Teachout shaking up Cuomo camp leading up to Democratic primary

Tom Precious

ALBANY – Poll after poll has shown Andrew Cuomo nearly invincible over the past four years.

So imagine an unknown liberal law professor at a Jesuit college who has never run for office before capturing a quarter or perhaps close to a third of the votes in the Democratic primary next week.

That is not a scenario Cuomo’s opponents are pitching. That’s what insiders on the governor’s own campaign are looking at. The governor’s people say that would not be an unusual outcome, but independent analysts say it could dent Cuomo at home and damage his prospects of ever living in the White House.

That a political neophyte like Zephyr Teachout could so rattle the New York Democratic Party and Cuomo, its titular head, is a story in itself. But, as Teachout would say, there is more than Cuomo at play. She contends it is a contest for the liberal heart and soul of the state’s Democratic Party as she challenges a governor she accuses of being too tight with big corporations, millionaires and special interests.

http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/albany-politics/teachout-shaking-up-cuomo-camp-leading-up-to-democratic-primary-20140830