being disposed of in a Louisiana landfill was adding to growing hysteria.  Other questions included whether Jindal has spoken with Chris Christie, who heads the Republican Governors Association about his lack of support for Astorino, whether Jindal would, if he were still head of the RGA, use RGA resources to support Astorino, whether Jindal agrees with Senator Rand Paul that the federal government is being untruthful about the danger from Ebola and what Jindal thinks of Cuomo’s performance as governor.

Here is the full Q&A:

Cuomo Discusses Cuomo



Governor Andrew Cuomo ventured into personal territory Wednesday, albeit in his own unemotional manner.  He attended a book signing for his newly published memoir at the Union Square Barnes & Noble, autographing copies for approximately 100-150 people.

He spoke for about 5 minutes before sitting and signing, describing the “three basic stories” covered in his book.  First among them was the “very personal … story of the darkest, most difficult time” of his life around his 2002 electoral defeat and subsequent divorce.  Additionally, by his telling, the book covers the story of “what we did in government” and the story of his father, former governor Mario Cuomo, and how he came into politics.

Here are his full remarks:

Astorino at Asphalt Green



Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino came to Manhattan’s Upper East Side Tuesday to protest the waste transfer station being built behind Asphalt Green, a popular sports and arts facility.  The waste transfer station has been a neighborhood flashpoint for the past few years, sparking litigation, protests and an ongoing effort to stop it.  Today Astorino called for the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to not renew  state-issued permits necessary for the project to continue.

The transfer station is part of the City’s Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan, a large, complex plan which is more than a decade in the making. The SWMP grew out of the Giuliani-era closing of the Fresh Kills landfill, previously the destination for the City’s garbage, as the City has tried to develop a long term plan for waste transfer.

The 91st Street marine transfer station was a topic of discussion during the 2013 mayoral race, with candidates split on what they would do about it. For some background, here is a discussion from a Bronx mayoral forum in June and an appearance at Asphalt Green by Joe Lhota during the general election. It’s an issue that inflames many outside of Manhattan, who see it as an effort by a wealthy, well-connected neighborhood to avoid the same burdens that they face.

Here’s the full Q&A portion of Astorino’s press conference.  On topic questions included whether canceling the project would result in Manhattan not bearing it’s “fair share” of the burdens of waste removal, whether the plan is “too far in motion” to realistically cancel or pull back, his reaction to learning that Mario Cuomo opposes the project and  what effects a major storm might have on the site.  Other topics included whether he plans to read Andrew Cuomo’s book, released today, his view of Cuomo’s national media tour, Cuomo’s reported use of campaign funds to buy holiday gifts for state troopers protecting him and what Astorino plans for the three weeks until election day.

Ballot Propositions – Gubernatorial Candidate Views



There are three ballot propositions on the November ballot.  If approved by voters they will: 1) Create a redistricting commission to draw the new state legislative and House of Representatives’ district lines every 10 years, with the commission members appointed by the state legislative leaders, 2) amend the current constitutional requirement of distributing paper versions of proposed bills to state legislators to allow for electronic distribution and 3) authorize New York State to borrow up to $2 billion for school funding, with a stated purpose of “improving learning and opportunity for public and nonpublic school students”, including the purchase of equipment, expanding school broadband access, building classrooms for pre-K and replacing trailers and installing “high-tech security features.”

I’ve asked gubernatorial candidates Andrew Cuomo and Rob Astorino for their positions on each of the propositions.  Cuomo supports the first and third propositions, the redistricting commission and school bond issue.  On allowing electronic bills in place of paper bills in the state legislature, Cuomo said “I haven’t taken a position yet.”  Astorino opposes the first and third propositions, the redistricting commission and school bond issue.  In our discussion he did not state a position on the second proposition, to allow electronic bills in place of paper bills in the state legislature.

I spoke with Cuomo today, just before the Columbus Day Parade, and with Astorino on September 26th following an appearance in Farmingdale.

Here’s NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli on the ballot propositions.

Update:  On October 23rd Cuomo revised his position, stating that he supports proposition #2.