Gun Politics New York

Some interesting insights into Gov. Cuomo’s re-election campaign.

First from Fred Dicker:

“… Cuomo’s aides nervously concede that upstate voters are a major problem for the governor, with some predicting Cuomo will lose as many as 50 upstate counties because of an ailing economy, a worsening tax burden, and outrage over the governor’s sweeping anti-gun Safe Act, which passed in January …”

Second from State of Politics:

“The vast majority of contributions to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s campaign come from $10,000 contributions and higher, according to analysis released today by the New York Public Interest Research Group … NYPIRG found that eighty percent of the money raised by Cuomo this cycle has come from donors giving $10,000 or more.  Nearly 44 percent of his contributions this cycle have come from donors giving $40,000 or more, according to numbers wizard Bill Mahoney.  Those giving less than $1,000 account for less than 1 percent of all Cuomo’s campaign donations …”

Taken together is seems to indicate the Governor’s level of public support is a lot less than most in the media are willing to admit.  Sure he’s got a lot of money, but why aren’t average citizens giving to the campaign?  With tens of millions in the bank it is unlikely any challenger could match Cuomo’s money, but perhaps a dark horse candidate like Steve McLaughlin who was willing to put in the effort and go door-to-door might be able to knock him out.

The Governor is unhappy with Congress:

“Disappointed critics blasted bipartisan steps to expand background checks for gun buyers as falling short of the great leap expected in the anguished days after Newtown … “It is unbelievable that this Congress is going to fundementally fail to act on a societal scourge,” Cuomo said during a Wednesday radio appearance.  “This is a Congress that is captive of the extremism and there is no clearer proof of that than this,” Cuomo said. “I think it is a damning commentary on this Congress.” …”

The only thing he is upset about is the colossal miscalculation he made with the SAFE Act.

He wanted New York to be the first state to pass new gun control laws.  He thought he could exploit Newtown for personal political gain and use SAFE as a springboard to launch a ’16 presidential campaign.  What he got instead was a huge drop in popularity, his so-called women’s agenda tanking in the legislature and his name dropping off the radar of top tier potential Democrat candidates.

Cuomo thought that by championing gun control he would be seen as a national leader.  Well, he is.  Cuomo a national leader on an unpopular fringe issue.  That’s instant karma.

From Politico, “What if Hillary Clinton passes on 2016?“:

“For Democrats, there is no fallback: It’s Hillary Clinton or probably a long bout of depression ahead of 2016 …”

Really?  But what about Andrew Cuomo?  He supports gun control and women.

“… there is no obvious replacement.  And the party would be looking at a mad scramble to fill the Clinton void … Another senior Democrat agreed, saying, “There’s Hillary, and then there’s, like, Plan K. There is no B or C or G or whatever.”  Such assessments wouldn’t sit well with Democrats who are looking at 2016 as the understudies to Clinton — Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Vice President Joe Biden, to name a few …”

Hahahahaha!  They didn’t even mention him.

Things were looking real good for him this time last year, with poll numbers in the low 70s.  Then he decided to exploit tragedy and push gun control.  The result:  His approval ratings have plunged, his so-called women’s agenda crashed and burned, and now he’s dropped off the list of top tier Democrat presidential contenders for 2016.