Governor Andrew Cuomo Defeats Challenger Zephyr Teachout In Primary

Photo via Governor Andrew Cuomo

After what a number of outlets reported to be an abysmal turnout at the polls yesterday (including anecdotes from neighbors saying they saw very few, if any, fellow voters at their poll sites), Governor Andrew Cuomo handily won the Democratic primary, landing 327,150 votes – 62.11 percent of the ballots cast for governor, according to unofficial results reported by WNYC. His main challenger, Fordham law professor Zephyr Teachout, received 180,336 votes – or 34.24 percent. The third candidate, Randy Credico, received 19,201, or 3.65 percent.

Kathy Hochul, as expected, won her bid for lieutenant governor, receiving 59.88 percent of the vote, compared to challenger Tim Wu’s 40.12 percent.

Cuomo landed more support in Brooklyn than in Manhattan, with our borough’s voters casting 61,910 votes for him – or 67.8 percent of the borough’s vote, according to this map from the New York Times. Meanwhile, there were 41,274 Manhattan voters who supported Cuomo – or 54.9 percent of that borough’s vote. Teachout landed the most support in the city in Manhattan, receiving 32,158 votes – 42.7 percent of the vote. Cuomo landed about 66.4 percent of the vote in Staten Island and was overwhelmingly supported in the Bronx, where the governor received 81.8 percent of the vote.

“Today’s outcome is a testament to the progress we have made together over the last four years: restoring economic opportunity, replacing dysfunction with results, putting people before politics and re-establishing New York as a progressive leader for the nation,” Cuomo said in a statement last night.

“I also want to congratulate Zephyr Teachout and Tim Wu on running a spirited campaign, engaging in the democratic process and having the courage to make their voices heard,” Cuomo said in the same statement.

Photo via Zephyr Teachout

Teachout, meanwhile, thanked supporters on Facebook, saying, “you actually are the heart of what we did. You are a powerful fearless fighting force that will hold power to account, and proved that there is power in traditional Democratic values. He beat us 2 to 1 after spending millions, and look at where we won outright!” Teachout then listed a series of counties that backed her.

Cuomo will now go on to face Republican Rob Astorino in November’s general election.

Astorino, the Westchester County executive, issued a statement to the press last night and congratulated Teachout and Credico “for an exciting and hard fought primary contest.”

“I ask their voters to join me now in the fight to clean up the Albany corruption and pay-to-play politics that is dragging this state to its knees morally and economically,” Astorino went on to say.