Cuomo’s Off-Beat Response To Term Question
Oct 23rd - 10:33 am
Is Gov. Andrew Cuomo becoming pre-occupied by his own mortality?
It certainly seems that way whenever he is asked about whether he’ll serve out a second, four-year term.
Behind the question posed by reporters is obvious: Cuomo is believed to be a potential presidential contender or could be plucked for a high-profile cabinet post in a Democratic administration come 2017.
Each time Cuomo has been asked about serving out a full term, he makes a joke about having a “heart attack” or dying in the middle of the term — seemingly an effort to throw the reporter asking the question off balance.
This has happened at least three times.
The governor at the Business Council’s annual meeting in September was asked about serving out his full term if re-elected by Gannett’s Jon Campbell.
Here’s the exchange:
Campbell: Governor if you’re re-elected in November, will you serve a full, four-year term.
Cuomo: What if I die?
Campbell: It’s a possibility, but do you plan on serving a full, four-year term?
Cuomo: Do I plan on it? Yes. But now you just lost the question when you put ‘planning on it.’
And it was posed to the governor in an interview last week with The Wall Street Journal’s Erica Orden. Again, the mortality issue was raised:
WSJ: Are you going to stay here for four years?
Cuomo: That’s what I hope to do. Unless I drop dead with a heart attack or take a plane to Italy and decide not to come back.
Finally, in last night’s debate, the full term question was asked by panelist Bob McCarthy of The Buffalo News. Guess how Cuomo responded?
“If I drop dead of a heart attack how does that count? Does that violate the pledge?”
After a beat, Cuomo said, “yes.”
ESPA Gets Cuomo Boost, Launches GOTV Contest
Oct 23rd - 10:20 am
From the Morning Memo:
New York’s largest gay and transgender rights organization is celebrating the governor’s election year pledge to push its signature policy issue in 2015, and hopes that will lead to the measure’s passage in Albany.
In a video recorded for the Empire State Pride Agenda’s fall gala, Cuomo called for the passage of Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, or GENDA, which has been approved by the Democrat-controlled Assembly, but remains stalled in the Senate.
Cuomo’s video, which he sent in lieu of an in-person appearance at the event last week (he was departing for a whirlwind trip to the Dominican Republican and Puerto Rico), is the first time the governor has specifically expressed a personal desire to see GENDA pass.
In a letter sent to ESPA several months ago, Cuomo said he has a “deep commitment to protect the rights of all New Yorkers – including those in the transgendered community.” He did not, however, cite GENDA specifically.
“Governor Cuomo calling for…GENDA, is the second time in recent months that we’ve seen true public support on this top human rights priority in New York,” said ESPA Executive Director Nathan Schaefer.
“With the power of the chief executive of New York State behind us, we’re more hopeful than ever that 2015 will be the year GENDA will finally pass and transgender New Yorkers will be treated as equal citizens in the eyes of the law.”
GENDA has been ESPA’s top priority since the passage of same-sex marriage in 2011 – a move that won Cuomo massive support in the LGBT community, and one he continues to tout as proof of his progressive bona fides.
ESPA, which has endorsed Cuomo for re-election, today is launching an “Out the Vote” contest to help turn out the vote on Nov. 4.
Through midnight Oct. 30, LGBT New Yorkers and their allies are being encouraged to share an image or video that explains why it’s important they vote to help secure a pro-LGBT state government by Tweeting @prideagenda or posting on ESPA’s Instagram or Facebook pages using the hashtag #OUTtheVote.
The winner, who will be announced on Halloween, will win a ride to the polls in style in a limo with room to bring three friends.
More information on the contest can be found here, along with ESPA’s 2014 voter guide and other election-related information.
Hayworth Drops Big $ In NY-18
Oct 23rd - 10:15 am
From the Morning Memo:
With her re-match against Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney coming down to the wire, Republican former Rep. Nan Hayworth is going all in on her campaign.
This week, according to a source familiar with her decision, Hayworth invested an additional $1 million of her own money in her effort to oust Maloney, who defeated her two years ago.
That’s the most Hayworth has ever personally spent on any of her congressional bids, though she has dropped quite a bit of cash on her political aspirations.
So far this cycle, Hayworth has loaned her campaign $558,000. That’s a lot more than the $173,533 she invested two years ago, but as an incumbent House member, raising campaign cash was considerably easier.
Hayworth, an ophthalmologist by trade, loaned her campaign $500,000 when she first ran for office in 2010, defeating then-Democratic Rep. John Hall.
Now that Maloney is the incumbent and Hayworth the challenger, his fundraising has been a lot stronger than hers. She had brought in (including her own cash) about $2.1 million by the end of September, while he had brought in about $3.4 million.
Even with the additional money she’s putting into her campaign, the effort to oust Hayworth dwarfs the amount being spent to get her back into office.
To date, about $1.3 million has been spent by outside groups – mostly the DCCC and the House Majority PAC – against Hayworth, while about $200,000 has been spent in her favor and about $150,000 went toward negative ads that slam Maloney.
Following Debate, Hawkins Goes Up On TV
Oct 23rd - 8:14 am
From the Morning Memo:
Following his appearance in the only scheduled debate in the race for governor, Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins is hitting the airwaves.
The ad, called “A Real Choice” will air in the major upstate TV markets on Time Warner Cable News and MSNBC.
The 30-second commercial calls attention to his support for a ban on hydrofracking, a $15 minimum wage and single-payer health care.
“You have a choice on Nov. 4,” the ad reminds viewers.
And there’s a swipe at Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Rob Astorino as well.
“A man who is not part of a political dynasty or funded by corporations or the 1 percent,” the ad’s narrator says.
The spot comes as a Siena College poll released this week found Hawkins polling at 9 percent, potentially cutting in to Cuomo’s final vote total next month.
Hawkins four years ago was able to achieve the 50,000-vote plus benchmark for automatic ballot status for the party.
This time, the Greens hope to tap into liberal discontent with Cuomo, as well as the sizable protest vote that Zephyr Teachout garnered in her September primary.
Tkaczyk Hits The Airwaves
Oct 23rd - 8:03 am
From the Morning Memo:
Democratic Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk is releasing her first television ad of the campaign on Thursday.
The 30-second spot highlights her efforts in the Fort Plain area in 2013 following a devastating flood.
Providing a testimonial is Republican Fort Plain Mayor Guy Barton, who calls Tkaczyk “an asset to the community” in the commercial.
Tkaczyk faces Republican George Amedore, a former state assemblyman, once again this November.
Amedore lost the 46th Senate district two years ago by only 18 votes, making the rematch for the seat once again a closely watched contest.
The race is already one of the costliest state legislative races in New York, with hundreds of thousands of dollars of outside money through independent expenditure campaigns pouring in to the area.
Friends of Democracy, a group backed by Jonathan Soros, has already been up on the air slamming Amedore. The group, which backs the public financing of political campaigns, dumped $230,000 into the race. Friends of Democracy is also active to SD-46′s south, backing Democrat Justin Wagner with a $200,000 ad campaign against Republican Terrence Murphy.
The Real Estate Board of New York, through its super PAC Jobs for New York, has come to the aid of Amedore with its own TV campaign as well.
Bloomberg, IDC, Cuomo Ally Boost Grisanti
Oct 23rd - 7:49 am
From the Morning Memo:
As he battles to keep his seat in a four-way race and running solely on the Independence Party line, Sen. Mark Grisanti is getting some last-minute financial help from eyebrow-raising donors who funneled their contributions through a New York City-based environmental group.
The Buffalo Republican’s biggest benefactor was former NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who recently penned a $350,000 personal check to the New York League of Conservation Voters with the understanding that the bulk of that cash would go to help Grisanti, multiple sources confirmed.
Bloomberg pledged to protect Grisanti and three other Republican senators who crossed party lines back in 2011 to vote “yes” on same-sex marriage. Grisanti is the last remaining member of that quartet still in the chamber.
The former mayor had already maxed out in his contributions to Grisanti for both the primary and general elections. So he turned to the NYLCV, with which he had a close working relationship during his years at City Hall.
Bloomberg spokesman Howard Wolfson confirmed the mayor’s contributions, and said he gave to the NYLCV because it is “doing good work” in the 60th SD.
Bloomberg, a billionaire Democrat-turned-Republican-turned independent, was once the largest personal contributor to the Senate Republicans, but hasn’t given them much support as a group since he departed City Hall at the end of last year.
The former mayor is still involved in politics, but his focus is now mostly national. He has been spending millions of dollars to support House, US Senate and gubernatorial candidates on both sides of the aisle, as well as on various ballot initiatives across the country this cycle.
Bloomberg’s cash accounts for about half of the approximately $700,000 worth of independent expenditures the League plans on spending on this year’s elections. That’s about twice the amount it spent in 2012.
This isn’t the first time Bloomberg and the NYLCV have teamed up to help Grisanti. In 2012, the League made Grisanit’s re-election immediately after the senator’s “yes” vote on same-sex marriage one of its top priorities, and co-hosted a fund-raiser for him at Bloomberg’s Upper East Side townhouse. The organization spent in the six figures to assist Grisanti’s successful campaign that year.
The NYCLV recently named Grisanti its third priority Senate candidate in the general election – along with Long Island Democrat Adrienne Esposito and freshman Democratic Sen. Ted O’Brien, of Rochester. The outcome of any – or all three – of those races could play a big role in the fight for control of the Senate.
Technically speaking, however, the League isn’t taking sides in that fight, preferring instead to endorse on a case-by-case basis, supporting lawmakers it believes have backed its agenda in Albany.
Grisanti chairs the Environmental Committee in the Senate, while O’Brien is the ranking member on that committee. Esposito is a long time environmental activist.
The NYLCV has already paid for one TV ad in support of Grisanti, and will soon hit the airwaves with another, a spokesman confirmed. Also on tap: Mailers and an extensive GOTV effort on the senator’s behalf.
The NYLCV also received a $150,000 contribution from the IDC’s PAC. IDC leader Jeff Klein has been courting Grisanti since the GOP senator lost his party’s primary in September to attorney Kevin Stocker.
The League also got a check for $5,000 from environmental attorney Larry Rockefeller, a moderate Republican who recently crossed party lines to endorse Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and appeared in a campaign ad on the governor’s behalf.
Crain’s, which first reported Bloomberg’s contribution to the NYLCV, noted that both the real estate industry and the teachers unions, which are spending big to help opposite sides in the Senate fight, have given money to the League’s PAC.
Here and Now
Oct 23rd - 5:52 am
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is in New York City.
At 7:10 a.m., Chemung County Sheriff and GOP LG candidate Chris Moss appears live on “The Morning Newswatch” on WHCU 870 AM Ithaca.
At 8 a.m., NYC deputy mayor for housing and economic development, Alicia Glen, is the featured speaker as the New York Building Congress presents a “Construction Industry Breakfast Forum” to discuss the release of the organization’s construction forecast through 2016; Trianon Ballroom, New York Hilton Midtown hotel, 1335 Sixth Ave., Manhattan.
At 8:30 a.m., Crain’s New York Business and the state’s “Taste NY” program host a “Made in New York” networking event and trade show featuring nearly 50 artisanal food manufacturers, brewers, distillers and winemakers; Fashion Institute of Technology, Seventh Avenue and 28th Street, Manhattan.
Also at 8:30 a.m., state Education Commissioner John King and Regent Charles Bendit will visit Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School, 511 West 182nd St., Manhattan.
At 9 a.m., GOP AG candidate John Cahill will be a guest on WCSS Talk Radio Show, AM 1490 WCSS.
At 10 a.m., NYC Mayor de Blasio will join Manhattan DA Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. and NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton at a press conference to make an announcement, One Exchange Plaza, 55 Broadway, 28th Floor, Manhattan.
At 10:30 a.m., Hillary Clinton, Cuomo and Cuomo’s running mate, former Rep. Kathy Hochul, attend a “Women for Cuomo” event, Grand Hyatt, Grand Central Terminal, 109 E 42nd St., Manhattan.
Also at 10:30 a.m., joined by members of the Yonkers City Council, Cahill talks about returning “autonomy” to the city, Van der Donck Park, Yonkers.
Also at 10:30 a.m., the NYS Business Council endorses Terrence Murphy, a small business owner and candidate for state Senate in the 40th district, Somers Chamber of Commerce, 2 Old Tomahawk Rd., Granite Springs.
Also at 10:30 a.m., Sakima Green-Brown, candidate for the 104th Assembly District, will be joined by Rep. Chris Gibson for a special announcement, corner of Civic Center Plaza and Mansion Street, Poughkeepsie.
At 10:34 a.m., Westchester County Executive and GOP gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino will be a guest on WABC radio 770AM with host Geraldo Rivera.
At 11 a.m., broadcaster and chef Marc Murphy, Rep. Charlie Rangel, NYC Council members, religious and union officials and other supporters of the Powered by Breakfast NYC coalition hold a news conference to call for the mayor to expand breakfast programs to all city public schools; steps, City Hall, Manhattan.
Also at 11 a.m., Rep. Nydia M. Velazquez and business owners discuss a US Government Accountability Office report examining federal programs intended to assist small businesses affected by Hurricane Sandy; The Red Hook Winery, pier 41, 175-204 Van Dyke St., Brooklyn.
At 11:35 a.m., Astorino will be a guest on AM970 with host John Gambling.
At noon, Hochul speaks at the at Eleanor’s Legacy Fall Luncheon, where US Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand will be the special guest, Grand Hyatt, Grand Central Terminal, 109 E 42nd St., Manhattan.
Also at noon, Astorino holds a post-debate press conference, outside the LCA room, 3rd floor, NYS Capitol, Albany.
Also at noon, Moss appears live on “Talking Back with Shannon Joy” on WYSL 1040 AM Rochester.
Also at noon, LG Bob Duffy delivers the keynote address at the Genesis Group’s 14th annual meeting and luncheon, Daniele’s Banquet Specialists, 8360 Seneca Turnpike, New Hartford.
At 1:30 p.m., Green Party gubernatorial candidate Howie Hawkins, Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club President Allen Roskoff, Albany City Councilman Judd Krasher, and Albany County Legisator Doug Bullock speak about Hawkins’ growing grassroots support, LOB Press Room (130), LOB, Albany.
At 2:45 p.m., Moss holds a news conference with Broome County Sheriff Dave Harder, Tioga County Sheriff Gary Howard, Chenango County Sheriff Ernie Cutting and Delaware County Sheriff Tom Mills, in front of Government Plaza, Binghamton, 38 Hawley St., Binghamton.
At 5 p.m., Astorino will be a guest on WBEN with host Tom Bauerle.
At 5:30 p.m., Astorino will attend and deliver remarks at the Herkimer GOP Annual Dinner, Francesca’s Restaurant, 144 E. Main St., Ilion.
At 6 p.m., US Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky will be honored during the Washington-based Center for the National Interest’s “Distinguished Service Award Dinner”; JW Marriott Essex House New York hotel, 160 Central Park South, Manhattan.
At 7:30 p.m., Moss attends and delivers remarks at the Rockaway Republican Dinner, Belle Harbor Yacht Club, 533 Beach 126th St., Belle Harbor. (Cahill will also attend later in the evening; the event is honoring former Rep. Bob Turner).
At 8 p.m., Hochul speaks at the Richmond County Democratic Gala, Excelsior Grand, 2380 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island.
Headlines…
In their lone televised debate, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his GOP rival, Rob Astorino, sidelined the two minor party candidates and refused to stay on topic, battering each other over their respective federal legal problems, records on taxes and allegations of racial and gender prejudice.
Astorino said Cuomo is “swimming in the cesspool of corruption” after pledging to be a reformer, and predicted he might be indicted over the Moreland mess.
After months of remaining above the fray, Cuomo eagerly and sternly hit back, saying Astorino is guilty of financial mismanagement and of driving property taxes up in Westchester, where he is county executive.
Cuomo also called Astorino an “ultraconservative” who “disrespects” women, minorities, gay people and immigrants, and attacked the county executive over his role in a long-running housing-discrimination dispute with the federal government.
Green Party gubernatorial candidate Howie Hawkins echoed some of Astorino’s sentiments about Cuomo, saying he is running for governor to represent the “99 percent” of the population.
“I think tonight you saw the very angry Andrew,” Astorino said after the debate. “The filthy, disgusting, race-card playing Andrew Cuomo. That’s what he’s been used to his whole life. Unfortunately, he’s just void of any ideas.” Cuomo quipped: “I had fun. I think he was angry.”
Hours before the gubernatorial debate, US Attorney Preet Bharara called state government “a little bit of a corruption disaster” and criticized Cuomo’s handling of the panel that was supposed to clean up the capital.
Cuomo made some news during the debate, saying the long-awaited state health study on fracking is “due at the end of the year.”
The NYT endorsed state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman for re-election.
In Debate, Cuomo And Astorino Engage, On Topic Or Not
Oct 22nd - 9:38 pm
There were four candidates on stage, but both Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Rob Astorino sought to make the only scheduled debate of the campaign about them.
The candidates for governor squared off in an hour-long debate on Wednesday evening with topics ranging from the governor’s handling of the defunct Moreland Commission To Investigate Public Corruption, upstate economic development, hydrofracking and medical marijuana.
But both Cuomo and Astorino came ready to blast each other and largely ignore Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins and Libertarian Michael McDermott.
McDermott, in particular, was highlight complimentary of Cuomo, thanking him for insisting the minor-party candidates be allowed to debate and defended the governor when he was asked about his previous comment in a radio interview about “extreme conservatives” having a place in the state.
Both Cuomo and McDermott exchanged a warm handshake at the conclusion of the debate.
At the heart of the forum was much of what has been discussed during the campaign: Cuomo insisting the state’s economy and government had improved and became better functioning under his watch, while Astorino criticizing the state’s tax and regulatory climate, which he says leads to an out-migration.
Cuomo, who has rarely mentioned his opponent by name in public, was quick to criticize “my friend, Mr. Astorino.”
“The people are following those jobs for better states,” Astorino said while knocking Cuomo’s handling of the economy.
Cuomo responded to tout his record on change the state’s tax code while criticizing Astorino for a credit down grade of Westchester County during his tenure as well as high property taxes.
“Yeah, rhetoric is fine, facts are better,” he said.
When the topic turned to Cuomo delaying a decision on whether to allow high-volume hydrofracking, the governor said he was waiting to see the outcome of a lengthy Department of Health review. He then took a swing at Astorino
“When he goes upstate he’s Sarah Palin, drill baby drill,” he said.”When he goes back home he’s Mark Ruffalo and supports a ban on wastewater treatment storage.”
Hawkins, the Green Party candidate who pledged to ban hydrofracking, was used as a foil by the governor.
Cuomo, in a chance to play up his centrist credentials, noted he physically and literally had Astorino and Hawkins to his right and left respectively on the issue.
As expected, Astorino excoriated Cuomo for his handling of the Moreland Commission, including alleged interference by his office in the direction of subpoenas as well as shutting the panel down following an ethics agreement.
The Moreland situation is currently the subject of an ongoing inquiry by the U.S. attorney’s office.
“Why do you need a criminal defense team if you’ve done nothing wrong?” Astorino said to Cuomo.
But in many respects, the debate format seemed to resemble a game of telephone.
One candidate would asked a question about a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills football team, which would then lead to Cuomo and Astorino sparring over a complex housing settlement with the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
On that score, Hawkins said he did not believe the team should have a taxpayer-funded facility built for them.
“I think Mr. Pegula has enough money for a new stadium,” he said, referring to the team’s new owner, Terry Pegula.
But on that question, Astorino and Cuomo blasted each other for their stances on a 2009 affordable housing settlement in Westchester County with the federal government.
Cuomo indicated Astorino’s stance hurt minorities; Astorino accused Cuomo of “playing the race card.”
Likewise, a question about medical marijuana devolved into both Cuomo and Astorino continuing to litigate the HUD issue, as well as local and state property taxes.
Nevertheless, McDermott, the Libertarian candidate, saw an opportunity with the medical marijuana question.
“I think I can stay on this topic,” he said.
Extras
Oct 22nd - 5:55 pm
While pushing the Women’s Equality Party, Democratic LG candidate Kathy Hochul has described a proposal to reform colleges’ handling of sexual assaults as the 11th plank of its agenda.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and his wife, Chirlane McCray, will be dressing up for Halloween and greeting trick-or-treaters at Gracie Mansion.
Brian McLaughlin, a one-time Queens Democratic political power and labor leader, was released from a federal prison camp after serving a little more than half of his 10-year sentence.
Nassau County GOP Chairman Joe Mondello is still in Astorino’s corner, even if the local county executive, Ed Mangano, is for Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
While flirting yet again with a presidential run, former Gov. George Pataki made a pitch for smaller government in New Hampshire this morning.
The New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health has sent a letter to Cuomo calling for set training and standards to deal with a potential outbreak of the Ebola virus in New York.
An airline passenger who arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport on Tuesday and was held for evaluation at a New Jersey hospital has not tested positive for Ebola.
Democratic state Senate candidate Madelyn Thorne, who’s challenging GOP Sen. Hugh Farley, has a new ad explaining why she’s running.
By promoting Bill Clinton’s rally for Rep. Tim Bishop, Stony Brook University may have violated its own long-standing policy against using resources to aid political candidates or causes.
Rep. Paul Tonko is also on the air, and is using the ad as a fundraising tool.
GOP NY-21 candidate Elise Stefanik is getting attention from young voters for the possibility that she’ll be the youngest member of Congress is she’s elected next month.
The Adirondack Daily Enterprise endorsed GOP AG candidate John Cahill.
The Fix tries to figure out who the 945 people were that bought Cuomo’s book.
Cuomo praised former NY Post editor Pete Hamill at a cremony where the veteran writer received the Eugene O’Neill Lifetime Achievement Award from the Irish American Writers & Artists.
Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani said he has “never met someone in politics that I disrespect more” than party-switching former Florida Gov. Charlie Christ.
As they pitched their ideas to private angel investors at a RPI event, technology executives called the Start-Up NY program too slow and complex to be useful.
The Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and Richmond County Young Democrats launched an independent expenditure to assist Democratic NY-11 candidate Domenic Recchia.
The MTA announced that more than 6 million people rode the subway on five separate days in September, breaking the record for most rides five times.
The White House has a scientific explanation for why reporters can’t witness President Barack Obama’s interactions with campaign donors: The very act of observing an event can change its outcome.
Eric Mower + Associates is combining with Middleton & Gendron, a public relations and brand communications agency in New York City.
Last Night and What’s Ahead
Oct 22nd - 4:27 pm
Senator Chuck Schumer is reaching out to help Senate Democrats while both candidates for governor are looking for support from latino voters. Speaking of the race for governor, how do both candidates fare when it comes to the economy? Plus, interviews on Republican support for congressional seats in NY and a complaint against Governor Andrew Cuomo. Here’s highlights from last night and a look ahead to tonight.
***FEATURED TONIGHT***
Our debate between candidates for the 19th Congressional District airs tonight at 7 p.m. That race is between incumbent Congressman Chris Gibson and Democratic Challenger Sean Eldridge. Gibson, a retired army colonel, has represented a part of New York in Congress since 2010. Eldridge, a political newcomer, is a man of many hats, but is known to most as a business investor in the Hudson Valley. The debate is one hour, featuring questions from our panel along with rebuttals. The candidates also get to ask each other one question – you don’t want to miss that.
WATCH:
State of Politics LIVE – 10.22.14
Complaint Against Cuomo: Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin Interview
Rallying Republicans: NRCC’s Greg Walden Interview
