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New York gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014

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New York Gubernatorial Election
Primary Date:
September 9, 2014
General Election Date:
November 4, 2014
November 4 Election Winners:
Andrew CuomoDemocratic Party
Kathy HochulDemocratic Party
Incumbents prior to election:
Andrew CuomoDemocratic Party
Robert DuffyDemocratic Party
Gov. Andrew Cuomo
Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy
New York State Executive Elections
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TheNew York gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election took place onNovember 4, 2014. IncumbentGov. Andrew Cuomo (D) was eligible for re-election, as New York has no gubernatorial term limits.Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy (D) was first elected in 2010 and was eligible to seek re-election in 2014, although he opted not to run. In May 2014, Duffy announced his plans to retire as lieutenant governor after his first term, which ended in January 2015.[1] Cuomo was seeking re-election with lieutenant gubernatorial candidateKathy Hochul, who was running to replace Duffy. The Cuomo/Hochul ticketdefeated four other tickets including theRepublican ticket ofRob Astorino andChris Moss. Cuomo and Hochul won four-year terms in office.

Aprimary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. New York utilizes aclosed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.[2][3]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, seethis article.

The gubernatorial race was not the only race on the November ballot with the potential to shift the partisan balance of power in New York. TheNew York State Senate was identified by Ballotpedia as one of the top 20 legislative chambers to watch in 2014. Both legislative chambers and the governor's office were held by a single party before November 4, making New York astate government trifecta. Republicans took control of theNew York State Senate, which ended the state's trifecta status. Learn more about the chamber's most competitive races in 2014 on thebattleground chambers page.

Candidates

General election

Democratic PartyAndrew Cuomo/Kathy Hochul(also ran on theWorking Families Party, the Women's Equality Party and theIndependence Party of AmericaIndependence Party lines)Green check mark transparent.png[4]
Republican PartyRob Astorino/Chris Moss(also ran on theDarkred.pngConservative Party and "Stop Common Core" lines)[5][4]
Green PartyHowie Hawkins/Brian Jones[6]
Libertarian PartyMichael McDermott/Chris Edes(nominated at party convention)[7]
Independent Sapient Party -Steven Cohn/Bobby K. Kalotee[8]

Lost in primary

Gubernatorial

Democratic PartyZephyr Teachout - Fordham University Law professor[9]
Democratic PartyRandy Credico[8]

Lieutenant gubernatorial

Democratic PartyTim Wu[10]

Lost at convention

Gubernatorial

Libertarian PartyNathan LeBron[11][12]
Libertarian PartyRichard Cooper - manufacturing executive and Libertarian activist[13][12]

Lieutenant gubernatorial

Libertarian PartyChris Edes - Libertarian activist(nominated forlieutenant governor instead)[14][12]

Did not qualify

Democratic PartyRacquel McPherson
Democratic PartySam Sloan
Democratic PartyNenad Bach[4]
Independent Life and Justice Party candidateMichael J. Carey[8]
IndependentRent is 2 Damn High -Jimmy McMillan/Christalle Felix[8]

Did not file by deadline

Republican PartySteven McLaughlin - State Assemblyman[15]
Republican PartyCarl Paladino - 2010 Republican candidate for governor[16]
Grey.pngJohn Studer -Socialist Workers Party candidate[17]


Results

General election

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York, 2014
PartyCandidateVote %Votes
    DemocraticGreen check mark transparent.pngAndrew Cuomo/Kathy HochulIncumbent54.3%2,069,480
    RepublicanRob Astorino/Chris Moss40.3%1,536,879
    GreenHowie Hawkins/Brian Jones4.8%184,419
    LibertarianMichael McDermott/Chris Edes0.4%16,967
    SapientSteven Cohn/Bobby K. Kalotee0.1%4,963
Total Votes3,812,708
Election results viaNew York State Board of Elections

Primary election

Gubernatorial

Governor of New York, Democratic Primary, 2014
CandidateVote %Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngAndrew CuomoIncumbent62.9%361,380
Zephyr Teachout33.5%192,210
Randy Credico3.6%20,760
Total Votes574,350
Election results viaNew York State Board of Elections.

Note: The remaining general election candidates were nominated in party conventions or petitioned to join the gubernatorial race.

Lieutenant gubernatorial

Lieutenant Governor of New York, Democratic Primary, 2014
CandidateVote %Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngKathy Hochul60.2%329,089
Tim Wu39.8%217,614
Total Votes546,703
Election results viaNew York State Board of Elections.

Note: The remaining general election candidates were nominated in party conventions or petitioned to join the gubernatorial race without a primary.

Race background

Efforts to create additional ballot lines

Cuomo andRob Astorino (R) sought petitions for additional ballot lines in the November 4, 2014 general election. Astorino joined with three other Republican candidates for statewide office to create a Stop Common Core ballot line for the general election. Supporters of Stop Common Core, who opposed implementation ofCommon Core education standards in New York, filed 62,000 signatures with the New York Board of Elections, surpassing the threshold of 15,000 signatures after only two months of work. State law requires a minimum of 15,000 valid signatures, with at least 100 signatures from a majority of thestate's 27 congressional districts. The addition of the Stop Common Core line allowed Astorino and fellow statewide candidates to run asRepublican Party,Conservative Party, and Stop Common Core candidates.[18]

Lieutenant gubernatorial candidateKathy Hochul (D) and supporters of Gov. Cuomo gathered signatures for a Women's Equality Party line, thereby increasing the Democratic ticket's ballot lines to four. The party's state executive candidates were already running on theDemocratic Party,Working Families Party, andIndependence Party lines. The deadline for delivering at least 15,000 signatures from New York voters wasAugust 19, and both efforts were successful.[18]

Residency challenge by Governor Cuomo

TheNew York Supreme Court began hearings on August 7, 2014, to determine if primary challengerZephyr Teachout met the five-year residency requirement for ballot placement. A challenge was brought byGov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who sought re-election in November. Martin E. Connor, representing Cuomo's campaign, claimed that Teachout had not spent the previous years living continuously in New York. Teachout owned a cabin in Vermont, where she spent time in previous summers. Connor also noted that Teachout did not have a state driver's license or change her address to a New York residence until close to when she decided to run for office.[19]

Teachout supplied evidence to the court in support of her residency, including an account of her move from Vermont to North Carolina to New York in June 2009. She also provided her 2009 tax return with New York address, a Fordham Law School directory, and bank statements documenting purchases at New York businesses.[19] On August 11,Judge Edgar G. Walker ruled against Cuomo's residency challenge, keeping Teachout on the primary ballot. Cuomo appealed Walker's decision to a state Supreme Court panel, which upheld the decision to keep Teachout on the ballot on August 20, 2014.[20][21]

Polls

General election
Major party candidates and "other" category
PollAndrew CuomoRob AstorinoOtherUndecidedMargin of errorSample size
New York Times/CBS News/YouGov
October 16-23, 2014		56%31%1%11%+/-24,506
Rasmussen Reports
September 22-23, 2014		49%32%7%12%+/-4825
AVERAGES 52.5% 31.5% 4% 11.5% +/-3 2,665.5
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org.
New York Governor's Race 2014 - Cuomo vs. Astorino
PollAndrew CuomoRob AstorinoOtherMargin of errorSample size
Wall Street Journal/NBC 4 New York/Marist
July 28-31, 2014		54%23%24%+/-3.41,039
Siena College Poll
July 13-16, 2014		60%23%17%+/-3.5774
Siena College Poll
June 8-12, 2014		57%21%21%+/-3.4835
Quinnipiac University Poll
May 14-19, 2014		57%28%16%+/-2.91,129
Siena College Poll
April 12-17, 2014		58%28%14%+/-3.5772
Siena College Poll
March 16-20, 2014		61%26%13%+/-3.4813
Marist Poll
February 28 - March 3, 2014		65%25%10%+/-3.4827
Quinnipiac University Poll
February 6-10, 2014		58%24%18%+/-2.51,488
Siena College Poll Trends
January 12-16, 2014		67%19%14%+/-3.4808
Quinnipiac University Poll
November 20-24, 2013
56%25%19%+/-2.71,337
AVERAGES 59.3% 24.2% 16.6% +/-3.21 982.2
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org.
Other match-ups
New York Governor's Race 2014 - Cuomo vs. Paladino
PollAndrew CuomoCarl PaladinoOtherMargin of errorSample size
Marist Poll
February 28 - March 3, 2014
68%25%8%+/-3.4827
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email toeditor@ballotpedia.org.


Campaign media

Rob Astorino

Rob Astorino ad: Jail

Ad spending

The Wesleyan Media Project published a report on September 30, 2014, highlighting spending on gubernatorial races from September 12-25. This report found that Democratic and Republican groups spent a total of $46.84 million on TV ads in 15 states with gubernatorial elections. The following chart details the group's findings, including spending amounts and number of ads:[22]

Note: Abolded number indicates the highest total for this category. A number initalics is the lowest total for this category.

Spending on TV ads, September 12-25, 2014
StateTotal # of ads% Democratic-leaning ads% GOP-leaning adsTotal spending-Democratic leaning (in millions of $)Total spending-GOP leaning (in millions of $)
Colorado2,46083.116.91.350.39
Connecticut2,31261.738.31.480.89
Florida20,11138.561.54.076.64
Georgia4,62551.148.91.430.99
Illinois7,79363.536.54.173.5
Iowa2,13447.552.50.250.38
Kansas5,02445.754.30.851.17
Maine3,28142.357.70.460.32
Michigan6,76733.966.11.142.3
Minnesota1,97483.916.10.650.29
New York4,92661392.180.88
Pennsylvania3,26350.949.11.581.23
South Carolina2,88339.160.90.330.38
Texas10,33033.466.62.242.93
Wisconsin7,37463.336.71.361.01
TOTALS85,25748.251.823.5423.3

Past elections

2010

New York Governor/Lt. Governor, 2010
PartyCandidateVote %Votes
    DemocraticGreen check mark transparent.pngAndrew Cuomo/Robert Duffy61%2,910,876
    Republican Carl Paladino/Gregory Edwards32.5%1,547,857
    Green Howie Hawkins/Gloria Mattera1.3%59,906
    Rent is 2 Damn High Jimmy McMillan/No candidate0.9%41,129
    Libertarian Warren Redlich/Alden Link1%48,359
    Anti-Prohibition Kristin Davis/Tanya Gendelman0.4%20,421
    Freedom Charles Barron/Eva Doyle0.5%24,571
    Blank -2.3%107,823
    Void -0.1%3,963
    Scattering -0.1%4,836
Total Votes4,769,741
Election results viaNew York State Board of Elections

Voter turnout

Political scientist Michael McDonald's United States Elections Project studied voter turnout in the 2014 election by looking at the percentage of eligible voters who headed to the polls. McDonald used voting-eligible population (VEP), or the number of eligible voters independent of their current registration status, to calculate turnout rates in each state on November 4. He also incorporated ballots cast for the highest office in each state into his calculation. He estimated that 81,687,059 ballots were cast in the 50 states plus theDistrict of Columbia, representing 35.9 percent of the VEP.[23] By comparison, 61.6 percent of VEP voted in the 2008 presidential election and 58.2 percent of VEP voted in the 2012 presidential election.[24]

Quick facts

  • According toPBS Newshour, voter turnout in the 2014 midterms was the lowest since the 1942 midterms, which took place during the nation's involvement in World War II.[25]
  • Forty-three states and the District of Columbia did not surpass 50 percent turnout in McDonald's analysis.
  • The three states with the lowest turnout according to McDonald's analysis wereTexas (28.3 percent),Tennessee (28.6 percent), andIndiana (28.8 percent).
  • Maine (58.5 percent),Wisconsin (56.5 percent), andColorado (54.5 percent) were the three states with the highest turnout.
  • Twelve states increased voter turnout in 2014 compared to the 2010 midterm elections.[26]
Voter turnout rates, 2014
StateTotal votes counted% voter eligible populationTop statewide office up for electionSize of lead (Raw votes)Size of lead (%)
Alabama1,191,27433.2Governor320,31927.2
Alaska285,43154.4Governor4,0041.6
Arizona1,537,67134.1Governor143,95112.5
Arkansas852,64240.1Governor118,66414.0
California7,513,97230.8Governor1,065,74817.8
Colorado2,080,07154.5Governor50,3952.4
Connecticut1,096,50942.5Governor26,6032.5
Delaware234,03834.4Attorney General31,15513.6
District of Columbia177,17635.8Mayor27,93419.0
Florida6,026,80243.3Governor66,1271.1
Georgia2,596,94738.5Governor202,6858.0
Hawaii369,55436.5Governor45,32312.4
Idaho445,30739.6Governor65,85214.9
Illinois3,680,41740.9Governor171,9004.9
Indiana1,387,62228.8Secretary of State234,97817.8
Iowa1,142,28450.2Governor245,54821.8
Kansas887,02343.4Governor33,0523.9
Kentucky1,435,86844.0U.S. Senate222,09615.5
Louisiana1,472,03943.8U.S. Senate16,4011.1
Maine616,99658.5Governor29,8204.9
Maryland1,733,17741.5Governor88,6486.1
Massachusetts2,186,78944.6Governor40,3611.9
Michigan3,188,95643.2Governor129,5474.3
Minnesota1,992,61350.5Governor109,7765.6
Mississippi631,85828.9U.S. Senate141,23433.0
Missouri1,426,30331.8Auditor684,07453.6
Montana373,83147.3U.S. Senate65,26217.9
Nebraska552,11541.5Governor97,67818.7
Nevada547,34929.0Governor255,79346.7
New Hampshire495,56548.4Governor24,9245.2
New Jersey1,955,04232.5N/AN/AN/A
New Mexico512,80535.7Governor73,86814.6
New York3,930,31029.0Governor476,25213.4
North Carolina2,939,76741.2U.S. Senate48,5111.7
North Dakota255,12845.0U.S. House At-large seat42,21417.1
Ohio3,149,87636.2Governor933,23530.9
Oklahoma824,83129.8Governor122,06014.7
Oregon1,541,78253.5Governor59,0294.5
Pennsylvania3,495,86636.0Governor339,2619.8
Rhode Island329,21242.2Governor14,3464.5
South Carolina1,261,61135.2Governor179,08914.6
South Dakota282,29144.9Governor124,86545.1
Tennessee1,374,06528.6Governor642,21447.5
Texas4,727,20828.3Governor957,97320.4
Utah577,97330.2Attorney General173,81935.2
Vermont193,08738.8Governor2,0951.1
Virginia2,194,34636.6U.S. Senate16,7270.8
Washington2,123,90143.1N/AN/AN/A
West Virginia451,49831.2U.S. Senate124,66727.6
Wisconsin2,410,31456.5Governor137,6075.7
Wyoming168,39039.3Governor52,70333.6

Note: Information from the United States Elections Project was last updated on December 16, 2014.

Campaign finance

Governor/Lt. Governor (general election)

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of$54,281,601 during the election. This information was last updated on March 25, 2015.[27]

Campaign Contribution Totals
CandidateOfficeResultContributions
Andrew Cuomo/Kathy HochulDemocratic PartyNew York Governor/Lt. GovernorWon$48,027,072
Rob Astorino/Chris MossRepublican PartyNew York Governor/Lt. GovernorDefeated$6,067,591
Howie Hawkins/Brian JonesGreen PartyNew York Governor/Lt. GovernorDefeated$186,223
Michael McDermott/Chris EdesLibertarian PartyNew York Governor/Lt. GovernorDefeated$715
Steven Cohn/Bobby K. KaloteeGrey.pngNew York Governor/Lt. GovernorDefeated$0
Jimmy McMillan/Christalle FelixGrey.pngNew York Governor/Lt. GovernorDefeated$0
Grand Total Raised$54,281,601

Governor (primary only)

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of$718,480 during the election. This information was last updated on June 8, 2015.[28]

Campaign Contribution Totals
CandidateOfficeResultContributions
Zephyr TeachoutDemocratic PartyNew York GovernorDefeated$718,480
Andrew CuomoDemocratic PartyNew York GovernorWon$0
Randy CredicoDemocratic PartyNew York GovernorDefeated$0
Rob AstorinoRepublican PartyNew York GovernorWon$0
Howie HawkinsGreen PartyNew York GovernorWon$0
Grand Total Raised$718,480

Lt. Governor (primary only)

Comprehensive donor information for this election has been collected by Follow the Money. Based on available campaign finance records, the candidates raised a total of$221,478 during the election. This information was last updated on June 8, 2015.[29]

Campaign Contribution Totals
CandidateOfficeResultContributions
Tim WuDemocratic PartyNew York Lt. GovernorDefeated$221,478
Kathy HochulDemocratic PartyNew York Lt. GovernorWon$0
Chris MossRepublican PartyNew York Lt. GovernorWon$0
Brian JonesGreen PartyNew York Lt. GovernorWon$0
Grand Total Raised$221,478

Key deadlines

DeadlineEvent
July 10, 2014Filing deadline for state offices
September 9, 2014Primary election
November 4, 2014General election
January 1, 2015Inauguration of state executive officers

Ballotpedia reports

To learn more about developments in these races, check out the following news articles from Ballotpedia:

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "New + York + governor + elections"

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑Newsday, "Duffy says departure was his decision; Bellone in the mix for lieutenant governor," May 8, 2014
  2. ↑The New York State Senate, "N.Y. Election Law § 17–102," accessed December 12, 2025
  3. ↑The New York State Senate, "N.Y. Election Law § 5–304," accessed December 12, 2025
  4. ↑4.04.14.2New York State Board of Elections, "Candidate Petition List," accessed July 10, 2014Cite error: Invalid<ref> tag; name "2014filing" defined multiple times with different content
  5. ↑New York Daily News, "Rob Astorino's Potential Governor Run Gets Encouragement, No Promises, From Chris Christie (UPDATED)," November 25, 2013
  6. ↑HowieHawkins.org, "Hawkins steps up to take on Cuomo, Governor 1%," January 16, 2014(dead link)
  7. ↑Michael McDermott New York Governor 2014, "About," accessed April 21, 2014
  8. ↑8.08.18.28.3New York State Board of Elections, "Candidate Petition List," accessed July 15, 2014
  9. ↑New York Daily News, "Zephyr Teachout confirms plans for a Democratic primary against Gov. Cuomo," June 13, 2014
  10. ↑New York Daily News, "Zephyr Teachout confirms plans for a Democratic primary against Gov. Cuomo," June 13, 2014
  11. ↑News10, "Nathan LeBron seeks Libertarian endorsement for NY Governor run," February 27, 2014
  12. ↑12.012.112.2The Libertarian Perty of Suffolk County, NY, "Michael McDermott to Lead Libertarian Team in Drive for Governor’s Race," April 27, 2014
  13. ↑Richard Cooper for NY Governor, "About Richard," March 13, 2014
  14. ↑Chris Edes for Governor, "About Chris," March 13, 2014
  15. ↑New York Post, "Pol running for gov," June 17, 2013
  16. ↑ Huffington Post, "Carl Paladino Says He May Run For New York Governor As Conservative Party Candidate," August 26, 2013
  17. ↑The Militant, "Socialist Workers candidates raise fighting demands for working class," May 12, 2014
  18. ↑18.018.1Poughkeepsie Journal, "Astorino, GOP submit Stop Common Core ballot petitions," August 12, 2014
  19. ↑19.019.1The New York Times, "Cuomo Contests New York Residency of Teachout Before Primary," August 6, 2014
  20. ↑Governing, "New York Governor Loses Bid to Keep Opponent Off Ballot," August 12, 2014
  21. ↑New York Daily News, "Zephyr Teachout cleared by state Supreme Court to run against Andrew Cuomo in Democratic primary," August 20, 2014
  22. ↑Wesleyan Media Project, "GOP Groups Keeping Senate Contests Close," September 30, 2014
  23. ↑United States Elections Project, "2014 November General Election Turnout Rates," November 7, 2014
  24. ↑TIME, "Voter Turnout in Midterm Elections Hits 72-Year Low," November 10, 2014
  25. ↑PBS, "2014 midterm election turnout lowest in 70 years," November 10, 2014
  26. ↑U.S. News & World Report, "Midterm Turnout Down in 2014," November 5, 2014
  27. ↑Follow the Money, "Overview of New York 2014 elections," accessed March 27, 2015
  28. ↑Follow the Money, "Overview of New York 2014 elections," accessed June 8, 2015
  29. ↑Follow the Money, "Overview of New York 2014 elections," accessed June 8, 2015
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