May be Times for a surprise

I N three weeks more, Cynthia Nixon will be put out of her misery. The actress began her primary challenge to Gov. Cuomo with sizzle and has been a thorn in his side, pouncing on his missteps with savage glee and mocking his tough-guy persona.

But when it comes to support among Democrats, Nixon fizzles. She’s never hit 30 percent in the polls and the last two have her trailing Cuomo by an average of 33.5 points. So she’s toast, right?

Maybe. Or maybe she’s about to get a shot in the arm that will reshape the race.

I believe there is a good chance The New York Times will endorse Nixon. If so, she would get instant credibility among city and state liberals, many of whom still regard the Gray Lady as a secular bible. That could give Nixon a chance to seize the momentum before the Sept. 13 vote.

Combined with expected low turnout and Cuomo fatigue among many voters, the result could be surprisingly close, or even a stunning upset.

But first things first. My hunch on the endorsement comes not just from the fact that the Times backed Nixon’s fellow uber-lefty Zephyr Teachout for state attorney general, but also what that editorial said about Cuomo.

The Monday endorsement included numerous scathing references to the governor while calling Albany a “chamber of ethical horrors.” It said one reason Teachout is worthy is that she “waged a strong primary campaign” against Cuomo in 2014.

Although Teachout got only 33 percent, that race, the Times declared, gives her “credibility and distance from a governor who remains all too cozy with donors, contractors, union leaders and influence peddlers who dominate Albany.”

Lest there was any doubt about its feelings, the paper held Cuomo’s support for another attorney-general candidate, Public Advocate Letitia James, against her. It called James a “standout fighter for tenants, children and other vulnerable New Yorkers,” then shifted gears to say, “But she has embraced political contributions from donors to Mr. Cuomo, who held a fundraiser for her this summer.”

Because the paper shredded the governor on matters that go to the heart of his two terms, it is hard to imagine the Times could turn around and endorse him against Nixon. What case could it make?

It probably didn’t help him that Cuomo spent two years, and $200,000 in public money, fighting a Times freedom-of-information request for e-mails focusing on the cozy relationship he had with a crooked lobbyist, Todd Howe, a central figure in two corruption cases.

The governor remains sore about the rocky relationship his late father, Gov. Mario Cuomo, had with the Times editorial board, believing the paper was too snooty to respect anybody from Queens. No doubt he wasn’t just talking history.

There’s also the desire of the Times to push Democratic politics further left and support female and gay candidates. Nixon qualifies on both counts and, combined with the Teachout endorsement, the paper would be making a statement about itself by endorsing women for New York’s two top jobs.

One thing we can be sure of: The Times will not endorse Republicans in the general election. That would be heresy.

If Nixon does get the endorsement, there are two events that could give her additional help in the stretch run.

First, she and Cuomo are scheduled to hold their lone debate on Aug. 29, finally giving her a chance to be on the same stage with him.

She’ll come loaded with clever one-liners aimed at showing Cuomo’s not part of the progressive wing that is trying to take control of the party. She’ll also likely repeat her line that he “folded like a cheap suit” after President Trump and much of the nation criticized him for saying, “America was never that great.”

For his part, the governor will recite his most liberal achievements, such as getting gay marriage through the Legislature, and otherwise try to ignore her.

If she succeeds in getting under his skin, look for him to unload on her for not releasing multiple years of complete tax returns and for having no record of public service.

Then there is the issue of Mayor de Blasio. Though he and Nixon are close and she campaigned for him, he has not endorsed her. It’s a cautious position, driven largely by her poor prospects and the fact that he would look weak if he couldn’t help her.

While Cuomo would be furious, it’s not as if their feud could get much worse. And because de Blasio is term-limited, his decision will be based on whether it helps his political future, not whether it is good or bad for the city.