One day after beating actor Cynthia Nixon in Thursday's Democratic primary, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says he received votes because he’s delivered on real issues that matter to people.
Cuomo says all the discussion during the primary campaign about who is the real progressive is misguided, and that he won because he’s delivered on a number of progressive items for New Yorkers already including paid family leave, a phase in to a $15 minimum wage and gay marriage.
Cuomo says the June primaries, where Alexandria Occassio-Cortez won an upset victory over longtime incumbent Congressman Joe Crowley, were a “fluke.”
“I’m not a socialist, I’m not 25 years old,” Cuomo said. “But I am progressive. And I delivered progressive results.”
Cuomo says he believes his constant critiques of President Trump and his actions to fight against Trump’s policies resonated with voters.
“They wanted someone to stand up to Trump and say ‘go to heck’,” Cuomo said. “That’s what they wanted. Someone to stand up and say ‘you’re not going to do that in New York.’”
The governor also says he has no regrets about the losses of several former breakaway Democrats in the Senate, including the defeat of the former leader of the Independent Democratic Conference, Jeff Klein. Cuomo says he remained neutral in the races, but says since they were all Democrats, it’s really just “rearranging the deck chairs.”
