Andrew Cuomo is currently in the lead for re-election as
governor (about 51% for him to 21% for Astorino, according to a recent poll),
and he has been using his incumbency to his advantage. He has opportunities his
opponent doesn’t have, such as a military-sponsored trip to Afghanistan and attendance
in a SUNY board meeting to introduce sexual-assault policies. It is also to
Cuomo’s advantage that all he has to do is remain active in his duties, because
he already has a comfortable lead. It really seems that it is easier for
incumbent politicians to get re-elected rather than for politicians to get
elected in a certain position for the first time.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/for-gov-andrew-cuomo-incumbency-has-its-perks-1413162639
I think that it is better that he is doing his job rather than wasting his time being reelected. If he is doing a good job in office than that should be a strong case for him to stay. Politicians waste a huge amount of time and money campaigning. Sure he shouldn't be unopposed being reelected but reelection shouldn't mean he drops everything.
ReplyDeleteI think that this article also needs to consider the fact that New York has a huge Democratic population that is strongly in favor of all liberal/progressive candidates. I'm sure that even if a Republican politician was the incumbent candidate, a larger majority of New Yorkers would jump for the newer Democratic opponent.
ReplyDeleteI believe that incumbents have an overall advantage over their other candidates because in a state like New York-everything is found in money and name. Being able to get a louder voice over another or spending more to introduce more advertisements or sponsor trips to different places to represent what one incumbent candidate would do instead of the other is certainly not right, though New Yorkers would love to hear what's getting done and not what's going to be done (which is what they always hear). Also, with a strong Democratic state population, I too believe Astorino would not make a difference being an incumbent candidate.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that Cuomo has a huge advantage because of his incumbency, but New York state is also a liberal state and would most likely go with the democratic candidate despite his/her being a first time candidate or an incumbent
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