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Andrew Cuomo
State Dems Target Paladino
Jul 21st - 12:32 pm
State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs released a statement just now slamming both Republican gubernatorial contenders – Carl Paladino and Rick Lazio – saying the two “deserve each other.”
Jacobs derides Lazio, the GOP/Conservative gubernatorial designee, for “giving in” to Paladino’s petition push to force a primary for Row B (the former congressman’s campaign decided not to challenge the Buffalo businessman’s 28,000+/- signatures), adding:
“Republicans are left to choose between a bought-and-paid-for Wall Street lobbyist and an unstable tea party pretender who makes millions each year from government contracts and tax subsidies while finding time to indulge his penchant for disseminating completely inappropriate emails that offend just about everyone.”
Jacobs goes on to note that elected GOP officials are signing on to support Democratic gubernatorial designee Andrew Cuomo as he tours the state in his RV.
“While the Republican Party spends the next eight weeks fighting and bickering amongst themselves, New York Democrats will be reaching out to voters in every county in an effort to bring real reform to this state,” Jacobs said.
“When Republicans finally hold their noses and choose between these two awful choices in September, this much is certain: Democrats will be ready.”
Cuomo Ducks Indy Party Questions
Jul 20th - 4:13 pm
AG Andrew Cuomo was not in any mood to discuss questions surrounding the state Independence Party and its controversial endorsement practices, deftly side-stepping questions posed by YNN’s Doug Short during an RV tour stop in New Paltz.
Short first asked Cuomo whether he thinks it’s appropriate for state Indy leaders to bigfoot the recommendations of local leaders, overturning their recommendations about who should get Row C.
Cuomo replied that he would leave the running of the Independence Party up to the party. He then fielded some softball questions about how he’s dividing family time and politics on this statewide tour – his first of the campaign. (Look for the fabulously on-message moment from his daughter – a true Cuomo-Kennedy offspring if ever there was one).
Short valiantly tried again just before Cuomo got back onto the RV, asking the Democratic gubernatorial designee if he regrets accepting the Indy nod. The AG not only didn’t answer the question, he acted like he didn’t even hear it.
Lazio: ‘It’s An Election, Not An Auction’
Jul 19th - 2:49 pm
YNN’s Seth Voorhees caught up with GOP/Conservative designee Rick Lazio in Rochester today for what I think was the candidate’s first extended interview since his campaign revealed his latest fundraising numbers – $688,821 on hand, thanks to a $200,000 personal loan from the former congressman.
The numbers were so bad that even GOP observers who had been predicting Lazio would come in under $1 million were taken aback. But Lazio himself continues to insist he’ll have sufficient funds to not only continue to campaign, but to defeat AG Andrew Cuomo and his $23.6 million war chest (minus $1.39 million worth of primary cash).
“We will have all the money that we need to win this campaign,” Lazio said “It’s an election, not an auction, which I remind people.”
“And people need to look past, I think, the ups and downs of polls and who’s got the most campaign money, and focus on the issues that are really going to impact on our future. We don’t want to be disappointed afterwards by making decisions based on what somebody else told us.”
Lazio dodged a question about whether he’ll be pumping more of his personal cash into his campaign to keep it afloat, but did say he’s “hoping and expecting” New Yorkers to “rally” behind his commitment to “turn this state around.”
He also rejected the suggestion that he might lose a GOP primary to Carl Paladino, who has so far spent $1.6 million of his own cash on his bid for governor and says he’ll go up to $10 million, and end up a spoiler on the Conservative Party line.
‘Severely-Tested Dad’
Jul 19th - 8:30 am
Here’s another clip from AG Andrew Cuomo’s RV tour over the weekend (it’s from one of his Dutchess County stops). It’s pretty standard Cuomo campaign trail stuff – less taxes, smaller government, yadda yadda).
When asked (at the 3:28 mark) about his qualifications to be governor and whether his nearly four-year stint as AG has adequately prepared him for the job, Cuomo replies:
“I think as attorney general I’ve proven I can get legislation passed. I know how the state works. I know how the state works for many, many years. I’ve been in the federal government. I’ve been in the private sector. I’ve been a lawyer, and I’ve been a severely-tested dad, so I think I have the qualifications for it.”
Cuomo’s Itinerary (Not From Cuomo)
Jul 16th - 1:42 pm
A reader who is in the Cuomo universe forwarded me the following e-mail that was sent to Capital Region supporters of the Democratic gubernatorial designee, who will be traveling through the area this weekend on his 11-day upstate tour.
Cuomo started in the Hudson Valley yesterday and has no public events today. His campaign has been acting on a need-to-know basis with reporters, releasing information on the AG’s whereabouts on the morning of his scheduled appearances. Thankfully, volunteers are getting more details.
More >
Cuomo Spent $550+ To Raise $9.2M
Jul 16th - 12:43 pm
No wonder his numbers are so eye-poppingly huge.
Combing through AG Andrew Cuomo’s July 15 campaign finance filing, it’s impossible not to notice how many fundraisers he has working for him.
I count nine different firms/people listed under the category “fundr” in the Democratic gubernatorial designee’s filing.
Topping the list is Berger Strategies Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based firm that Cuomo paid $111,000 since January and appears to have on retainer for $19,500 a month.
Next up is JB Consulting, which Cuomo paid $87,500. He also has Cathy Blaney & Associates, which has been bumped up from $5,000 to $8,000 a month.
Cindy Darrison’s firm was getting $10,000 a month, but she is no longer working for the Cuomo camapign as of April.
The bulk of Cuomo’s fundraising expenditures went to pay for the locations where events were held. The biggest: The Sheraton ($169,557), which was the site of his big birthday bash at which Jon Bon Jovi was the the big draw.
(The event was held in December 2009, but the bill didn’t get paid until the very beginning of this filing period, apparently).
NYFRF To Cuomo: Welcome To The RV Party!
Jul 16th - 10:11 am
AG Andrew Cuomo isn’t the only one taking to the road in an RV this summer.
Two groups that opposes same-sex marriage, the New Yorker’s Family Research Foundation and the National Organization for Marriage, are playing host this Saturday to the “Summer for Marriage RV Tour,” which will be making a stop at the West Capitol Park in Albany.
This particular tour is a nationwide effort featuring the “One Man, One Woman” bus. It plans to hit 23 cities and rally support for “traditional marriage.”
NYFRF President, the Rev. Jason J. McGuire, released a statement that has some fun at Cuomo’s expense and also references a recent Times story that questioned the AG’s committment to LGBT issues – including same-sex marriage, which he recently said would be a priority for his first year in office if he’s elected governor.
“Maybe there was something to that recent New York Times story after all,” McGuire said.
“How else can Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo explain where he got the idea for an RV tour coming to Albany? Maybe Andrew Cuomo is still ‘in the closet’ about his support for marriage between a man and a woman. Perhaps while perusing New Yorker’s Family Research Foundation’s website one evening, the thought struck him, ‘Hey, an RV tour, I like that!’”
“If the Attorney General is reading this, please feel free to stop by (we promise not to blow your cover),” McGuire concluded.
GOPers For Cuomo Lands First Elected Officials
Jul 15th - 4:27 pm
AG Andrew Cuomo landed the endorsements of his first two GOP elected officials today during his second RV tour stop in Mahopac.
Mike McKeon, former communications director for ex-Gov. George Pataki, just called in to report that Putnam County Executive Bob Bondi and Town of Carmel Supervisor Kenneth Schmitt endorsed the Democratic gubernatorial designee.
McKeon is heading up GOPers for Cuomo – a move with which the former governor is none too pleased. He’s on hand in Mahopac, but won’t be joining the AG for his entire upstate tour.
Cuomo Has $23 Million On Hand
Jul 15th - 3:50 pm
Holy cow.
I’m not sure quite what else to say about the fact that AG Andrew Cuomo has $23 million on hand as of this week, according to his gubernatorial campaign, which just released the top lines from the fundraising report due today.
He has raised $9,269,415 over the past six months and spent $1,749,682.
A breakdown, compliments of Cuomo2010:
The campaign received a total of 3,951 contributions since January and has gotten checks from 7,433 unique contributors to date. For the current filing, 70 percent of the contributions came from donations of $1,000 or less including:
- 2,791 contributions that were $1,000 or less.
- 1,868 contributions that were $500 or less.
- 1,270 contributions that were $250 or less.
Also, as per today’s Siena poll, Cuomo has a very wide double-digit lead over both his Republican challengers, and his favorability rating remains high.
Cuomo Hits Lawmakers Where They Live (Updated)
Jul 15th - 3:05 pm
During stop No. 1 on his upstate RV tour, AG Andrew Cuomo encouraged supporters to pressure state lawmakers to sign his five-point reform pledge or suffer the consequences at the ballot box this fall.
“Stop playing politics as usual, and you put your own personal and party politics aside,” Cuomo said at about the 7:26 mark in the video that appears below (shot by a reader who was in the audience).
“We’re going to build a citizen coalition and those politicians in Albany will listen or they will no longer be politicans in Albany.”
This is reminiscent of when former Gov. Eliot Spitzer took to the hustings to decry rank-and-file lawmakers for supporting their colleague, then-Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli, to replace disgraced ex-Comptroller Alan Hevesi in the wake of Chauffeurgate.
At the time, Spitzer said DiNapoli wasn’t qualified for the post and accused legislators of blindly following legislative leaders – namely Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a big DiNapoli backer.
Cuomo, the Democratic gubernatorial designee was at Rockland County Community College in Suffern, which I think is located in districts represented by the late Sen. Tom Morahan and Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee.
(A little jarring that he chose to kick off his first-ever campaign tour in Morahan’s district when the senator is being waked not five miles away. No word on whether Cuomo is going to take time off the RV trail to pay his respects to Morahan, who died Monday after losing a battle with leukemia).
UPDATE: A Cuomo aide tells me the AG attended Morahan’s wake today and also started his event with a moment of silence in honor of the late lawmaker. He also cited Morahan as an example of someone in the Legislature worthy of praise during a post-event Q&A with reporters.
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