There are five statewide races on the ballot. Both of our U.S. Senators are up for reelection, one in a regular general election and one in a special election, and we are also voting on a Governor, State Comptroller and Attorney General. Below are my views:
U.S. Senate (general election)
U.S. Senate (special election)
Governor
State Comptroller
Attorney General
Two-term Senator Chuck Schumer (D) is running for reelection this year. His opponent is Republican Jay Townsend.
Schumer may be a little too close to Wall Street money, but it hasn't prevented him from taking on this special interest group, starting years before the housing bubble burst. Townsend has failed to make a case for himself as a serious contender.
I recommend Schumer.
When Hillary Clinton was tapped to become Secretary of State, Governor Paterson appointed Kirsten Gillibrand (D) to fill her seat. Gillibrand had just been elected to her second term in the House of Representatives, and was generally unknown to New Yorkers.
There are still two more years left in this Senate term, but the governor's appointment only lasts until the end of this year, thus requiring a "special election" to fill the Senate seat for the next two years. Senator Gillibrand is running against Republican Joseph DioGuardi.
Gillibrand has spent the last two years traveling around the state and making her case. In Washington, despite being one of the most junior senators in an institution where seniority is hugely important, she has taken the lead in the fight to eliminate "don't ask, don't tell" in the military.
Her opponents claim that Gillibrand has switched her viewpoints from being a "Blue Dog" Democrat while in the House to being a progressive Democrat in the Senate. In truth, she hasn't changed anything. Instead, Gillibrand has demonstrated an ability to lead, and an ability to go toe-to-toe with the "big boys" in the U.S. Senate. Meanwhile, DioGuardi has also failed to make a case that he is capable of ... well, anything.
I recommend Gillibrand.
This race has seven people on the ballot. Democrat Andrew Cuomo has a wide lead in the polls, and is almost certain to win. Republican Carl Paladino has provided more entertainment than substance. Among the other five candidates, two have serious platforms and the other three are basically single-issue candidates.
If you cannot stomach voting for Cuomo, we suggest you look at Warren Redlich (Libertarian party) and Howard Hawkins (Green party). Under New York State law, any party that gets 50,000 votes for its candidate for governor is guaranteed automatic ballot access for the next four years; right now, neither of these parties has that, and getting more parties on the ballot can only be good for the state.
Other than that, however, the choice is obvious, since there is only one candidate who has demonstrated an ability to take on tough challenges.
I recommend Cuomo.
This race pits Democratic incumbent Tom DiNapoli against Republican Harry Wilson.
DiNapoli became Comptroller after Alan Hevesi resigned in disgrace. The process was disgusting, featuring a back-room deal between Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and (then) Governor Eliot Spitzer - a deal on which Silver eventually reneged. At the time, DiNapoli wasn't particularly qualified to be Comptroller.
Since then, however, DiNapoli has proven himself to be a quick study and a very hard worker. He has taken control of the Comptroller's office and shaken it out. The shenanigans in that office for which DiNapoli has been attacked were actually occurring before he took office; DiNapoli exposed them in order to bring real change.
Wilson's claim to fame is that he chaired President Obama's auto industry task force, watching over the government's bailout of GM and Chrysler, a job he did without distinction and without scandal. His "day job" is running a hedge fund, and while he has made a lot of money in recent years, his hedge fund performance has been ordinary. The funds he managed went up big when the economy was doing well, and plummeted with the downturn. He claims to be a topflight money manager, but the evidence is that he is only ordinary.
Despite the manner in which DiNapoli got the job, he has done it very, very well.
I recommend DiNapoli.
This race pits Democrat Eric Schneiderman against Republican Dan Donovan. Schneiderman has spent the last 12 years in the state Senate. Donovan is the Staten Island District Attorney.
Schneiderman has always been a champion of reform. In the Senate, Republican majority leader Joe Bruno actually cut off his office supplies because Eric wouldn't back down. He also chaired the committee that recommended removing Hiram Monserrate from office - a job nobody else had the guts to take on.
In short, Eric Schneiderman isn't afraid to take on corruption in either political party. In addition, he brings an activist view to the Attoney General's office, and a mindset that fighting crime should be smart, rather than merely "tough," on crime.
Donovan, by contrast, has seen crime rates rise since he took office as District Attorney. He has failed to explain what he would do as Attorney General. He appears to think that locking street criminals up is the alpha and omega of the AG's job, demonstrating that he doesn't understand the office for which he is running.
I recommend Schneiderman.