Gov. Andrew Cuomo is one step closer to retaining the governor’s mansion in Albany.
The two-term governor clinched the Democratic party’s nomination on Tuesday, defeating newcomer Cynthia Nixon.
While the race was called for Cuomo within about 30 minutes after the polls closed, Nixon’s showing was noteworthy. Not a single incumbent Democratic governor or senator lost their primary this year and Cuomo specifically had a war chest of millions, far out-raising the first-time candidate.
But the former Sex and the City star, who gained just 34.4% of the vote to Cuomo’s 65.6%, is not defeated. In a series of tweets posted after conceding the race, Nixon wrote that she’s “not discouraged.”
“While the result tonight wasn’t what we had hoped for, I’m not discouraged. I’m inspired. I hope you are too. We have fundamentally changed the political landscape in this state,” she tweeted, while noting that her candidacy nevertheless pushed Cuomo to make “concrete commitments” on a number of issues.
In particular, Nixon highlighted how Cuomo has moved left on the legalization of marijuana, taken responsibility for fixing the New York City subway system, and changed his stance on issues related to the environment and criminal justice reform.
“This campaign changed expectations about what’s possible in New York State,” Nixon wrote. But, she added, this isn’t just a campaign, or a moment, but a movement. “The movement we’re building isn’t just about one candidate, or one election. It’s about offering a vision of the way things COULD work, if only we have the leadership and the political courage to make it a reality.”
