New York gubernatorial election, 2010
Encyclopedia
The New York gubernatorial election of 2010 was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, to elect the Governor of New York
, who will serve a four-year term to begin in January 2011. Incumbent Democratic
Governor David Paterson
, elected as Lieutenant Governor
in 2006
as the running mate of former Governor Eliot Spitzer
, chose not to run for a full-term. On November 2, New York Attorney General and Democrat Andrew Cuomo
defeated Republican
Carl Paladino
. Green Party
candidate Howie Hawkins
received over 57,000 votes, allowing the New York Green Party to be listed on the ballot for the next 4 years.
in which a candidate may appear as the nominee of more than one political party. New York has no limitation on the number of parties to which a candidate may be the nominee.
As of 2010, five parties have automatic ballot access
: Democratic, Republican, Independence
, Conservative
, and Working Families
. Other parties, such as the Libertarian Party
and Green Party, can (and usually do) seek ballot access through a petition process. A party gains permanent ballot access by collecting at least 50,000 votes in a gubernatorial election.
had announced he was running for election in 2010, but backed out less than a week later in February 2010.
Andrew Cuomo
, the state Attorney General
, was widely rumored to be considering a run. Though he had originally denied any interest, this did not stop rampant speculation that Cuomo would change his mind and enter the race, though the speculated date had been pushed back several times, according to those who said he was going to run. Though Cuomo had initially trailed Paterson by double digits in potential match up polls, he jumped to a massive lead over the incumbent, had a higher approval and favorability rating, and decidedly beat any Republican challenger in every poll, something that could not be said of Paterson. Despite this, and even with Paterson out of the race, it had still not been enough to convince Cuomo to come public with any plans, and he had stated only that "this is an election year and I will announce my plans at the appropriate time." After over a year of dodging speculation, Cuomo finally announced his candidacy on May 22, 2010 at 2:30 p.m. outside the Tweed Courthouse
at New York's City Hall. In anticipation of this announcement, Cuomo had released a video laying out his platform and his plan for revitalizing the state of New York. Cuomo made this announcement only a few days before the state party convention, which was the deadline for major party candidates to announce their intentions. On May 26, 2010, he announced his choice for Lieutenant Governor, Rochester
Mayor Robert Duffy, a former RPD police chief.
Dutchess County legislator Joel Tyner ran an unsuccessful petition drive that fell short of the 15,000 signatures necessary to get onto the primary ballot.
Nominee
Withdrew
announced that he would run for Governor. Lazio held frontrunner status for the Republican nomination for most of his run.
The most widely circulated potential candidate had been former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani
, who stated on November 4 on Your World with Neil Cavuto
that he didn't know whether he'd run for governor, and then confirmed to a reporter in Dubai that he was "seriously thinking about" a gubernatorial run. He stated that his run would depend on the success or failure of the budget and Paterson's handling of it. In January 2009, Giuliani said he would not decide on a gubernatorial run for another six to eight months. In April 2009, a Qunnipiac poll showed Giuliani slightly ahead Paterson. He officially declined to run in December 2009, instead backing former congressman Rick Lazio
.
Chris Collins, the county executive of Erie County, New York
(which includes the city of Buffalo
), was also mentioned as a potential candidate, particularly if Giuliani decided not to run. Collins had indicated he would make his decision in January, but observers believed he was strongly leaning toward running. After further pondering, Collins decided not to run on January 26, 2010, but did not endorse Lazio and encouraged the state party to find someone else, either from the business field or possibly cross-endorsing Democrat Steve Levy
. Collins cited a desire to focus on his current job and a lack of fundraising support from downstate donors, which he dubbed the "status quo."
Shortly after Collins passed on the race, local activist Rus Thompson persuaded developer Carl Paladino
, a fellow political activist who launched several mostly unsuccessful issue campaigns ranging from a movement to repeal the Taylor Law
to opposing Byron Brown
's re-election as Mayor of Buffalo, New York, to consider running, either as a Republican or as an independent third-party candidacy. Paladino later indicated that he would only run 1) as a Republican and 2) if he felt he had a chance to win enough support, either at the convention (which was increasingly unlikely) or via the petition process, to land a spot on the primary ballot. As of March 2010, Paladino was considered to be strongly considering a run (his own statements had described his entry into the race as "a breath away"), and was said to be devoting $10,000,000 of his own money on the campaign. He warned state Republican Party chairman Edward F. Cox
of his intentions and was also meeting with the state's Conservative Party
to inquire about receiving their nomination.
In February 2010, Warren Redlich
, a Guilderland attorney and town board member who ran as token opposition to Michael McNulty in 2004 and 2006, announced his entry into the race, running on a platform that sought to limit compensation of government employees to $100,000 per year.
Edmund M. Dunn self made business owner, non career politician and developer in upstate New York announced his candidacy in mid April as Gubernatorial candidate.During his run he attended the GOP rally by invitation in New York City as a nominee. After numerous media interviews citing his concern for the direction in which America's political system was heading, he retired his campaign in mid-July due to lack of additional funding. As the race continued, it became clear during the nationalized televised primaries his opponents had lost focused of the issues that faced New York. In one last tempt, with only weeks before the election he contacted the news media to offer the people of NY one final option, a write in vote, not for this election but for the future, 2012 and 2014. It was estimated by the party prior to him being forced to withdraw he would have carried several hundred thousand votes at the polls. In May of 2011 he published three books, one entitled America's Political Dominoes' which is written about the political system of today, world economics and his run as a candidate for New York State Governor.
Steve Levy, the county executive
of Suffolk County
, crossed over from his former party, the Democratic Party, to the Republicans in an effort to win their nomination. Because his decision came after the deadline to change parties, Levy was still legally a Democrat until November 2010 and would need a "Wilson Pakula
" to run on the Republican line, which in turn would require a majority endorsement from the Republicans at the state convention.
After Rick Lazio announced that Greg Edwards
would be his running mate, Myers Mermel, a New York City real estate developer and ally of Mike Huckabee
who had been running a renegade campaign for lieutenant governor, stated that he no longer would seek to be lieutenant governor under Lazio or Steve Levy. He was expected to announce that a last-minute switch to a campaign for governor on May 24, 2010, four days before the state Republican convention.
By September 2010, Lazio and Paladino were nearly tied in the most polls, with Paladino having a significant edge in Upstate New York
and Lazio leading heavily in Downstate New York
. Paladino was supported heavily by the Tea Party movement
. The primary was Tuesday, September 14, 2010.
Carl Paladino pulled out an upset and defeated Lazio in the primary. His win was primarily based strong upstate support, while low levels of voter turnout downstate hurt Lazio.
Nominee
Lost nomination
following Lazio's endorsement by Michael Long
, the Party's chairman. Steve Levy and Carl Paladino were also expected to make overtures to the party prior to its 2010 convention.
Lazio received the endorsement of the Party's executive committee in March 2010, with 14 party chairs in favor, four backing Steve Levy, and one (Erie County's Ralph Lorigo) backing Carl Paladino.
At the official Party convention in May 2010, Ralph Lorigo united with Steve Levy supporters to act as a placeholder on the ballot and earned 42% of the weighted ballot; by being a registered party member, he only needed 25% to force a primary election (something that Levy and Paladino, as a Democrat and Republican respectively, could not do). By waiting several days (after the Republican convention) and then dropping out of the race, Lorigo allowed a Conservative Party committee to choose a replacement (presumably Paladino). After Lorigo entered the gubernatorial race, Long demanded Lorigo's resignation; Lorigo responded by offering to wager the party chairmanship on the results of the race: If Lorigo won the primary, Long would resign and allow Lorigo (party second-in-command) to succeed him as Conservative Party chairman, but if Lazio won, Lorigo would resign his position within the Party.
As of 11:00 p.m. on September 14, 2010, Lazio led Lorigo in the primary by a 57-43 margin, not counting write-ins. Carl Paladino was believed to have received numerous write-ins (write-ins, most probably bearing Paladino's name, accounted for as much as 22% of the vote tally in some counties). Following Lazio's loss to Paladino in the GOP gubernatorial primary, Chairman Long indicated that he planned to move forward with Lazio running as a third party candidate, but on September 27, 2010, Lazio confirmed that he would drop his bid for Governor by accepting a nomination for a judicial position in the Bronx. The Conservative Party then nominated Carl Paladino as its candidate for Governor of New York.
Nominee
Candidates
publicly endorsed presumptive Democratic nominee Andrew Cuomo
prior to the party convention.
Nominee
was said to heavily favor Cuomo, but was reportedly concerned that the party's damaged reputation may cause Cuomo to decline any nomination from them. In somewhat of a surprise move, the party nominated its own members for all but one statewide elected office, and did not cross-endorse Democrats as usual. The party nominated United Auto Workers lawyer Kenneth Schaffer as its nominee for governor in June 2010. After the federal investigation against the party was closed with no charges, speculation has run rampant that the party will vacate the line in favor of Cuomo by nominating Schaeffer for a judicial position and offering Cuomo a Wilson Pakula
, which the party did unanimously in September 2010.
Nominee
does not have permanent ballot access in New York elections, they generally produce enough support to earn a slot on the ballot each gubernatorial election. The party chose Warren Redlich
as their nominee at the state party convention on April 24, 2010.
Nominee
Lost nomination
nominated national party co-founder Howie Hawkins
, who has been a perennial candidate
in state and federal elections since 2006, as their candidate at the party convention on May 15, 2010. Like the Libertarians, the Greens had to petition their way onto the ballot, as they do not have permanent ballot access. Hawkins has indicated he will make a major push to win over disaffected left-wing voters who are put off by Cuomo's appeals to more fiscally conservative Democrats and independents in the state.
Nominee
whose perennial New York City mayoral candidate is Jimmy McMillan
, fielded him in the New York gubernatorial election in 2010. The party's name appeared as the "Rent is 2 Damn High" on the ballot for space considerations. This was McMillan's second run for the office, having previously earned 13,355 votes for governor on the "Rent Is Too High" line in 2006.
Following the New York gubernatorial television debate, McMillan's campaign went viral.
These three parties were placed at the bottom of the ballot and, in many jurisdictions, were placed in a separate column from the other candidates, making it difficult for voters to find them. None of them gained automatic ballot access.
For the first time in several elections, the Socialist Workers Party
did not submit petitions for their candidate, Daniel Fein, and waged a write-in campaign for him instead. John Nemjo, an environmentalist from Troy who has run several write-in campaigns in the past, began a write-in campaign for the post in October 2010. Jim Nolan, an insurance salesman from Malta, also began a write-in campaign in October 2010. His campaign was run entirely by social media, including a website, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter page.
The Libertarian, Green and other minor parties had until August 17, 2010, to submit petitions to the state Board of Elections. A minimum of 15,000 valid signatures, from a minimum of 15 congressional districts, are required to achieve ballot access. The results will be finalized on September 2.
The Paladino campaign submitted 30,000 signatures for its Taxpayers Party. Charles Barron submitted 43,500 signatures for the Freedom Party, though a fellow New York City councilman, Lewis Fidler
, has already announced his intention to challenge Barron's signatures. The Davis campaign has submitted 22,000 signatures; the Hawkins campaign has filed 27,000, and the Libertarian Party claims to have submitted over 34,000.
to the position in July 2009; the presidents of the New York State Senate
(in succession, Joseph Bruno
, Dean Skelos
, Malcolm Smith and Pedro Espada
) served as acting lieutenant governors while the office was vacant. Ravitch will not seek the seat in 2010.
Cuomo selected Rochester mayor Bob Duffy as his running mate on May 26, 2010.
Other candidates that had been mentioned as potential candidates include Ramapo
town supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence, State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins
(D-Yonkers), Buffalo mayor Byron Brown
, State Senator Darrel Aubertine
, and Canandaigua businessman Bill Samuels.
On the Republican side, Lazio has endorsed Chautauqua County
executive Greg Edwards
as his choice for lieutenant governor as of May 17, 2010. Tom Ognibene
, former minority leader of the New York City Council, has been chosen as Paladino's running mate. Had Levy made it onto the primary ballot, he would have selected former New York Secretary of State Christopher Jacobs
, a Buffalo native, as his running mate.
Other potential names that had either expressed an interest or were mentioned as potential candidates included Orange County executive Edward A. Diana
, Monroe County executive Maggie Brooks
, Onondaga County executive Joanie Mahoney
(though Brooks and Mahoney both apparently rejected overtures to do so), 2006 lieutenant governor candidate C. Scott Vanderhoef
(who is instead running for state senate), and Myers Mermel (who was running on a separate ticket but sought governor instead, eventually dropping out of both races).
The Libertarian Party chose Alden Link as their nominee, and the Green Party nominated Gloria Mattera as their candidate for the position. The Conservative Party chairman endorsed Lazio's running mate, Greg Edwards, though Andrew Kay was able to force his way onto a primary ballot on the Lorigo placeholder slate. The Working Families Party nominated community organizer Elon Harpaz.
In the Republican lieutenant governor primary, Greg Edwards narrowly defeated Tom Ognibene. This creates a problematic "split ticket:" three different ballot lines will have three different combinations of Paladino or Lazio and Edwards or Ognibene. The Republican ticket will have Paladino/Edwards, the Conservative ticket will have Lazio/Edwards, and the Taxpayers ticket will have Paladino/Ognibene. Under a technicality in the state's fusion laws, fusion only applies to whole tickets, and not to individual people on a gubernatorial ticket. Thus, unless the three parties agree on a ballot, neither Paladino nor Edwards would be allowed to count the aggregate total of both lines on the ballot in their total, leading to the possibility of either of them getting more votes than Cuomo-Duffy (or, theoretically, any other candidate) but still losing the election. This can be avoided by nominating one of the lieutenant governor nominees to a judicial position, as both Edwards and Ognibene have law degrees. Both Paladino and Edwards have indicated they are willing to run on each other's ticket, though Edwards is open to making changes in the ballot. The last time such a split ticket occurred was when Alfred DelBello
ended up Mario Cuomo
's running mate against Cuomo's wishes in 1982.
Official campaign websites
Governor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
, who will serve a four-year term to begin in January 2011. Incumbent Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Governor David Paterson
David Paterson
David Alexander Paterson is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New York, from 2008 to 2010. During his tenure he was the first governor of New York of African American heritage and also the second legally blind governor of any U.S. state after Bob C. Riley, who was Acting...
, elected as Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of New York
The Lieutenant Governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the government of New York State. It is the second highest ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor for a four year term...
in 2006
New York gubernatorial election, 2006
The New York gubernatorial election of 2006 was a race for the governorship of this U.S. state. Eliot Spitzer was elected on November 7, 2006, succeeding Governor George Pataki, the three-term incumbent, who did not run for a fourth term....
as the running mate of former Governor Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...
, chose not to run for a full-term. On November 2, New York Attorney General and Democrat Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo is the 56th and current Governor of New York, having assumed office on January 1, 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 64th New York State Attorney General, and was the 11th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development...
defeated Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Carl Paladino
Carl Paladino
Carl Pasquale Paladino is an American businessman and political activist from Buffalo, New York. Paladino is the founder and chairman of Ellicott Development Company, a real estate development company he founded in 1973. He was the 2010 Republican nominee for the New York gubernatorial election,...
. Green Party
Green Party (United States)
The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...
candidate Howie Hawkins
Howie Hawkins
Howie Hawkins is an American politician and activist with the Green Party of the United States and Socialist Party USA. He co-founded the anti-nuclear Clamshell Alliance in 1976 and the Green Party in the United States in 1984. He was New York's Green Party candidate for the U.S. Senate in the...
received over 57,000 votes, allowing the New York Green Party to be listed on the ballot for the next 4 years.
Candidates
New York is one of only eight states to allow for electoral fusionElectoral fusion
Electoral fusion is an arrangement where two or more political parties on a ballot list the same candidate, pooling the votes for that candidate...
in which a candidate may appear as the nominee of more than one political party. New York has no limitation on the number of parties to which a candidate may be the nominee.
As of 2010, five parties have automatic ballot access
Qualified New York Parties
In New York State, to qualify for automatic ballot access, a party must have received at least 50,000 votes in the previous gubernatorial election. They need not run their own candidate, they can nominate a different party's nominee, and if 50,000 voters vote for that candidate on their party...
: Democratic, Republican, Independence
Independence Party of New York
The Independence Party is an affiliate in the U.S. state of New York of the Independence Party of America. The party was founded in 1991 by Dr. Gordon Black, Tom Golisano, and Laureen Oliver from Rochester, New York, and acquired ballot status in 1994...
, Conservative
Conservative Party of New York
The Conservative Party of New York State is an American political party active in the state of New York. It is not part of any nationwide party, nor is it affiliated with the American Conservative Party, which it predates by over 40 years....
, and Working Families
Working Families Party
The Working Families Party is a minor political party in the United States founded in New York in 1998. There are "sister" parties to the New York WFP in Connecticut, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Oregon, but there is as yet no national WFP...
. Other parties, such as the Libertarian Party
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
and Green Party, can (and usually do) seek ballot access through a petition process. A party gains permanent ballot access by collecting at least 50,000 votes in a gubernatorial election.
Democratic
Governor David PatersonDavid Paterson
David Alexander Paterson is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New York, from 2008 to 2010. During his tenure he was the first governor of New York of African American heritage and also the second legally blind governor of any U.S. state after Bob C. Riley, who was Acting...
had announced he was running for election in 2010, but backed out less than a week later in February 2010.
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo is the 56th and current Governor of New York, having assumed office on January 1, 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 64th New York State Attorney General, and was the 11th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development...
, the state Attorney General
New York State Attorney General
The New York State Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of New York. The office has been in existence in some form since 1626, under the Dutch colonial government of New York.The current Attorney General is Eric Schneiderman...
, was widely rumored to be considering a run. Though he had originally denied any interest, this did not stop rampant speculation that Cuomo would change his mind and enter the race, though the speculated date had been pushed back several times, according to those who said he was going to run. Though Cuomo had initially trailed Paterson by double digits in potential match up polls, he jumped to a massive lead over the incumbent, had a higher approval and favorability rating, and decidedly beat any Republican challenger in every poll, something that could not be said of Paterson. Despite this, and even with Paterson out of the race, it had still not been enough to convince Cuomo to come public with any plans, and he had stated only that "this is an election year and I will announce my plans at the appropriate time." After over a year of dodging speculation, Cuomo finally announced his candidacy on May 22, 2010 at 2:30 p.m. outside the Tweed Courthouse
Tweed Courthouse
The building is composed of a central section with two projecting wings, with an addition in the center on the south facade. The entry portico on the main Chambers Street facade rises three and a half stories from a low granite curb, supported by four Corinthian columns...
at New York's City Hall. In anticipation of this announcement, Cuomo had released a video laying out his platform and his plan for revitalizing the state of New York. Cuomo made this announcement only a few days before the state party convention, which was the deadline for major party candidates to announce their intentions. On May 26, 2010, he announced his choice for Lieutenant Governor, Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
Mayor Robert Duffy, a former RPD police chief.
Dutchess County legislator Joel Tyner ran an unsuccessful petition drive that fell short of the 15,000 signatures necessary to get onto the primary ballot.
Nominee
- Attorney General Andrew CuomoAndrew CuomoAndrew Mark Cuomo is the 56th and current Governor of New York, having assumed office on January 1, 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 64th New York State Attorney General, and was the 11th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development...
Withdrew
- Jimmy McMillanJimmy McMillanJames "Jimmy" McMillan III is an American political activist, perennial candidate, Vietnam War veteran, and karate expert, as well as a former postal worker and private investigator from Brooklyn, New York. He is best known as the founder of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party, a New York-based...
, founder of the Rent Is Too Damn High PartyRent Is Too Damn High PartyThe Rent Is Too Damn High Party is a political party in New York that has nominated candidates for mayor of New York City in 2005 and 2009 and for governor and senator in 2010. Jimmy McMillan was the mayoral candidate both times and a candidate for governor. In 2005, he received more than 4,000...
, filed a petition that was far short of the numbers necessary to get onto the primary ballot. - Governor David PatersonDavid PatersonDavid Alexander Paterson is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New York, from 2008 to 2010. During his tenure he was the first governor of New York of African American heritage and also the second legally blind governor of any U.S. state after Bob C. Riley, who was Acting...
officially withdrew his bid on February 26, 2010.
Republican
In May 2009, former Long Island Congressman and 2000 Republican U.S. Senate nominee Rick LazioRick Lazio
Enrico Anthony "Rick" Lazio is a former U.S. Representative from the state of New York. Lazio became well known nationally when he ran against Hillary Rodham Clinton for the U.S. Senate in New York's 2000 Senate election...
announced that he would run for Governor. Lazio held frontrunner status for the Republican nomination for most of his run.
The most widely circulated potential candidate had been former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
, who stated on November 4 on Your World with Neil Cavuto
Your World with Neil Cavuto
Your World with Neil Cavuto , which debuted as the Cavuto Business Report on the network's launch in 1996, is an American business television program appearing on Fox News Channel.-About the program:...
that he didn't know whether he'd run for governor, and then confirmed to a reporter in Dubai that he was "seriously thinking about" a gubernatorial run. He stated that his run would depend on the success or failure of the budget and Paterson's handling of it. In January 2009, Giuliani said he would not decide on a gubernatorial run for another six to eight months. In April 2009, a Qunnipiac poll showed Giuliani slightly ahead Paterson. He officially declined to run in December 2009, instead backing former congressman Rick Lazio
Rick Lazio
Enrico Anthony "Rick" Lazio is a former U.S. Representative from the state of New York. Lazio became well known nationally when he ran against Hillary Rodham Clinton for the U.S. Senate in New York's 2000 Senate election...
.
Chris Collins, the county executive of Erie County, New York
Erie County, New York
Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...
(which includes the city of Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
), was also mentioned as a potential candidate, particularly if Giuliani decided not to run. Collins had indicated he would make his decision in January, but observers believed he was strongly leaning toward running. After further pondering, Collins decided not to run on January 26, 2010, but did not endorse Lazio and encouraged the state party to find someone else, either from the business field or possibly cross-endorsing Democrat Steve Levy
Steve Levy (politician)
Steven A. Levy is the seventh County Executive of Suffolk County, New York, elected on November 4, 2003. Originally a fiscally conservative Democrat, Levy joned the Republican Party in an unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination for governor....
. Collins cited a desire to focus on his current job and a lack of fundraising support from downstate donors, which he dubbed the "status quo."
Shortly after Collins passed on the race, local activist Rus Thompson persuaded developer Carl Paladino
Carl Paladino
Carl Pasquale Paladino is an American businessman and political activist from Buffalo, New York. Paladino is the founder and chairman of Ellicott Development Company, a real estate development company he founded in 1973. He was the 2010 Republican nominee for the New York gubernatorial election,...
, a fellow political activist who launched several mostly unsuccessful issue campaigns ranging from a movement to repeal the Taylor Law
Taylor Law
The Public Employees Fair Employment Act refers to Article 14 of the New York State Civil Service Law, which defines the rights and limitations of unions for public employees in New York....
to opposing Byron Brown
Byron Brown
Byron William Brown II is the 58th and current mayor of Buffalo, New York, elected on November 8, 2005 and is the city's first African-American mayor. He previously served Western New York as a member of the New York State Senate and Buffalo Common Council...
's re-election as Mayor of Buffalo, New York, to consider running, either as a Republican or as an independent third-party candidacy. Paladino later indicated that he would only run 1) as a Republican and 2) if he felt he had a chance to win enough support, either at the convention (which was increasingly unlikely) or via the petition process, to land a spot on the primary ballot. As of March 2010, Paladino was considered to be strongly considering a run (his own statements had described his entry into the race as "a breath away"), and was said to be devoting $10,000,000 of his own money on the campaign. He warned state Republican Party chairman Edward F. Cox
Edward F. Cox
Edward Ridley Finch Cox , is the chairman of the New York Republican State Committee and the son-in-law of the late President Richard M. Nixon. Cox is a lawyer in the Manhattan law firm of Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP where he has served as the Chairman of the Corporate Department and a...
of his intentions and was also meeting with the state's Conservative Party
Conservative Party of New York
The Conservative Party of New York State is an American political party active in the state of New York. It is not part of any nationwide party, nor is it affiliated with the American Conservative Party, which it predates by over 40 years....
to inquire about receiving their nomination.
In February 2010, Warren Redlich
Warren Redlich
Warren Redlich is a lawyer and politician from Guilderland, New York. In 2004 and 2006, Redlich ran for US Congress for the 21st District of New York State as a Republican. In 2005, he briefly served as the Political Director of the Libertarian Party of New York. He is currently a town councilman...
, a Guilderland attorney and town board member who ran as token opposition to Michael McNulty in 2004 and 2006, announced his entry into the race, running on a platform that sought to limit compensation of government employees to $100,000 per year.
Edmund M. Dunn self made business owner, non career politician and developer in upstate New York announced his candidacy in mid April as Gubernatorial candidate.During his run he attended the GOP rally by invitation in New York City as a nominee. After numerous media interviews citing his concern for the direction in which America's political system was heading, he retired his campaign in mid-July due to lack of additional funding. As the race continued, it became clear during the nationalized televised primaries his opponents had lost focused of the issues that faced New York. In one last tempt, with only weeks before the election he contacted the news media to offer the people of NY one final option, a write in vote, not for this election but for the future, 2012 and 2014. It was estimated by the party prior to him being forced to withdraw he would have carried several hundred thousand votes at the polls. In May of 2011 he published three books, one entitled America's Political Dominoes' which is written about the political system of today, world economics and his run as a candidate for New York State Governor.
Steve Levy, the county executive
County executive
A county executive is the head of the executive branch of government in a county. This position is common in the United States.The executive may be an elected or an appointed position...
of Suffolk County
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
, crossed over from his former party, the Democratic Party, to the Republicans in an effort to win their nomination. Because his decision came after the deadline to change parties, Levy was still legally a Democrat until November 2010 and would need a "Wilson Pakula
Wilson Pakula
A Wilson Pakula is an authorization given by a political party to a candidate for public office in the State of New York which allows a candidate not registered with that party to run as its candidate in a given election....
" to run on the Republican line, which in turn would require a majority endorsement from the Republicans at the state convention.
After Rick Lazio announced that Greg Edwards
Greg Edwards
Gregory J. Edwards is the current county executive of Chautauqua County, New York. A registered Republican, Edwards served as an attorney and dairy farmer prior to his election in 2005...
would be his running mate, Myers Mermel, a New York City real estate developer and ally of Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
who had been running a renegade campaign for lieutenant governor, stated that he no longer would seek to be lieutenant governor under Lazio or Steve Levy. He was expected to announce that a last-minute switch to a campaign for governor on May 24, 2010, four days before the state Republican convention.
By September 2010, Lazio and Paladino were nearly tied in the most polls, with Paladino having a significant edge in Upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
and Lazio leading heavily in Downstate New York
Downstate New York
Downstate New York is a term denoting the southeastern portion of New York State, United States, in contrast to Upstate New York. The term "Downstate New York" has significantly less currency than its counterpart term "Upstate New York", and the Downstate region is often not regarded as one...
. Paladino was supported heavily by the Tea Party movement
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
. The primary was Tuesday, September 14, 2010.
Carl Paladino pulled out an upset and defeated Lazio in the primary. His win was primarily based strong upstate support, while low levels of voter turnout downstate hurt Lazio.
Nominee
- Carl PaladinoCarl PaladinoCarl Pasquale Paladino is an American businessman and political activist from Buffalo, New York. Paladino is the founder and chairman of Ellicott Development Company, a real estate development company he founded in 1973. He was the 2010 Republican nominee for the New York gubernatorial election,...
, Buffalo developer and political activist. Paladino gained eight percent of the ballot at the state convention, but submitted 28,000 signatures, enough to force a Republican primary. He went on to defeat Rick Lazio in the Republican primary.
Lost nomination
- Rick LazioRick LazioEnrico Anthony "Rick" Lazio is a former U.S. Representative from the state of New York. Lazio became well known nationally when he ran against Hillary Rodham Clinton for the U.S. Senate in New York's 2000 Senate election...
, former Congressman, 2000 Senate election Republican nominee, official party designee. - Warren RedlichWarren RedlichWarren Redlich is a lawyer and politician from Guilderland, New York. In 2004 and 2006, Redlich ran for US Congress for the 21st District of New York State as a Republican. In 2005, he briefly served as the Political Director of the Libertarian Party of New York. He is currently a town councilman...
, Libertarian Party nominee. He attended, but was not nominated at, the state convention, and did not find enough support for a petition drive. Redlich endorsed Lazio for the Republican primary. - Steven A. LevySteve Levy (politician)Steven A. Levy is the seventh County Executive of Suffolk County, New York, elected on November 4, 2003. Originally a fiscally conservative Democrat, Levy joned the Republican Party in an unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination for governor....
, Suffolk County executive. Levy, though he reached the 25 percent threshold, did not reach the 50 percent threshold necessary for the Wilson Pakula. He was ineligible to seek a Republican primary by petition and was effectively eliminated from the race. - Myers Mermel, real estate developer. Mermel gained approximately four percent of the ballots at the state convention. He did not seek to petition onto the ballot, and endorsed Lazio.
- Art Luse, Dover Plains resident and advocate for privatization of the public school system. Luse submitted 23 pages of petitions, or roughly 250 signatures, far short of what was necessary to reach the ballot.
Conservative
The Conservative Party of New York State nomination, barring any changes, was to go to Republican candidate Rick LazioRick Lazio
Enrico Anthony "Rick" Lazio is a former U.S. Representative from the state of New York. Lazio became well known nationally when he ran against Hillary Rodham Clinton for the U.S. Senate in New York's 2000 Senate election...
following Lazio's endorsement by Michael Long
Michael R. Long
Michael R. Long is the chairman of the Conservative Party of New York State. Mr. Long, a former New York City councilman, began working in politics as a volunteer for the 1964 Goldwater presidential campaign. He has been the party’s chairman and primary spokesman since the 1980s, advocating for...
, the Party's chairman. Steve Levy and Carl Paladino were also expected to make overtures to the party prior to its 2010 convention.
Lazio received the endorsement of the Party's executive committee in March 2010, with 14 party chairs in favor, four backing Steve Levy, and one (Erie County's Ralph Lorigo) backing Carl Paladino.
At the official Party convention in May 2010, Ralph Lorigo united with Steve Levy supporters to act as a placeholder on the ballot and earned 42% of the weighted ballot; by being a registered party member, he only needed 25% to force a primary election (something that Levy and Paladino, as a Democrat and Republican respectively, could not do). By waiting several days (after the Republican convention) and then dropping out of the race, Lorigo allowed a Conservative Party committee to choose a replacement (presumably Paladino). After Lorigo entered the gubernatorial race, Long demanded Lorigo's resignation; Lorigo responded by offering to wager the party chairmanship on the results of the race: If Lorigo won the primary, Long would resign and allow Lorigo (party second-in-command) to succeed him as Conservative Party chairman, but if Lazio won, Lorigo would resign his position within the Party.
As of 11:00 p.m. on September 14, 2010, Lazio led Lorigo in the primary by a 57-43 margin, not counting write-ins. Carl Paladino was believed to have received numerous write-ins (write-ins, most probably bearing Paladino's name, accounted for as much as 22% of the vote tally in some counties). Following Lazio's loss to Paladino in the GOP gubernatorial primary, Chairman Long indicated that he planned to move forward with Lazio running as a third party candidate, but on September 27, 2010, Lazio confirmed that he would drop his bid for Governor by accepting a nomination for a judicial position in the Bronx. The Conservative Party then nominated Carl Paladino as its candidate for Governor of New York.
Nominee
- Carl PaladinoCarl PaladinoCarl Pasquale Paladino is an American businessman and political activist from Buffalo, New York. Paladino is the founder and chairman of Ellicott Development Company, a real estate development company he founded in 1973. He was the 2010 Republican nominee for the New York gubernatorial election,...
Candidates
- Rick LazioRick LazioEnrico Anthony "Rick" Lazio is a former U.S. Representative from the state of New York. Lazio became well known nationally when he ran against Hillary Rodham Clinton for the U.S. Senate in New York's 2000 Senate election...
, Republican nominee, won the primary but withdrew. - Ralph Lorigo, chairman of the Erie County Conservative Party.
Independence
The Independence Party of New YorkIndependence Party of New York
The Independence Party is an affiliate in the U.S. state of New York of the Independence Party of America. The party was founded in 1991 by Dr. Gordon Black, Tom Golisano, and Laureen Oliver from Rochester, New York, and acquired ballot status in 1994...
publicly endorsed presumptive Democratic nominee Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo is the 56th and current Governor of New York, having assumed office on January 1, 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 64th New York State Attorney General, and was the 11th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development...
prior to the party convention.
Nominee
- Andrew CuomoAndrew CuomoAndrew Mark Cuomo is the 56th and current Governor of New York, having assumed office on January 1, 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 64th New York State Attorney General, and was the 11th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development...
Working Families
The Working Families PartyWorking Families Party
The Working Families Party is a minor political party in the United States founded in New York in 1998. There are "sister" parties to the New York WFP in Connecticut, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Oregon, but there is as yet no national WFP...
was said to heavily favor Cuomo, but was reportedly concerned that the party's damaged reputation may cause Cuomo to decline any nomination from them. In somewhat of a surprise move, the party nominated its own members for all but one statewide elected office, and did not cross-endorse Democrats as usual. The party nominated United Auto Workers lawyer Kenneth Schaffer as its nominee for governor in June 2010. After the federal investigation against the party was closed with no charges, speculation has run rampant that the party will vacate the line in favor of Cuomo by nominating Schaeffer for a judicial position and offering Cuomo a Wilson Pakula
Wilson Pakula
A Wilson Pakula is an authorization given by a political party to a candidate for public office in the State of New York which allows a candidate not registered with that party to run as its candidate in a given election....
, which the party did unanimously in September 2010.
Nominee
- Andrew Cuomo
Libertarian
Though the Libertarian Party of New YorkLibertarian Party of New York
The Libertarian Party of New York is a political party in the United States active in the state of New York. It is the recognized affiliate of the national Libertarian Party....
does not have permanent ballot access in New York elections, they generally produce enough support to earn a slot on the ballot each gubernatorial election. The party chose Warren Redlich
Warren Redlich
Warren Redlich is a lawyer and politician from Guilderland, New York. In 2004 and 2006, Redlich ran for US Congress for the 21st District of New York State as a Republican. In 2005, he briefly served as the Political Director of the Libertarian Party of New York. He is currently a town councilman...
as their nominee at the state party convention on April 24, 2010.
Nominee
- Warren RedlichWarren RedlichWarren Redlich is a lawyer and politician from Guilderland, New York. In 2004 and 2006, Redlich ran for US Congress for the 21st District of New York State as a Republican. In 2005, he briefly served as the Political Director of the Libertarian Party of New York. He is currently a town councilman...
, Guilderland Town Board member and criminal defense attorney. Also sought Republican Party line, but did not file petitions.
Lost nomination
- Kristin Davis, madam of the prostitution ring of which Eliot SpitzerEliot SpitzerEliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...
was a client Davis refused to show up at the convention and as a result did not appear on the ballot. Instead seeking Anti-Prohibition Party line. - Sam Sloan, author and board game expert. Sloan, by his own admission, is not popular within the party and did not expect to win the nomination. Despite his failure to secure the nomination, Sloan was the first to submit petitions to the board of elections with the Libertarian Party line, which would have given him the nomination against the party committee's wishes; the down-ballot selections on Sloan's petitions are identical to those confirmed by the party committee. However, because his petitions failed to contain anywhere near the requisite 15,000 signatures, the nomination will likely go to Redlich; it has been speculated that Sloan is using the ploy to file a lawsuit against Redlich in his long-running dispute with the state Libertarian Party.
Green Party
The Green Party of New YorkGreen Party of New York
The Green Party of New York is a ballot-qualified political party in New York, which was founded in 1992. It is a part of the national Green Party movement...
nominated national party co-founder Howie Hawkins
Howie Hawkins
Howie Hawkins is an American politician and activist with the Green Party of the United States and Socialist Party USA. He co-founded the anti-nuclear Clamshell Alliance in 1976 and the Green Party in the United States in 1984. He was New York's Green Party candidate for the U.S. Senate in the...
, who has been a perennial candidate
Perennial candidate
A perennial candidate is one who frequently runs for public office with a record of success that is infrequent, if existent at all. Perennial candidates are often either members of minority political parties or have political opinions that are not mainstream. They may run without any serious hope...
in state and federal elections since 2006, as their candidate at the party convention on May 15, 2010. Like the Libertarians, the Greens had to petition their way onto the ballot, as they do not have permanent ballot access. Hawkins has indicated he will make a major push to win over disaffected left-wing voters who are put off by Cuomo's appeals to more fiscally conservative Democrats and independents in the state.
Nominee
- Howie HawkinsHowie HawkinsHowie Hawkins is an American politician and activist with the Green Party of the United States and Socialist Party USA. He co-founded the anti-nuclear Clamshell Alliance in 1976 and the Green Party in the United States in 1984. He was New York's Green Party candidate for the U.S. Senate in the...
The Rent Is 2 Damn High Party
The Rent is 2 Damn High PartyRent Is Too Damn High Party
The Rent Is Too Damn High Party is a political party in New York that has nominated candidates for mayor of New York City in 2005 and 2009 and for governor and senator in 2010. Jimmy McMillan was the mayoral candidate both times and a candidate for governor. In 2005, he received more than 4,000...
whose perennial New York City mayoral candidate is Jimmy McMillan
Jimmy McMillan
James "Jimmy" McMillan III is an American political activist, perennial candidate, Vietnam War veteran, and karate expert, as well as a former postal worker and private investigator from Brooklyn, New York. He is best known as the founder of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party, a New York-based...
, fielded him in the New York gubernatorial election in 2010. The party's name appeared as the "Rent is 2 Damn High" on the ballot for space considerations. This was McMillan's second run for the office, having previously earned 13,355 votes for governor on the "Rent Is Too High" line in 2006.
Following the New York gubernatorial television debate, McMillan's campaign went viral.
Other parties
The following political parties have never gained ballot access in New York, but filed petitions and qualified for the November ballot. Their nominees were as follows:- Taxpayers Party of New YorkTaxpayers Party of New YorkThe Taxpayers Party of New York State was an American political party active in the state of New York. It was not part of any nationwide party, nor is it affiliated with the U.S. Taxpayers' Party , which predates it by 18 years, or the Tax Revolt Party active in Nassau County...
: Carl PaladinoCarl PaladinoCarl Pasquale Paladino is an American businessman and political activist from Buffalo, New York. Paladino is the founder and chairman of Ellicott Development Company, a real estate development company he founded in 1973. He was the 2010 Republican nominee for the New York gubernatorial election,...
, Buffalo developer, Republican candidate - Anti-Prohibition Party: Kristin M. Davis, former madam
- Freedom PartyFreedom Party of New YorkThe Freedom Party of New York is a name given to two separate political parties that existed only in the state of New York. The first, created by allies of would-be Governor George Pataki, gained ballot access in the 1994 gubernatorial election under the name "Tax Cut Now Party," and gained the...
(unrelated to George Pataki's 1994 party of the same name): Charles BarronCharles BarronCharles Barron is a Democratic politician who represents the 42nd District of New York City in the New York City Council...
, New York City Councilman, former Black Panther, and husband of Assemblywoman Inez BarronInez BarronInez D. Barron is the state Assemblywoman for New York's 40th district, which includes the East New York, Starrett City, and Canarsie sections of Brooklyn...
These three parties were placed at the bottom of the ballot and, in many jurisdictions, were placed in a separate column from the other candidates, making it difficult for voters to find them. None of them gained automatic ballot access.
Withdrew or failed to qualify
- Constitution PartyConstitution Party (United States)The Constitution Party is a paleoconservative political party in the United States. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party by Howard Philips in 1991. Phillips was the party's candidate in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 presidential elections...
: Jan Johnson, theologist, conspiracy theorist. Withdrew before petition process began. - Diversity Party: Alicia Figueras, networker and activist. Submitted no petitions.
- Liberal PartyLiberal Party of New YorkThe Liberal Party of New York is a minor American political party that has been active only in the state of New York. Its platform supports a standard set of social liberal policies: it supports right to abortion, increased spending on education, and universal health care.As of 2007, the Liberal...
: Edward Culvert, Harlem minister and professor. Failed to collect enough petitions to qualify for the ballot. - Tea PartyTea Party movementThe Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
: Steven Cohn, Long Island attorney and member of the Independence Party. Party was being backed by nightclub proprietor Sam Zherka. Was thrown off the ballot September 24 due to successful challenges from both the Paladino campaign and a candidate for state senate who was also using the name. - Socialist PartySocialist Party USAThe Socialist Party USA is a multi-tendency democratic-socialist party in the United States. The party states that it is the rightful continuation and successor to the tradition of the Socialist Party of America, which had lasted from 1901 to 1972.The party is officially committed to left-wing...
: Howie HawkinsHowie HawkinsHowie Hawkins is an American politician and activist with the Green Party of the United States and Socialist Party USA. He co-founded the anti-nuclear Clamshell Alliance in 1976 and the Green Party in the United States in 1984. He was New York's Green Party candidate for the U.S. Senate in the...
, the Green PartyGreen Party (United States)The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...
candidate for Governor, was also endorsed by the Socialist Party of New YorkSocialist Party of New YorkThe Socialist Party of New York is the state chapter of the Socialist Party of the United States of America in New York.The current SPUSA was organized by members of the Debs caucus of Socialist Party of America . At the SPA's 1972 National Convention, which was held in Manhattan, the SPA changed...
, but the party did not seek a separate ballot line for him, seeing that he was already on the Green Party line. The SPNY maintains a close relationship with the Green Party of New YorkGreen Party of New YorkThe Green Party of New York is a ballot-qualified political party in New York, which was founded in 1992. It is a part of the national Green Party movement...
and regularly endorses Green candidates.
For the first time in several elections, the Socialist Workers Party
Socialist Workers Party (United States)
The Socialist Workers Party is a far-left political organization in the United States. The group places a priority on "solidarity work" to aid strikes and is strongly supportive of Cuba...
did not submit petitions for their candidate, Daniel Fein, and waged a write-in campaign for him instead. John Nemjo, an environmentalist from Troy who has run several write-in campaigns in the past, began a write-in campaign for the post in October 2010. Jim Nolan, an insurance salesman from Malta, also began a write-in campaign in October 2010. His campaign was run entirely by social media, including a website, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter page.
The Libertarian, Green and other minor parties had until August 17, 2010, to submit petitions to the state Board of Elections. A minimum of 15,000 valid signatures, from a minimum of 15 congressional districts, are required to achieve ballot access. The results will be finalized on September 2.
The Paladino campaign submitted 30,000 signatures for its Taxpayers Party. Charles Barron submitted 43,500 signatures for the Freedom Party, though a fellow New York City councilman, Lewis Fidler
Lewis Fidler
Lewis A. Fidler is a New York City Councilman. In January 2002, he began his first term as Councilman for the 46th District in New York City, which includes the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bergen Beach, Canarsie, Georgetown, Flatlands, Marine Park, Mill Basin, Mill Island, Gerritsen Beach, Madison...
, has already announced his intention to challenge Barron's signatures. The Davis campaign has submitted 22,000 signatures; the Hawkins campaign has filed 27,000, and the Libertarian Party claims to have submitted over 34,000.
Lieutenant governor election
Along with the governor, a new lieutenant governor will be selected. The seat had been vacant since Spitzer's resignation and Paterson's subsequent succession to the governorship until Paterson appointed Richard RavitchRichard Ravitch
Richard Ravitch is an American politician and businessman who served as the 75th Lieutenant Governor of New York from 2009 to 2010. He was appointed to the position in July 2009 by New York Governor David Paterson...
to the position in July 2009; the presidents of the New York State Senate
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
(in succession, Joseph Bruno
Joseph Bruno
Joseph L. Bruno is an American businessman, and Republican politician. He was the Temporary President of the New York State Senate and its majority leader. Most recently he also served as Lieutenant Governor of New York ....
, Dean Skelos
Dean Skelos
Dean G. Skelos is an American politician and the Republican Temporary President and Majority Leader of the New York State Senate. Skelos represents District 9 in the State Senate, which comprises the southwest region of Nassau County. He is the second Long Islander to hold the position of Majority...
, Malcolm Smith and Pedro Espada
Pedro Espada
Pedro Espada, Jr. was a Democratic member of the New York Senate for the 33rd Senate District. He was the New York State Senate Majority Leader and Vice President Pro Tempore for Urban Policy of the Senate...
) served as acting lieutenant governors while the office was vacant. Ravitch will not seek the seat in 2010.
Cuomo selected Rochester mayor Bob Duffy as his running mate on May 26, 2010.
Other candidates that had been mentioned as potential candidates include Ramapo
Ramapo, New York
Ramapo , formerly known as New Hempstead and then Hampstead, is a town in Rockland County, New York, United States located north of New Jersey; southeast of Orange County, New York; south of the Town of Haverstraw and west of the Town of Clarkstown and the Town of Orangetown...
town supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence, State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins
Andrea Stewart-Cousins
Andrea Stewart-Cousins is a New York State Senator for the 35th district representing Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Elmsford, Greenburgh, Hastings-on-Hudson, Irvington, Mount Pleasant, Pleasantville, Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, and Yonkers....
(D-Yonkers), Buffalo mayor Byron Brown
Byron Brown
Byron William Brown II is the 58th and current mayor of Buffalo, New York, elected on November 8, 2005 and is the city's first African-American mayor. He previously served Western New York as a member of the New York State Senate and Buffalo Common Council...
, State Senator Darrel Aubertine
Darrel Aubertine
Darrel J. Aubertine was a member of the New York State Senate for the 48th district, which covers Central New York and the North Country region counties of Oswego, Jefferson and St. Lawrence in New York State. He is a registered Democrat and represented the district in the state Senate from...
, and Canandaigua businessman Bill Samuels.
On the Republican side, Lazio has endorsed Chautauqua County
Chautauqua County, New York
-Major highways:* Interstate 86/New York State Route 17 * Interstate 90 * U.S. Route 20* U.S. Route 62* New York State Route 5* New York State Route 39* New York State Route 60* New York State Route 394...
executive Greg Edwards
Greg Edwards
Gregory J. Edwards is the current county executive of Chautauqua County, New York. A registered Republican, Edwards served as an attorney and dairy farmer prior to his election in 2005...
as his choice for lieutenant governor as of May 17, 2010. Tom Ognibene
Tom Ognibene
-Biography:Ognibene was elected in 1992 as New York City Council member, where he served through 2001, representing the 30th District in Queens, including the neighborhoods of Middle Village, Glendale, Ridgewood, Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, and Forest Hills...
, former minority leader of the New York City Council, has been chosen as Paladino's running mate. Had Levy made it onto the primary ballot, he would have selected former New York Secretary of State Christopher Jacobs
Christopher Jacobs (politician)
Christopher L. Jacobs was Secretary of State of New York and was twice a candidate for the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor of New York as the running mate of both former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld in 2006 and Steve Levy in 2010...
, a Buffalo native, as his running mate.
Other potential names that had either expressed an interest or were mentioned as potential candidates included Orange County executive Edward A. Diana
Edward A. Diana
Edward A. Diana is an American Physical Education educator, now serving as the County Executive of Orange County, New York. Prior to being elected County Executive, he served for twelve years as County Legislator. He resides in Goshen, New York...
, Monroe County executive Maggie Brooks
Maggie Brooks
Maggie A. Brooks is a broadcasting personality and politician most notable for having served as the first female County Executive of Monroe County, New York....
, Onondaga County executive Joanie Mahoney
Joanie Mahoney
Joanne M. "Joanie" Mahoney is the County Executive of Onondaga County, New York. She is the first woman to hold this position. She took office on Tuesday, January 1, 2008.-Personal:...
(though Brooks and Mahoney both apparently rejected overtures to do so), 2006 lieutenant governor candidate C. Scott Vanderhoef
C. Scott Vanderhoef
C. Scott Vanderhoef is the County Executive of Rockland County, New York and was the Republican and Conservative Party nominee for Lieutenant Governor of New York in the 2006 statewide elections...
(who is instead running for state senate), and Myers Mermel (who was running on a separate ticket but sought governor instead, eventually dropping out of both races).
The Libertarian Party chose Alden Link as their nominee, and the Green Party nominated Gloria Mattera as their candidate for the position. The Conservative Party chairman endorsed Lazio's running mate, Greg Edwards, though Andrew Kay was able to force his way onto a primary ballot on the Lorigo placeholder slate. The Working Families Party nominated community organizer Elon Harpaz.
In the Republican lieutenant governor primary, Greg Edwards narrowly defeated Tom Ognibene. This creates a problematic "split ticket:" three different ballot lines will have three different combinations of Paladino or Lazio and Edwards or Ognibene. The Republican ticket will have Paladino/Edwards, the Conservative ticket will have Lazio/Edwards, and the Taxpayers ticket will have Paladino/Ognibene. Under a technicality in the state's fusion laws, fusion only applies to whole tickets, and not to individual people on a gubernatorial ticket. Thus, unless the three parties agree on a ballot, neither Paladino nor Edwards would be allowed to count the aggregate total of both lines on the ballot in their total, leading to the possibility of either of them getting more votes than Cuomo-Duffy (or, theoretically, any other candidate) but still losing the election. This can be avoided by nominating one of the lieutenant governor nominees to a judicial position, as both Edwards and Ognibene have law degrees. Both Paladino and Edwards have indicated they are willing to run on each other's ticket, though Edwards is open to making changes in the ballot. The last time such a split ticket occurred was when Alfred DelBello
Alfred DelBello
Alfred Benedict DelBello is an American politician from New York. A registered Democrat, he was Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1983 to 1985.-Life:...
ended up Mario Cuomo
Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo served as the 52nd Governor of New York from 1983 to 1994, and is the father of Andrew Cuomo, the current governor of New York.-Early life:...
's running mate against Cuomo's wishes in 1982.
Election results
General election
| Poll source | Dates administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Andrew Cuomo (D) | Carl Paladino (R) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angus Reid Public Opinion | October 28–29, 2010 | 546 LV | ±4.2% | 55% | 38% | 5% | –– |
| Rasmussen | October 22, 2010 | 943 RV | ±3.0% | 51% | 37% | 2% | 12% |
| The New York Times | October 17–19, 2010 | 943 RV | ±3.0% | 67% | 24% | 2% | 12% |
| The New York Times | October 10–15, 2010 | 943 RV | ±3.0% | 59% | 24% | 2% | 12% |
| Survey USA / Gannett | October 11–13, 2010 | 633 LV | ±3.9% | 59% | 33% | 6% | 3% |
| Survey USA / Gannett | October 5–7, 2010 | 627 LV | ±4.0% | 57% | 34% | 5% | 3% |
| Angus Reid Public Opinion | October 5–7, 2010 | 500 RV | ±4.5% | 63% | 32% | 6% | –– |
| Quinnipiac | October 1–5, 2010 | 1,141 LV | ±2.9% | 55% | 37% | 2% | 6% |
| CNN / Opinion Research | October 1–5, 2010 | 585 LV | ±4.0% | 55% | 41% | 2% | 1% |
| CNN / Opinion Research | October 1–5, 2010 | 1,315 RV | ±2.5% | 65% | 31% | 2% | 1% |
| Siena Poll | October 3–4, 2010 | 636 LV | ±3.9% | 56% | 32% | –– | 11% |
| Public Policy Polling | October 1–3, 2010 | 592 LV | ±4.0% | 53% | 38% | –– | 8% |
| Marist Poll | September 27–29, 2010 | 591 LV | ±4.0% | 53% | 38% | 1% | 8% |
| Survey USA/Gannett | September 20–21, 2010 | 572 LV | ±4.2% | 49% | 40% | 8% | 3% |
| Quinnipiac | September 16–20, 2010 | 751 LV | ±3.6% | 49% | 43% | 1% | 7% |
| Rasmussen Reports | September 20, 2010 | 500 LV | ±4.5% | 54% | 38% | 2% | 6% |
| Quinnipiac | August 23–29, 2010 | 1,497 RV | ±2.5% | 60% | 23% | 1% | 14% |
| Siena Poll | August 9–16, 2010 | 788 RV | ±3.5% | 60% | 27% | –– | 13% |
| Quinnipiac | July 20–26, 2010 | 1,165 RV | ±2.9% | 55% | 25% | 1% | 16% |
| Rasmussen Reports | July 20, 2010 | 500 LV | ±4.5% | 58% | 29% | 5% | 8% |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 24, 2010 | 500 LV | ±4.5% | 55% | 25% | 6% | 13% |
| Siena Poll | May 17–20, 2010 | 905 RV | ±3.3% | 65% | 22% | –– | 13% |
| Marist Poll | May 3–5, 2010 | 686 RV | ±4.0% | 67% | 22% | –– | 11% |
| Rasmussen Reports | April 27, 2010 | 500 LV | ±4.5% | 55% | 25% | 5% | 15% |
| Quinnipiac | April 6–11, 2010 | 1,381 RV | ±2.6% | 60% | 24% | 1% | 14% |
| Rasmussen Reports | March 29, 2010 | 500 LV | ±4.5% | 51% | 28% | 6% | 15% |
| Rasmussen Reports | March 1, 2010 | 500 LV | ±4.5% | 56% | 27% | 6% | 11% |
Democratic primary
| Poll source | Dates administered | David Paterson | Andrew Cuomo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Siena Poll | January 10–14, 2010 | 21% | 59% |
| Quinnipiac | December 7–13, 2009 | 23% | 60% |
| Rasmussen Reports | July 14, 2009 | 27% | 61% |
| Qunnipiac | May 5–11, 2009 | 17% | 62% |
| Qunnipiac | April 1–5, 2009 | 18% | 61% |
| Siena Poll | March 13–16, 2009 | 17% | 67% |
| Marist Poll | February 25–26, 2009 | 26% | 62% |
| Siena Poll | February 16–18, 2009 | 27% | 53% |
| Quinnipiac | February 10–15, 2009 | 23% | 55% |
| Siena Poll | January 20–23, 2009 | 35% | 33% |
| Siena Poll | December 8–11, 2008 | 49% | 26% |
| Siena Poll | November 10–13, 2008 | 53% | 25% |
| Siena Poll | July 7–10, 2008 | 51% | 21% |
| Siena Poll | May 12–15, 2008 | 42% | 29% |
| Siena Poll | April 12–15, 2008 | 35% | 30% |
Republican primary
| Poll source | Dates administered | Rick Lazio | Steve Levy | Carl Paladino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siena Poll | September 7–9, 2010 | 42% | -- | 41% |
| Quinnipiac | July 20–26, 2010 | 39% | -- | 23% |
| Siena Poll | May 17–20, 2010 | 29% | 14% | 16% |
| Marist Poll | May 3–5, 2010 | 38% | 22% | 13% |
| Siena Poll | April 12–15, 2010 | 29% | 15% | 13% |
| Quinnipiac | April 6–11, 2010 | 34% | 11% | 11% |
| Marist Poll | March 23–24, 2010 | 53% | 21% | -- |
| Siena Poll | March 15–18, 2010 | 60% | 19% | -- |
Lazio vs. Paterson
| Poll source | Dates administered | David Paterson | Rick Lazio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen Reports | January 18, 2010 | 38% | 45% |
| Siena Poll | January 10–14, 2010 | 42% | 42% |
| Rasmussen Reports | December 22, 2009 | 40% | 43% |
| Quinnipiac | December 7–13, 2009 | 41% | 37% |
| Rasmussen Reports | November 17, 2009 | 37% | 41% |
| Marist | November 15, 2009 | 36% | 39% |
| Rasmussen Reports | September 22, 2009 | 38% | 38% |
| Marist | May 4, 2009 | 37% | 40% |
Lazio vs. Cuomo
| Poll source | Dates administered | Andrew Cuomo | Rick Lazio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quinnipiac | July 20–26, 2010 | 56% | 26% |
| Rasmussen Reports | July 20, 2010 | 58% | 27% |
| Siena Poll | July 12, 2010 | 60% | 28% |
| Rasmussen Reports | June 24, 2010 | 55% | 28% |
| Quinnipiac | June 22, 2010 | 58% | 26% |
| Siena Poll | June 9, 2010 | 60% | 24% |
| Siena Poll | May 17–20, 2010 | 66% | 24% |
| Marist Poll | May 3–5, 2010 | 65% | 25% |
| Rasmussen Reports | April 27, 2010 | 56% | 24% |
| Siena Poll | April 12–15, 2010 | 61% | 24% |
| Quinnipiac | April 6–11, 2010 | 55% | 26% |
| Rasmussen Reports | March 29, 2010 | 52% | 29% |
| Marist Poll | March 23–24, 2010 | 61% | 30% |
| Siena Poll | March 15–18, 2010 | 59% | 21% |
| Rasmussen Reports | March 2, 2010 | 55% | 30% |
| Rasmussen Reports | January 18, 2010 | 54% | 35% |
| Siena Poll | January 10–14, 2010 | 66% | 24% |
| Quinnipiac | December 7–13, 2009 | 62% | 22% |
| Rasmussen Reports | November 17, 2009 | 57% | 29% |
| Rasmussen Reports | September 22, 2009 | 65% | 26% |
| Marist Poll | February 25–26, 2009 | 71% | 20% |
Collins vs. Paterson
| Poll source | Dates administered | David Paterson | Chris Collins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Siena Poll | January 10–14, 2010 | 40% | 40% |
| Rasmussen Reports | December 22, 2009 | 38% | 42% |
Collins vs. Cuomo
| Poll source | Dates administered | Andrew Cuomo | Chris Collins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Siena Poll | January 10–14, 2010 | 65% | 23% |
Cuomo vs. Levy
| Poll source | Dates administered | Andrew Cuomo | Steve Levy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siena Poll | May 17–20, 2010 | 65% | 22% | |
| Marist Poll | May 3–5, 2010 | 63% | 25% | |
| Rasmussen Reports | April 27, 2010 | 50% | 27% | |
| Siena Poll | April 12–15, 2010 | 58% | 23% | |
| Quinnipiac | April 6–11, 2010 | 57% | 24% | |
| Rasmussen Reports | March 29, 2010 | 50% | 26% | |
| Marist Poll | March 23–24, 2010 | 65% | 26% | |
| Siena Poll | March 15–18, 2010 | 63% | 16% | Warren Redlich: 4% |
Cuomo vs. Lazio vs. Paladino
| Poll source | Dates administered | Andrew Cuomo | Rick Lazio | Carl Paladino | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marist Poll | September 23, 2010 | 52% | 9% | 33% | |
| Siena Poll: Volunteer any candidate | May 17–20, 2010 | 43% | 4% | 5% | Steve Levy: 3% David Paterson:5% Rudy Giuliani:5% |
| Rasmussen Reports | March 2, 2010 | 50% | 19% | 15% |
External links
- Campaign contributions for 2010 New York Governor from Follow the Money
- New York Governor 2010 from OurCampaigns.com
- 2010 New York Governor Election graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
- Election 2010: New York Governor from Rasmussen ReportsRasmussen ReportsRasmussen Reports is an American media company that publishes and distributes information based on public opinion polling. Founded by pollster Scott Rasmussen in 2003, the company updates daily indexes including the President's job approval rating, and provides public opinion data, analysis, and...
- New York Governor - Lazio vs. Cuomo from Real Clear Politics
- 2010 New York Governor's Race from CQ PoliticsCongressional QuarterlyCongressional Quarterly, Inc., or CQ, is a privately owned publishing company that produces a number of publications reporting primarily on the United States Congress...
- Race Profile in The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
Official campaign websites
- Andrew Cuomo for New York Governor
- Rick Lazio for Governor
- Steve Levy for Governor
- Warren Redlich for Governor
- Online Guide to New York Politics, politics1.com
- Gormley, Michael (4/1/10). Who would want to be Governor? Associated Press. (A primer on the proposals of most of the candidates)