ALBANY – Democratic victories across New York on Election Day could have broad implications for statewide elections in 2018.
Start with Tuesday‘s loss by Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully in 2014 against Gov. Andrew Cuomo and was considered a top prospect to challenge the Democratic governor again next year.
Astorino‘s defeat to state Sen. George Latimer, D-Rye, makes it extraordinarily difficult for him to run for governor next year, and Democrats said the results throughout New York showed backlash to President Donald Trump and Republicans‘ policies in the nation.
“We must continue to resist the policies of Donald Trump and not empower those who would enact them,” said Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers.
Across NY
Republicans struggled in most of the state, particularly in the New York City suburbs. Democrat Laura Curran won the Nassau County executive race over Republican state Sen. Jack Martins, making it only the third time a Democrat will hold the post.
Across upstate, Democrats won the major city mayoral contests, except in Syracuse — where third-party candidate Ben Walsh won.
Next year, all statewide races will be on the ballot, as well as all 27 congressional seats and control of the state Senate.
Republicans haven‘t won a statewide seat since Gov. George Pataki won a third term in 2002, and the GOP is holding onto control of the state Senate because of help from Democrats.
Now Latimer‘s state Senate seat in Westchester County will be a key battleground for Republicans and Democrats. It will be up to Cuomo to call a special election for the seat, or he could choose to keep it open until the general election a year from now. His office said Wednesday he was weighing his options.
Campaigns ahead
Cuomo, when he voted in Westchester on Tuesday, knocked Astorino. His comments, which came before the results were tallied, offered perhaps a sneak peek at Cuomo‘s election message next year: Tie New York Republicans to Trump, a fellow New Yorker.
“This is bigger than just the county executive’s race,” Cuomo told reporters. “Rob Astorino is a fully financed subsidiary of Donald Trump, right? The same people who finance Donald Trump and an extreme conservative agenda are financing the Astorino campaign, and I just am philosophically opposed to everything they represent.”
For Republicans considering a run against Cuomo next year, Tuesday‘s big wins for Democrats will have to be considered, political analysts and officials said.
Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, who is one of the Republican candidates exploring a run against Cuomo, said it‘s too soon to predict voters‘ mood in 2018.
“I’ve often lived by a political philosophy that for every action there is an equal if not exaggerated reaction,” Molinaro said Wednesday.
While the results should be a “moment of pause,” Molinaro said, questions about the effectiveness of state government haven‘t changed.
“New York still has, even after last night, we have a government that is too corrupt; we have a government that is too bloated and we have a cost of living that is too high,” Molinaro said. “That doesn’t change.”
Facing Cuomo
Even without Democrats‘ strong showing Tuesday, beating Cuomo as he seeks a third term would be difficult.
New York has twice as many enrolled Democrats than Republicans, and the governor — a possible presidential candidate in 2020 — had $26 million in his campaign war chest in July.
A gave Cuomo a favorability rating of 57 percent to 35 percent.
“The governor‘s numbers are strong and his war chest substantial,” Siena poll spokesman Steven Greenberg said in a statement. “However, we‘re 11 months from a potential Democratic primary and 13 months from the general election. That‘s a long, long time.”
Cuomo may also have to contend with the left wing of his party trying to force a Democratic primary against him in September.
Already, former Hudson Valley state Sen. Terry Gipson is considering a run, as is outgoing Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner.
Adding to the intrigue: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio won a second term handily Tuesday, and he and Cuomo have been political foes, fueling speculation that the liberal mayor may try to find a primary challenger against Cuomo.
Zephyr Teachout, who ran in a primary against Cuomo in 2014, said Tuesday‘s result bode well for Democrats in New York and around the country.
“I have always believed that if we are going to rebuild our country, it starts with state and local elections,” she said in a statement. “The myriad small victories last night — and millions of grassroots actions that earned them — are a strong start toward that goal.”
https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/politics/albany/2017/11/08/what-nys-elections-mean-2018/107465888/