NY ELECTIONS TODAY

Gov. Andrew Cuomo traveled the state to rally supporters while his liberal challenger Zephyr Teachout sought to promote her campaign to oust him as they made their final pitches before Tuesday’s Democratic primary.

Cuomo, who has largely avoided the campaign trail, held a rally with union members in New York City before flying to another rally outside Buffalo, the home of his running mate, former congresswoman Kathy Hochul.

Teachout, a Fordham University law professor, participated in several radio interviews ahead of a New York City rally Monday evening. She and her running mate, Columbia University law professor Tim Wu, also touted their campaign’s proposals to encourage technological innovation.

“We are really tapping into something very deep, and Andrew Cuomo is feeling it,” Teachout said. “… We know we’re going to see a lot of new voters.”

While polls show Teachout isn’t well known, her candidacy has galvanized liberal dissatisfaction with Cuomo, and her bare-bones campaign threatens to upend what many believed would be an easy re-election for Cuomo.

Teachout has said Cuomo hasn’t addressed corruption or done enough to combat income inequality. Cuomo stresses his work to pass a liberal agenda control while playing up his and Hochul’s experience.

“It’s always been shocking to me … the concept of ‘maybe we can elect somebody to the highest levels in state government and they don’t have to have any experience or knowledge of the job,’” Cuomo said following his New York City rally. “Believe it or not, being governor, being lieutenant governor, you need to know what you’re doing.”

In the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, Hochul faces Wu. Candidates for lieutenant governor run separately in the primary but run with their party’s gubernatorial nominee in the general election.

Other primaries include Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz, a Midwood Democrat who faces Ben Akslerod, and state Sen. Tony Avella, who angered Democrats by switching to the Independent Democratic Caucus earlier this year. Former New York City Comptroller John Liu is challenging him in the Democratic primary.

There is a Democratic primary to replace retiring Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs. Rodneyse Bichotte is favored to win, having received the lion’s share of endorsements.

In Crown Heights, Lee Hamilton and Rubain Dorancy are neck and neck in the race to succeed former state Sen. Eric Adams, who became Brooklyn borough president this year.

This article appeared in print on page 4 of the September 9th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.