Want to beat up on NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo some more? Of course you do! So donate for a Democratic Senate.
We all know how Working Families Party Gov. Andrew Cuomo promised to veto an aggressive Republican gerrymander of the state Senate, then signed it into law. And we also know that when voters decided to hand control of the chamber to Democrats anyway, Cuomo conspired with renegade Democrats to give it back to Republicans.
Notwithstanding promises to help Democrats finally retake the chamber in this year's elections, it's clear that Cuomo pines for a Republican-led Senate to thwart the possibility of any progressive legislation reaching his desk. It's a curious tactic for someone who harbors delusional designs on the White House, but it's the path he's chosen to take—so it's up to us to strip those delusions away.
Even though they're in the minority, Republicans currently hold the Senate thanks to the aid of the five rebel Democrats of the so-called Independent Democratic Conference. But feeling serious pressure from mainstream Democrats, the IDC made a sketchy promise this summer to return to the fold next year, though they're already backing away from it. However, the more real Democrats we help to elect this November, the harder it will be for the GOP-IDC junta to remain in power. And if it falls, it wouldn't just deal a blow to Cuomo, it would also give Democrats a leg up on the redistricting battles of 2020, where a trifecta (governor and both legislative chambers) could net Democrats several U.S. House seats.
That's why we're engaging in four five New York state Senate races, all featuring top-tier candidates with a serious chance of winning. Two are in Republican-held districts while two are Democratic incumbents holding endangered seats, and all were won by Obama. We win these races, throw in additional threats of primary battles for those rebel Dems in the future, and Cuomo's ability to engineer another Republican-led Senate is dramatically diminished, as is his noxious influence.
So without further ado, here are our latest New York endorsements:
Dave Denenberg (SD-08). Republican held. Obama won 56-43
Justin Wagner (SD-40). Republican held. Obama won 51-48
Terry Gipson (SD-41). Dem held. Obama won 53-45
Cecilia Tkaczyk (SD-46). Dem held. Obama won 54-44
Marc Panepinto (SD-60). Republican held. Obama won 56-42
In addition to being credible, strong candidates, all
four five have explicitly promised to never join the rebel Democrats of the IDC in undermining Democratic control of the chamber. This is a chamber that by all rights should be Democratic.
Let's help make it so, and give Andrew Cuomo another black eye in the process. It's a great use of $3!
Update: Added Panepinto.