Gipson drops bid to take on Gov. Cuomo
Former state Sen. Terry Gipson on Wednesday dropped his longshot bid to challenge Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a Democratic primary, citing actress Cynthia Nixon launching her campaign this week.
“After much thoughtful consideration, we’ve decided to end our campaign for the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary,” Gipson, a Rhinebeck resident, posted on his campaign page on Facebook. “Another candidate has stepped forward, and she clearly has the resources and infrastructure that are needed to secure a place on the ballot and win.
“I’m proud of what we have achieved, and I am looking forward to working with Ms. Nixon and everyone else who shares my commitment to making government work better for all the people of New York state,” Gipson wrote.
Nixon, a co-star of the former HBO series “Sex and the City” and a longtime advocate for fairness in public school funding, announced Monday that she will challenge Cuomo, a two-term incumbent, for the Democratic nomination. She has an uphill climb, though: The latest Siena College poll shows Cuomo leading her, 66 percent to 19 percent, among registered Democrats in the state.
Cuomo also leads his potential Republican opponents, including Duchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, by wide margins, the poll found.
Gipson was elected to the state Senate in the 41st District (most of Dutchess County, part of Putnam County) in 2012, ousting 20-year-incumbent Steve Saland, R-Poughkeepsie. Gipson was unseated in 2014 by Hyde Park Republican Sue Serino, and Serino bested Gipson again in 2016 to keep her seat.
Gipson served on the Rhinebeck Village Board for four years before going to Albany.