Cuomo Campaigns & Holds Press Conference



This afternoon Governor Andrew Cuomo campaigned and held a press conference.  Accompanied by Kathy Hochul, his designated candidate for lieutenant governor, Cuomo spoke at a Flushing rally held in support of State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky,

Immediately after the rally Cuomo spoke with press, beginning with short statements in support of Stavisky and Hochul.  (Under New York election law, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, even if they’re informally allied as Cuomo and Hochul are, run in separate primaries.)  The press conference was brief, running about six minutes in total, but included some interesting questions and answers.

When asked why he is not doing many campaign events (despite having a primary on Tuesday Governor Cuomo has done virtually no campaign events since the state party convention in May), Cuomo responded “I campaign by doing my job.”  When asked how his “run in” with rival Democratic gubernatorial candidate Zephyr Teachout was at this morning’s Labor Day parade, Cuomo replied “I didn’t get a chance to talk to her.”  (Watch their encounter, in which Cuomo appears to assiduously avoid acknowledging her, here.)  Cuomo spoke about why he offers few endorsements of political candidates, despite being the most powerful political figure in the state.  He was also asked about his refusal to debate Teachout, and specifically about his recent comment that  “I’ve been in many debates that I think were a disservice to democracy.”

Here is his full press conference.