Temper

Andy pals: He’d better keep cool or risk Nixon upset

ALBANY — With actress Cynthia Nixon announcing her Democratic primary run for governor last week, supporters of Gov. Cuomo believe Cuomo is the only one who can beat himself.

Cuomo supporters argue the twoterm governor has the money, progressive record, poll support among Democrats, and the organizing muscle to easily withstand his first serious campaign challenge as governor.

But it’s Cuomo’s temperament — he’s known for a hair-trigger temper and a penchant for both snarky and nuclear responses — that could be his biggest threat, even with Nixon hammering away at him on issues like corruption and the subways, they say.

“The only real way Andrew Cuomo can endanger himself in any way is with self-inflicted wounds,” said one backer.

Some close to Cuomo believe his obsession with constantly attacking Mayor de Blasio, who is tight with Nixon, is one reason the “Sex and the City” actress decided to ultimately get in the race. Nixon, in her first week as a candidate, has seemed to be deliberately trying to get under Cuomo’s skin. She has hit not just his policies, but also on his personality.

His supporters say rather than get in the gutter for a street fight, Cuomo — and his campaign — need to stay above the fray by keeping a laser-like focus on his record and not take the bait.

“It’s easy for her to call him names,” a second source said. “What he should just do is smile and say, ‘I’m running on my record of what I’ve done for the State of New York when it comes things like gun safety, gay rights, the environment.’”

Cuomo did just that when asked on NY1 last week about Nixon’s comments to Glamour magazine that he is “famously vengeful” and that she is running because “bullies have to be confronted.”

Cuomo simply said he doesn’t read Glamour and hasn’t met Nixon.

Backers want to see more of that over the next six months. But those who know him recognize that is easier said than done.

When he unsuccessfully first ran for governor in 2002, Cuomo never overcame his belittling of then-Gov. George Pataki’s performance in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

In contrasting the governor’s performance with that of Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Cuomo said Pataki “stood behind the leader. He held the leader’s coat.”

In the past two years, Cuomo has governed mostly out of view of the Albany press corps that covers him. But he still has seemingly let his emotions get the best of him at times.

Late last year, he told a veteran public radio Statehouse reporter she was doing a disservice to women by asking about how he planned to address sexual harassment issues within state government.

Even last week, he responded with snark to a reporter’s question about Nixon’s claim she took in more small donations in the first 24 hours of her campaign than Cuomo has since taking office in 2011.

“I’m going to go back and work on the budget, and then we’ll answer your little question,” he said, walking away.

Cuomo and his campaign, his supporters say, have a delicate balancing act in facing Nixon, who is trying to become the state’s first woman and openly gay governor.

“He’s got to be respectful and thoughtful,” the second backer says. “It’s very easy to shoot arrows from the sidelines. He’s got to play it as he’s the adult actually governing and doing tough and complicated things while you have kids running around playing politics. If he does that, he’s going to be fine.”