New York gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014

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New York Gubernatorial Election

Primary Date:
September 9, 2014

General Election Date:
November 4, 2014

November 4 Election Winners:
Andrew Cuomo Democratic Party
Kathy Hochul Democratic Party
Incumbents prior to election:
Andrew Cuomo Democratic Party
Robert Duffy Democratic Party
Gov. Andrew Cuomo
Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy

New York State Executive Elections
Top Ballot
Governor Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General
Down Ballot
Controller

Battleground Races
New York State Senate
Lost trifecta for Democrats
WhoRunsTheStates Badge.jpg
State executive offices in New York
Flag of New York.png

The New York gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) was eligible for re-election, as New York has no gubernatorial term limits. Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy (D) was first elected in 2010 and was eligible to seek re-election in 2014, although he opted not to run. In May 2014, Duffy announced his plans to retire as lieutenant governor after his first term, which ends in January 2015.[1] Cuomo was seeking re-election with lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Kathy Hochul, who was running to replace Duffy. The Cuomo/Hochul ticket defeated four other tickets including the Republican ticket of Rob Astorino and Chris Moss. Cuomo and Hochul won four-year terms in office.

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. New York utilizes a closed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.[2][3][4]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

The gubernatorial race was not the only race on the November ballot with the potential to shift the balance of power in New York. The New York State Senate was identified by Ballotpedia as one of the top 20 legislative chambers to watch in 2014. Both legislative chambers and the governor's office were held by a single party before November 4, making New York a state government trifecta. Republicans took control of the New York State Senate, which eliminated the state's trifecta status. Learn more about the chamber's most competitive races in 2014 on the battleground chambers page.

Candidates

General election

Democratic Party Andrew Cuomo/Kathy Hochul (also ran on the Working Families Party, the Women's Equality Party and the Independence Party of America Independence Party lines)Green check mark transparent.png[5]
Republican Party Rob Astorino/Chris Moss (also ran on the Darkred.png Conservative Party and "Stop Common Core" lines)[6][5]
Green Party Howie Hawkins/Brian Jones[7]
Libertarian Party Michael McDermott/Chris Edes (nominated at party convention)[8]
Independent Sapient Party - Steven Cohn/Bobby K. Kalotee[9]

Lost in primary

Gubernatorial

Democratic Party Zephyr Teachout - Fordham University Law professor[10]
Democratic Party Randy Credico[9]

Lieutenant gubernatorial

Democratic Party Tim Wu[11]

Lost at convention

Gubernatorial

Libertarian Party Nathan LeBron[12][13]
Libertarian Party Richard Cooper - manufacturing executive and Libertarian activist[14][13]

Lieutenant gubernatorial

Libertarian Party Chris Edes - Libertarian activist (nominated for lieutenant governor instead)[15][13]

Did not qualify

Democratic Party Racquel McPherson
Democratic Party Sam Sloan
Democratic Party Nenad Bach[5]
Independent Life and Justice Party candidate Michael J. Carey[9]
Independent Rent is 2 Damn High - Jimmy McMillan/Christalle Felix[9]

Did not file by deadline

Republican Party Steven McLaughlin - State Assemblyman[16]
Republican Party Carl Paladino - 2010 Republican candidate for governor[17]
Grey.png John Studer - Socialist Workers Party candidate[18]


Results

General election

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngAndrew Cuomo/Kathy Hochul Incumbent 54.3% 2,069,480
     Republican Rob Astorino/Chris Moss 40.3% 1,536,879
     Green Howie Hawkins/Brian Jones 4.8% 184,419
     Libertarian Michael McDermott/Chris Edes 0.4% 16,967
     Sapient Steven Cohn/Bobby K. Kalotee 0.1% 4,963
Total Votes 3,812,708
Election results via New York State Board of Elections

Primary election

Gubernatorial

Governor of New York, Democratic Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngAndrew Cuomo Incumbent 62.9% 361,380
Zephyr Teachout 33.5% 192,210
Randy Credico 3.6% 20,760
Total Votes 574,350
Election results via New York State Board of Elections.

Note: The remaining general election candidates were nominated in party conventions or petitioned to join the gubernatorial race.

Lieutenant gubernatorial

Lieutenant Governor of New York, Democratic Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngKathy Hochul 60.2% 329,089
Tim Wu 39.8% 217,614
Total Votes 546,703
Election results via New York State Board of Elections.

Note: The remaining general election candidates were nominated in party conventions or petitioned to join the gubernatorial race without a primary.

Race background

Efforts to create additional ballot lines

Cuomo and Rob Astorino (R) spent time this summer seeking petitions for additional ballot lines in the November 4 general election. Astorino joined with three other Republican candidates for statewide office to create a Stop Common Core ballot line for the general election. Supporters of Stop Common Core, who opposed implementation of Common Core education standards in New York, filed 62,000 signatures with the New York Board of Elections, far surpassing the threshold of 15,000 signatures after only two months of work. State law requires a minimum of 15,000 valid signatures, with at least 100 signatures from a majority of the state's 27 congressional districts. The addition of the Stop Common Core line allowed Astorino and fellow statewide candidates to run as Republican Party, Conservative Party, and Stop Common Core candidates.[19]

Lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Kathy Hochul (D) and supporters of Gov. Cuomo gathered signatures for a Women's Equality Party line, thereby increasing the Democratic ticket's haul of ballot lines to four. The party's state executive candidates were already running on the Democratic Party, Working Families Party, and Independence Party lines. The deadline for delivering at least 15,000 signatures from New York voters was August 19, and both efforts were successful.[19]

Residency challenge by Governor Cuomo

The New York Supreme Court began hearings on August 7, 2014, to determine if primary challenger Zephyr Teachout met the five-year residency requirement for ballot placement. A challenge was brought by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), sought re-election in November. Martin E. Connor, representing Cuomo's campaign, claimed that Teachout had not spent the previous years living continuously in New York. Teachout owned a cabin in Vermont, where she spent time in previous summers. Connor also noted that Teachout did not have a state driver's license or change her address to a New York residence until recently.[20]

Teachout supplied evidence to the court in support of her residency, including an account of her move from Vermont to North Carolina to New York in June 2009. She also provided her 2009 tax return with New York address, a Fordham Law School directory, and bank statements documenting purchases at New York businesses.[20] On August 11, Judge Edgar G. Walker ruled against Cuomo's residency challenge, keeping Teachout on the primary ballot. Cuomo appealed Walker's decision to a state Supreme Court panel, which upheld the decision to keep Teachout on the ballot on August 20, 2014.[21][22]

Polls

General election
Major party candidates and "other" category
Poll Andrew Cuomo Rob AstorinoOtherUndecidedMargin of errorSample size
New York Times/CBS News/YouGov
October 16-23, 2014
56%31%1%11%+/-24,506
Rasmussen Reports
September 22-23, 2014
49%32%7%12%+/-4825
AVERAGES 52.5% 31.5% 4% 11.5% +/-3 2,665.5
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.
New York Governor's Race 2014 - Cuomo vs. Astorino
Poll Andrew Cuomo Rob AstorinoOtherMargin of errorSample size
Wall Street Journal/NBC 4 New York/Marist
July 28-31, 2014
54%23%24%+/-3.41,039
Siena College Poll
July 13-16, 2014
60%23%17%+/-3.5774
Siena College Poll
June 8-12, 2014
57%21%21%+/-3.4835
Quinnipiac University Poll
May 14-19, 2014
57%28%16%+/-2.91,129
Siena College Poll
April 12-17, 2014
58%28%14%+/-3.5772
Siena College Poll
March 16-20, 2014
61%26%13%+/-3.4813
Marist Poll
February 28 - March 3, 2014
65%25%10%+/-3.4827
Quinnipiac University Poll
February 6-10, 2014
58%24%18%+/-2.51,488
Siena College Poll Trends
January 12-16, 2014
67%19%14%+/-3.4808
Quinnipiac University Poll
November 20-24, 2013
56%25%19%+/-2.71,337
AVERAGES 59.3% 24.2% 16.6% +/-3.21 982.2
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Other match-ups
New York Governor's Race 2014 - Cuomo vs. Paladino
Poll Andrew Cuomo Carl PaladinoOtherMargin of errorSample size
Marist Poll
February 28 - March 3, 2014
68%25%8%+/-3.4827
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.


Campaign media

Rob Astorino

Rob Astorino ad: Jail

Ad spending

The Wesleyan Media Project published a report on September 30, 2014, highlighting spending on gubernatorial races from September 12-25. This report found that Democratic and Republican groups spent a total of $46.84 million on TV ads in 15 states with gubernatorial elections. The following chart details the group's findings, including spending amounts and number of ads:[23]

Note: A bolded number indicates the highest total for this category. A number in italics is the lowest total for this category.

Spending on TV ads, September 12-25, 2014
State Total # of ads % Democratic-leaning ads % GOP-leaning ads Total spending-Democratic leaning (in millions of $) Total spending-GOP leaning (in millions of $)
Colorado 2,460 83.1 16.9 1.35 0.39
Connecticut 2,312 61.7 38.3 1.48 0.89
Florida 20,111 38.5 61.5 4.07 6.64
Georgia 4,625 51.1 48.9 1.43 0.99
Illinois 7,793 63.5 36.5 4.17 3.5
Iowa 2,134 47.5 52.5 0.25 0.38
Kansas 5,024 45.7 54.3 0.85 1.17
Maine 3,281 42.3 57.7 0.46 0.32
Michigan 6,767 33.9 66.1 1.14 2.3
Minnesota 1,974 83.9 16.1 0.65 0.29
New York 4,926 61 39 2.18 0.88
Pennsylvania 3,263 50.9 49.1 1.58 1.23
South Carolina 2,883 39.1 60.9 0.33 0.38
Texas 10,330 33.4 66.6 2.24 2.93
Wisconsin 7,374 63.3 36.7 1.36 1.01
TOTALS 85,257 48.2 51.8 23.54 23.3

Past elections

2010

New York Governor/Lt. Governor, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngAndrew Cuomo/Robert Duffy 61% 2,910,876
     Republican Carl Paladino/Gregory Edwards 32.5% 1,547,857
     Green Howie Hawkins/Gloria Mattera 1.3% 59,906
     Rent is 2 Damn High Jimmy McMillan/No candidate 0.9% 41,129
     Libertarian Warren Redlich/Alden Link 1% 48,359
     Anti-Prohibition Kristin Davis/Tanya Gendelman 0.4% 20,421
     Freedom Charles Barron/Eva Doyle 0.5% 24,571
     Blank - 2.3% 107,823
     Void - 0.1% 3,963
     Scattering - 0.1% 4,836
Total Votes 4,769,741
Election results via New York State Board of Elections

Voter turnout

Political scientist Michael McDonald's United States Elections Project studied voter turnout in the 2014 election by looking at the percentage of eligible voters who headed to the polls. McDonald used voting-eligible population (VEP), or the number of eligible voters independent of their current registration status, to calculate turnout rates in each state on November 4. He also incorporated ballots cast for the highest office in each state into his calculation. He estimated that 81,687,059 ballots were cast in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, representing 35.9 percent of the VEP.[24] By comparison, 61.6 percent of VEP voted in the 2008 presidential election and 58.2 percent of VEP voted in the 2012 presidential election.[25]

Quick facts

  • According to PBS Newshour, voter turnout in the 2014 midterms was the lowest since the 1942 midterms, which took place during the nation's involvement in World War II.[26]
  • Forty-three states and the District of Columbia failed to surpass 50 percent turnout in McDonald's analysis.
  • The three states with the lowest turnout according to McDonald's analysis were Texas (28.3 percent), Tennessee (28.6 percent), and Indiana (28.8 percent).
  • Maine (58.5 percent), Wisconsin (56.5 percent), and Colorado (54.5 percent) were the three states with the highest turnout.
  • There were only 12 states that increased voter turnout in 2014 compared to the 2010 midterm elections.[27]

Note: Information from the United States Elections Project was last updated on December 16, 2014.

Campaign finance

Governor/Lt. Governor (general election)

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $54,281,601 during the election. This information was last updated on March 25, 2015.[28]

Campaign Contribution Totals
Candidate Office Result Contributions
Andrew Cuomo/Kathy Hochul Democratic Party New York Governor/Lt. Governor Won $48,027,072
Rob Astorino/Chris Moss Republican Party New York Governor/Lt. Governor Defeated $6,067,591
Howie Hawkins/Brian Jones Green Party New York Governor/Lt. Governor Defeated $186,223
Michael McDermott/Chris Edes Libertarian Party New York Governor/Lt. Governor Defeated $715
Steven Cohn/Bobby K. Kalotee Grey.png New York Governor/Lt. Governor Defeated $0
Jimmy McMillan/Christalle Felix Grey.png New York Governor/Lt. Governor Defeated $0
Grand Total Raised $54,281,601

Governor (primary only)

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $718,480 during the election. This information was last updated on June 8, 2015.[29]

Campaign Contribution Totals
Candidate Office Result Contributions
Zephyr Teachout Democratic Party New York Governor Defeated $718,480
Andrew Cuomo Democratic Party New York Governor Won $0
Randy Credico Democratic Party New York Governor Defeated $0
Rob Astorino Republican Party New York Governor Won $0
Howie Hawkins Green Party New York Governor Won $0
Grand Total Raised $718,480

Lt. Governor (primary only)

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of $221,478 during the election. This information was last updated on June 8, 2015.[30]

Campaign Contribution Totals
Candidate Office Result Contributions
Tim Wu Democratic Party New York Lt. Governor Defeated $221,478
Kathy Hochul Democratic Party New York Lt. Governor Won $0
Chris Moss Republican Party New York Lt. Governor Won $0
Brian Jones Green Party New York Lt. Governor Won $0
Grand Total Raised $221,478

Key deadlines

Deadline Event
July 10, 2014 Filing deadline for state offices
September 9, 2014 Primary election
November 4, 2014 General election
January 1, 2015 Inauguration of state executive officers

Ballotpedia reports

To learn more about developments in these races, check out the following news articles from Ballotpedia:

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "New + York + governor + elections"

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. Newsday, "Duffy says departure was his decision; Bellone in the mix for lieutenant governor," May 8, 2014
  2. National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed April 28, 2023
  3. Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
  4. New York State Board of Elections, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed April 28, 2023
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 New York State Board of Elections, "Candidate Petition List," accessed July 10, 2014 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "2014filing" defined multiple times with different content
  6. New York Daily News, "Rob Astorino's Potential Governor Run Gets Encouragement, No Promises, From Chris Christie (UPDATED)," November 25, 2013
  7. HowieHawkins.org, "Hawkins steps up to take on Cuomo, Governor 1%," January 16, 2014 (dead link)
  8. Michael McDermott New York Governor 2014, "About," accessed April 21, 2014
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 New York State Board of Elections, "Candidate Petition List," accessed July 15, 2014
  10. New York Daily News, "Zephyr Teachout confirms plans for a Democratic primary against Gov. Cuomo," June 13, 2014
  11. New York Daily News, "Zephyr Teachout confirms plans for a Democratic primary against Gov. Cuomo," June 13, 2014
  12. News10, "Nathan LeBron seeks Libertarian endorsement for NY Governor run," February 27, 2014
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 The Libertarian Perty of Suffolk County, NY, "Michael McDermott to Lead Libertarian Team in Drive for Governor’s Race," April 27, 2014
  14. Richard Cooper for NY Governor, "About Richard," March 13, 2014
  15. Chris Edes for Governor, "About Chris," March 13, 2014
  16. New York Post, "Pol running for gov," June 17, 2013
  17. Huffington Post, "Carl Paladino Says He May Run For New York Governor As Conservative Party Candidate," August 26, 2013
  18. The Militant, "Socialist Workers candidates raise fighting demands for working class," May 12, 2014
  19. 19.0 19.1 Poughkeepsie Journal, "Astorino, GOP submit Stop Common Core ballot petitions," August 12, 2014
  20. 20.0 20.1 The New York Times, "Cuomo Contests New York Residency of Teachout Before Primary," August 6, 2014
  21. Governing, "New York Governor Loses Bid to Keep Opponent Off Ballot," August 12, 2014
  22. New York Daily News, "Zephyr Teachout cleared by state Supreme Court to run against Andrew Cuomo in Democratic primary," August 20, 2014
  23. Wesleyan Media Project, "GOP Groups Keeping Senate Contests Close," September 30, 2014
  24. United States Elections Project, "2014 November General Election Turnout Rates," November 7, 2014
  25. TIME, "Voter Turnout in Midterm Elections Hits 72-Year Low," November 10, 2014
  26. PBS, "2014 midterm election turnout lowest in 70 years," November 10, 2014
  27. U.S. News & World Report, "Midterm Turnout Down in 2014," November 5, 2014
  28. Follow the Money, "Overview of New York 2014 elections," accessed March 27, 2015
  29. Follow the Money, "Overview of New York 2014 elections," accessed June 8, 2015
  30. Follow the Money, "Overview of New York 2014 elections," accessed June 8, 2015