Democrat Tim Wu
New York's noxious governor, Andrew Cuomo, may be riding a wave of money and his father's last name to an easy re-election, but there's a way you can ruin his life: Help defeat his choice for lieutenant governor.
In New York, the governor and lieutenant governor run separately in the primary but together on one ticket in the general election. Ever the sellout to progressive causes, Cuomo chose the most conservative running mate possible that still had a "D" next to her name, Kathy Hochul. How bad is Hochul? I'll let the New York Times explain, from their editorial endorsing law professor Tim Wu:
Mr. Cuomo chose Ms. Hochul this spring to balance his ticket with a conservative woman from upstate. Ms. Hochul now supports his gun control bill, but when she ran unsuccessfully for re-election to Congress in 2012, her campaign featured the endorsement from the National Rifle Association. The N.R.A. said at the time that she had “a proven record of defending the Second Amendment.”
She also boasted repeatedly that she had voted many times against “Obamacare.” She strongly opposed allowing undocumented immigrants to have drivers’ licenses. And during her short time in Congress, environmentalists criticized many of her votes, including those to repeal emission standards for cement manufacturers and to allow fewer controls on open pit mines and other polluting industries.
So Hochul is in the NRA's pocket, brags about her votes against the ACA, hates on immigrants, and loves polluting industries. Well, good thing Cuomo decided to try and elevate her to the statewide ticket, huh? And in case you were wondering about her rationale for running for lieutenant governor, she says it's to "support the administration." So on top of everything else, she promises to be Cuomo's toady. That's some serious pile of suck.
So we are endorsing Tim Wu in the Democratic primary. Wu is literally the guy who invented the term "net neutrality." He promises to use his perch as lieutenant governor "as a pulpit, to become the state’s de facto public advocate, particularly in support of consumer issues, Internet access and economic development zones." In other words, he will be a thorn in the corporatist Cuomo's side, and he'll strengthen the net neutrality fight by elevating his own stature.
Unlike the governor's race, the New York Times endorsement can have real juice lower down the ballot, and Hochul's lack of statewide name ID gives Wu an even playing field to work with. Cuomo knows this, and had Hochul release a video where she touted her progressive creds and even name-checked Paul Wellstone—a genuine insult to his memory. Seriously burns me up.
We may be jumping in late to this fight, but we have time to do two things: 1) send some scratch to Wu to help in his final push, and—something everyone on this site can do—2) spread the word to everyone you know in New York. It's a big state. We all know people who live there. So urge them to vote against the Cuomo ticket. Got that? Donate a few bucks, then educate your New York friends and family. Let's do it!
Please give $3 to help Tim Wu stop Andrew Cuomo's hand-picked conservative lackey.