HUDSON–Governor Andrew Cuomo won Tuesday’s Democratic Party primary election Tuesday with over 60% of the vote from Democrats statewide. But he was resoundingly rejected by Columbia County Democrats in favor of challenger Zephyr Teachout.
The unofficial vote in the county with all districts reporting was 1,598 for Ms. Teachout and 419 votes for Mr. Cuomo. A third candidate on the primary ballot, Randy Credico, received 34 votes in the county.
Mr. Cuomo’s running mate for lieutenant governor, former Buffalo area Congresswoman Kathy Hochul, was also victorious statewide, but she too lost in the county, defeated by Ms. Teachout’s running mate, Timothy Wu by 1,544 to 454.
The Times Union newspaper in Albany reported Wednesday that Mr. Cuomo had lost all the counties in the Capital District. County Democrats did not endorse a candidate for governor in the primary and the Town of Chatham Democratic Committee backed Ms. Teachout, both of which were strong political statements about a governor who has strong support in statewide polls in this heavily Democratic state and who is reported to have more than $35 million to spend on the fall campaign.
Mr. Cuomo appears not to have carried a single district in the county.
The governor, who is seeking a second four-year term, did almost no campaigning during the primary. Ms. Teachout visited Columbia County twice before the vote.
Mr. Cuomo faces Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, the Republican candidate in the November 4 general election.
More results from the 2014 primary elections are on the website of the Columbia County Board of Elections website: https://sites.google.com/a/columbiacountyny.com/election-results/home/2014elections/primary-2014
