OPINION: New York democrats may be ready for change, but still back Cuomo
There is little doubt that anyone, even Cynthia Nixon, was greatly surprised by the incumbent Andrew Cuomo’s landslide victory in Thursday’s Democratic Primary.
The former star of Sex and the City never really had a chance. Polls showed her trailing behind from the moment she announced. As the race progressed, Cuomo enjoyed the strong support of organized labor, including the 125,000-member District Council 37, the city’s largest public employee union, 1199 SEIU and the AFL-CIO.
In addition to campaign funding, the union members play a powerful role in any city election by working the phones to get out the vote and even driving voters to the polls on election day. In a primary where turnout is normally low, union support is critical.