‘October 29, 2014 4:00 PM

There is no inevitability with Andrew Cuomo,” Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino says of his Democratic opponent for governor of New York. “He is under federal investigation for corruption. Our state is dead last in almost everything. That people are voting with their feet in record numbers and moving out of here should tell you that things are bad. And they are going to stay bad unless we change governors and change these policies.”

...in the September 9 Democratic primary, Cuomo lost 24 of the Empire State’s 62 counties to the spectacularly named Zephyr Teachout. The Fordham Law School professor even defeated Cuomo in Albany County, his seat of power. It is startling for an incumbent governor to win only 62.9 percent of the primary vote while yielding 33.5 percent to an unknown, far-left academic with one-tenth of his war chest. (Randy Credico got 3.6 percent of the vote. Thus, 37.1 percent of primary voters rejected Cuomo.)

“Cuomo lost everything tonight except the nomination,” former New York City public advocate Mark Green, a ­Teach­out supporter, told the New York Post.

Now, while fighting Astorino, Cuomo also must keep his eyes on UPS truck loader Howie Hawkins. The Green Party nominee scored 9 percent in the Siena poll. Even more impressive, Hawkins has secured the endorsement of Buffalo’s teachers’ union. His supporters also include Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights Democrats for Reform plus Manhattan’s Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club and Village Independent Democrats. Such fissures in Cuomo’s base may augur sudden seismic jolts.

Beyond this, Democratic turnout is likely to be low on November 4. Among 5.42 million active registered Democrats in New York State, only 574,350 bothered to vote in a contested gubernatorial primary. Such apathy approaches paralysis.

Further dampening likely turnout is the fact that New York City has no major local offices in play. Even Gotham’s congressional races have prompted little discussion.


Astorino seems perfectly comfortable running behind a well-funded, powerful incumbent Democrat. He finds this position familiar. Just a week before Election Day in 2009, a Siena poll showed Astorino trailing among likely voters with 41 percent versus 48 percent for County Executive Andy Spano. Astorino largely was dismissed as a conservative Republican in Gotham’s Democrat-rich northern suburbs. Many chuckled at his quixotic quest.

And then Astorino beat Spano by 15 points: 57.5 percent to 42.5.

Was this a fluke — never to be repeated?

Nope. Astorino won reelection by nearly the same margin in 2013, with 57 percent to 43 for Democrat Noam Bramson.

In a county where only 24 percent of voters are registered as Republicans, Astorino already has defied the odds twice. But can he do so again?

Duplicating this feat statewide will be tough. Six days from now we will learn whether Astorino’s secret weapons turn out to be divided and demoralized Democrats, low liberal turnout, and widespread hunger for dynamic growth rather than chronic decay.

Far from a lost cause, Robert P. Astorino’s is a tough fight worth fighting.

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Bring the ruckus. Seriously may take the 5th off to riot if we win

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Krispy Kreme's career is toast after Rob wins.  

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He's actually within a couple of points of Cuomo in cny

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I will get out the vote and I have been pushing my friends as well. I hope Astorino wins but I am really more focused on making a once "sure thing" for Cuomo a close race so that nationally it can be held up as an example of why you don't fuck with gun rights.

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I hope rob does win and sends fuckstick packaging.  With that said I'm done with this state. Last kid is done in June of this coming year and we will be moving even if it means I can't sell my house right away. I had enough of the taxes and fsa getting all the perks.