AG Andrew Cuomo might not want to endorse Sen. Eric Schneiderman, but that hasn’t stopped the aspiring Democratic AG candidate from linking himself to the man he hopes to succeed.

Schneiderman, who launched an upstate “justice” tour today – just days after he skipped two back-to-back upstate debates – rejected the suggestion made by Sean Coffey and sources close to Cuomo that he’s too liberal to defeat the Republican AG candidate, Staten Island DA Dan Donovan in November.

Pressed on the issue by YNN’s Bill Carey in Syracuse earlier today, the senator touted his record and wide variety of endorsers, particularly citing New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, NARAL Pro-Choice NY, the NYLCV, and the Citizens Union, saying:

“I am the stongest candidate to head into November because of my, not just my demonstrated commitment to the issues, but my demonstrated success on the issues.”

“Mr. Coffey has actually never been engaged on any of these issues, and it’s OK for him to come up here and talk to you guys about it, but, you know, when you’re seeking statewide office, it’s nice to actually have some accomplishments to point to.”

“…My positions are essentially the same as Andrew Cuomo’s and he seems to have done pretty well.”

Schneiderman also referred to himself as the “frontrunner” in the five-way Democratic AG contest, pointing to the fact that his opponents keep attacking him – particularly during the WAMC debate to which he was a last-minute no-show.

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