We are happy to note that of the 15 candidates The Jewish Press endorsed in the Democratic primary elections on September 9, 13 were successful and will run in the general election in November, while one race is still undecided.
The group of victors includes Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was seeking renomination as the Democratic candidate for governor, and Katherine Hochul, who sought the nomination for lieutenant governor.
Of our choices in 11 races for seats in the New York State Assembly, 10 were successful (with the one above-mentioned undecided contest). We supported two candidates for State Senate seats; one of them won. Our choice for state committeewoman/district leader prevailed in her race.
The race for governor had a fascinating dimension that was obscured by numerous commentators who suggested the 34 percent showing of Gov. Cuomo’s opponent, the largely unknown Zephyr Teachout who had never before run for elective office, meant that Mr. Cuomo as a four-year incumbent somehow suffered a sharp rebuke even though he received 62 percent of the vote.
Worse yet, the argument went, it demonstrated that a sizeable portion of New York’s Democratic voters don’t back the governor’s generally centrist policies. Ms. Teachout’s numbers, they say, reflect support for the so-called progressive agenda she espoused, which harkened to the 73 percent of the vote amassed by Bill de Blasio in last year’s mayoral election. Although he has moderated his positions somewhat since taking office, the mayor ran on a decidedly left/progressive platform.
Truth be told, the numbers are deceptive. A little less than 10 percent of eligible Democratic voters came out on primary day, which translates into Mr. Cuomo having received the support of 6.2 percent of registered Democrats. More important, Ms. Teachout won just 3.4 percent of eligible Democratic voters, hardly a significant expression of support for her agenda or a rebuke of the governor.
While we’re at it, only 24 percent of eligible voters actually voted in the last New York City mayoral election, so Mr. de Blasio’s 73 percent “landslide” really means he received the support of 17.5 percent of eligible voters – enough to win but not exactly an overwhelming mandate for his progressive agenda.
In politics, it’s always important to look beyond mere numbers.