Governor easily fends off actress’ primary challenge
NEW YORK — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo easily beat back a primary challenge from activist and actress Cynthia Nixon on Thursday, thwarting her attempt to become the latest insurgent liberal to knock off an establishment Democrat.
Cuomo, who always led in the polls and outspent his rival more than 8 to 1, seldom mentioned Nixon by name during an oftennasty campaign, instead touting his experience, achievements in two terms as governor and his work to resist President Trump.
In his moment of victory, Cuomo was oddly silent, skipping his own election night party in Manhattan to celebrate with family at the governor’s mansion in Albany. He put out a tweet that said simply “Thank You New York.” His campaign declined to issue a statement.
“It’s New York’s obligation to stand up and lead and lead against a lot of these changes in Washington that are totally opposite of who we are as New Yorkers and what we believe,” he said earlier at his Westchester County polling place. “There is a divisiveness coming out of Washington that I think is cancerous to this nation.”
Thursday’s results were good across the board for Cuomo, whose preferred candidates for lieutenant governor and attorney general also survived contentious primaries. And despite Nixon’s loss, liberals celebrated victories for several left-leaning challengers who ousted longtime legislative incumbents.
With registered Democrats outnumbering Republicans more than 2 to 1 in New York, Cuomo becomes the automatic front-runner in November’s matchup with Republican Marc Molinaro and independent Mayor Stephanie Miner.
Nixon, a longtime education activist and actress best known for her Emmy-winning role as lawyer Miranda Hobbes on HBO’s “Sex and the City,” was counting on a boost from liberals looking to oust establishment politicians. She called herself a democratic socialist and pointed to recent congressional primary victories by New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts’ Ayanna Pressley as evidence that underdog challengers can defy the odds.
When that didn’t happen, Nixon thanked supporters and credited her campaign for helping to push Cuomo to the left and show that liberals have a shot at making big changes.
“Before we take our country back, we have to take our party back,” she said. “This is an incredible moment for progressives but it’s not just a moment. It’s a movement.”
Cuomo, who won with about 65 percent of vote, secured endorsements from Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and even Nicki Minaj, and spent much of the race touting his own liberal accomplishments such as same-sex marriage, gun control and paid family leave. He increasingly made the race about pushing back against Trump and other Republicans.