Andrew Cuomo won with 62% of the vote; Zephyr Teachout received 34%. Teachout had a great showing considering that she was a complete unknown with little name recognition, vastly outspent by Cuomo. Her $200,000 vs his $35 million. And his legal team kept her tied up in court challenging her residency; she won but lost two weeks of campaigning. Cuomo did his best to make Teachout invisible, never debating her, never mentioning her name, turning his back to her when she tried to shake her hand, treating her as a non-person. Yet she nonetheless managed to win the votes of 34% of Democrats who voted. She swept many upstate counties, perhaps on the hydrofracking issue (she is against it). She was a class act. He was a cold, calculating bully who refused to mention her name or shake her hand.

 

After the election, Cuomo bragged that “he had bravely taken on several narrow but well-organized special interests — state employees, teachers and hydrofracking opponents — who, he said, were upset with him because he did not give into their wishes.” So we are likely to see more education budget cuts, more cheerleading for non-union charter schools, and gubernatorial support for hydrofracking, since these are some  of the groups that Cuomo was proud to have defeated. The unions and the Working Family Party should have endorsed Teachout. Well, there is always next time. She was a great candidate and she has a future, if she chooses to stay in the arena.

 

Aaron Regunberg, former organizer of the Providence Student Union, won a seat in the State Senate in Rhode Island. That’s great news. Never again will the State Senate pass a policy on education without hearing the voices of those it affects most: students.

 

Gina Raimondo was elected governor of Rhode Island. She wasn’t my choice because of her role in cutting pensions but she is preferable to Mayor Taveras, who touts charters and was DFER’s choice..