Astorino Announces Run for Governor in Possible All Westchester Race
Ending weeks of speculation, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino announced his candidacy for governor last Wednesday to take on Gov. Andrew Cuomo in November.
The Mount Pleasant Republican, a Hawthorne resident, would be involved in a matchup of two Westchester candidates should he secure the Republican nomination. Cuomo lives in Chappaqua.
“I’m tired of listening to the fairy tale that everything is just great when it’s just the opposite,” Astorino said in his announcement. “I’m tired of watching New York’s decline. Living in New York shouldn’t sound like a prison sentence but that’s too often what you have today.”
In a more than six-minute video posted on his campaign website last week Astorino, 46, said he is running to change New York’s direction, including reversing the trend that sees it as the highest taxed state and having the worst business climate in the nation.
Crushing expenses have forced more than 400,000 residents and countless businesses to flee New York in recent years to more affordable parts of the country, the largest exodus of any state.
Astorino cited his two victories as county executive in a predominately Democratic county as proof that his emphasis on lowering taxes resonates across party lines. Westchester also has the highest credit rating in the state, he said.
“If New York is winning, re-elect Andrew Cuomo, but if New York is losing, and the evidence says it is, we need to make a change,” Astorino said. “New York is number 1 in all the wrong things under this governor and we’re paying the price for it.”
With a pro-business and pro-economic development platform, Astorino criticized Cuomo for “demonizing gun owners” and said he will get rid of “Cuomo’s Common Core.” He also said he is a strong supporter of charter schools.
Cuomo has avoided making any public statements regarding Astorino or any other potential opponent. He reportedly will not address the issue until the Republicans have decided on their nominee.
Although the announcement came as no surprise, Astorino’s candidacy could force a Republican primary. While he is the first member of his party to formally declare, last week a CBS news report quoted Michael Cohen, senior counsel for real estate mogul Donald Trump, as saying the majority of GOP leaders are committed to a Trump candidacy because they believe he is the only one who could defeat Cuomo.
Meanwhile, local elected officials mainly broke along party lines in their reaction to Astorino’s entry into the gubernatorial race. Republicans and Democrats, however, agreed that the county executive would have an uphill fight to wrest the governor’s mansion from Cuomo.
Mount Pleasant Supervisor Joan Maybury, who served with Astorino for 12 years on the town board, said she was “excited” about his entry into the race.
“Rob brings common sense and the ability to get the job done,” said Maybury, a Republican. “He has kept his promises to the electorate in Westchester–lowering the county tax bill, holding government accountable and encouraging business opportunities.”
She said Astorino must familiarize himself with residents outside of Westchester.
“In order to win, Rob has to campaign tirelessly across the state and get his message and his personality out to residents across the state.” Maybury said.
New Castle Supervisor Robert Greenstein, a registered Democrat who won with Republican endorsement, said he wasn’t publicly criticizing or backing either candidate yet. However, with Astorino having served at the local level, he will be more familiar with the fiscal plight facing municipalities and school districts.
Astorino also served on the Mount Pleasant Board of Education as a college student and later as a county legislator.
County Legislator Michael Smith (R-Greenburgh) said he enthusiastically supports Astorino’s candidacy. “I think the county executive could do for New York State what he did for the county,” Smith said.
Michael Kaplowitz, chairman of the Board of Legislators, said he wasn’t surprised Astorino entered because it had been talked about for weeks. More than a year ago, Kaplowitz sided with Republicans, including Astorino on a controversial county budget but he is supporting the incumbent nevertheless.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
