New York Gubernatorial Election, 2018 (The More Things Changed)

The 2018 New York gubernatorial election will take place on November 6th, 2018, to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York, concurrently with elections to the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and other gubernatorial, state, and local elections.

The candidate filing deadline is July 12th; the primaries will be held on September 13th.

On November 15th, 2016, incumbent Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his intention to seek a third term in office.

Background
The previous election cycle, incumbent Governor Andrew Cuomo decided to seek re-election to a second term in office. Governor Cuomo defeated law professor Zephyr Teachout in a primary election, 61% to 35%, and went on to defeat the Republican nominee, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, 54% to 40%, in the general election.

Declared Candidates

 * Andrew Cuomo, incumbent Governor, since 2011
 * Bernie Sanders, U.S. Representative 1993-2001, and since 2003; 2016 presidential candidate
 * Randy Credico, perennial candidate

Declined Candidates

 * Tim Wu, Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission since 2017, candidate for Lt. Governor in 2014
 * Eliot Spitzer, former Governor, 2007-2008, candidate for New York City Comptroller in 2013
 * Caroline Kennedy, U.S. Senator since 2009 - running for re-election, endorsed Cuomo
 * Byron Brown, Mayor of Buffalo since 2006 and Chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee - endorsed Cuomo
 * Thomas DiNapoli, Comptroller of New York - running for re-election, endorsed Cuomo
 * Eric Schneiderman, former Attorney General of New York - resigned from office
 * Zephyr Teachout, U.S. Representative since 2017 - endorsed Sanders
 * Dana Reed, Director of International Initiatives for the First Gentleman, since 2017 - endorsed Cuomo
 * Cynthia Nixon, actress and activist - endorsed Sanders
 * Randi Weingarten, former U.S. Secretary of Education in 2017, President of the American Federation of Teachers, 2002-2017 - endorsed Sanders
 * Stephanie Miner, former Mayor of Syracuse, 2010-2018 - endorsed Sanders

Withdrawn Candidates

 * Terry Gipson, former State Senator, 2013-2014 - endorsed Sanders

Declared Candidates

 * Joe Holland, former Commissioner of the New York Department of Housing and Community Renewal, 1995-1996.
 * Marcus Molinaro, Dutchess County Executive since 2012 and former Member of the New York State Assembly, 2007-2011.
 * Donald Trump Jr., businessman.

Declined Candidates

 * Rob Astorino, former Westchester County Executive and nominee for Governor in 2014
 * John J. Flanagan, Majority Leader of the New York State Senate, since 2015, Senator since 2003
 * Donald Trump, businessman, reality TV personality, and Republican nominee for President in 2016 - endorsed Trump Jr.
 * Ivanka Trump, businesswoman - running for delegate-at-large in the New York Constitutional Convention, endorsed Trump Jr.
 * Carl Paladino, former member of the Buffalo Public Schools Board of Education and nominee for Governor in 2010 - endorsed Trump Jr.
 * Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City, 1994-2001, and former U.S. Senator, 2001-2007 - running for delegate-at-large in the New York Constitutional Convention, endorsed Trump Jr.

Libertarian Party

 * Larry Sharpe, business consultant and candidate for Vice President of the United States in 2016.
 * Running Mate: Andrew Hollister, member of the Rochester City Council since 2017.

Working Families Party
On April 15th, Sanders won 90.5 percent of the vote at the Working Families Party's statewide committee meeting after Cuomo withdrew himself from consideration at the last minute. Sanders stated that in the event that he did not also secure the Democratic nomination, he would "confer with the Working Families Party and we will make the decision we think is best."

The party has nominated state representative Christine Pellegrino for Lieutenant Governor.

Conservative Party
On April 13th, 2018, the Conservative Party executive committee endorsed Marc Molinaro in what Chairman Michael R. Long termed a "not very easy" decision. On April 27th, the endorsement was rescinded. The party's endorsement was later given to Donald Trump, Jr.

Independence Party
On December 23rd, 2017, the Independence Party declined to endorse Cuomo for the third consecutive election cycle, choosing to endorse Libertarian candidate Larry Sharpe.

Transportation
The transportation system of New York City is a network of complex infrastructural systems, including one of the largest subway systems in the world; the world's first mechanically ventilated vehicular tunnel; and an aerial tramway. The subway and busing system, with eight million rides a day, are facing increased strain. Over the past six years, delays have almost quadrupled — from 20,000 per month in May 2012 to 76,000 in January 2018. On-time performance is at 60%, lower than any other major transit system in the world.

Education
According to the most recent data by the National Education Association, from 2015 to 2016, New York faced a -5.3% decline in public school enrollment, the greatest decline of any state in the country. While New York ranks 2nd in the nation for teacher salary, expenditure per student, and higher education, the state ranks 34th in high school graduation rates.

Agriculture


About 23% of the state’s land area - 7.2 million acres - is used by approximately 35,500 farms to produce a diverse array of agricultural and livestock products, including 1.5 million head of cattle, 40,000 acres of apple trees, $25 million worth of maple syrup and 14.9 billion pounds of milk; milk is New York’s leading agricultural product, accounting for half the total agricultural receipts for the state.

Since 2012, the number of mid-size farms in the state has declined, in favor of larger farms; although still a leading agricultural state, it the sector is decreasing as a portion of the state's economy. Additionally, federal funding for New York farms has decreased by nearly 25% since its peak in 2010. Additionally, the state's dairy sector has faced increased competition from growing production in California.

Attorney General
Former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) initially sought a third term in office before resigning on May 8th, 2018. Incumbent Acting Attorney General Barbara Underwood has not stated her intention to pursue the office via election.

Comptroller
Incumbent Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli (D) is seeking a third term in office in 2018.

Constitutional Convention
Main Article: Tenth New York Constitutional Convention (The More Things Changed)

The Tenth New York Constitutional Convention will be held on April 2nd, 2019. A ballot proposal was passed on November 7th, 2017, and delegates to the convention will be elected on November 6th, 2018.