Cuomo Leads Dem Rally in Mt. Kisco as Campaign Winds Down
Gov. Andrew Cuomo led a wildly enthusiastic pep rally of Westchester Democrats at the American Legion Hall in Mount Kisco Sunday morning calling on the party faithful to deliver badly sought-after victories on Election Day.
Accompanied by Rep. Nita Lowey and state Senate candidate Peter Harckham with dozens of other elected officials from throughout the county, Cuomo lambasted President Donald Trump for dividing the nation and calling him “anti-American” on several occasions.
“His hate and his fear tactics are not going to work this time and his hate and his fear tactics are not going to work in this state because this state is the exact opposite of everything he’s talked about,” Cuomo said. “We are 19 million people from every place on the globe. We know that diversity works, we’re not afraid of diversity, we celebrate diversity.”
Cuomo, who is vying for re-election against Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, didn’t mention his own race but implored supporters to work on Harckham’s behalf until the polls close. Harckham has been embroiled in a slugfest of a campaign with Republican incumbent state Sen. Terrence Murphy in a race that could help determine the balance of power in the Senate.
Harckham pledged to support key legislation such as the Child Victims Act, the Reproductive Health Act and the red flag bill that would take guns out of the hands of people who are a danger to themselves and others if he were to help flip the Senate.
“Our voices matter and we need Washington and Albany to hear them loudly and clearly and fight for Hudson Valley values and New York Values,” he said.
Before heading off for a scheduled campaign stop on Long Island, the governor touted accomplishments during his tenure in office, including implementation of the tax cap, eight consecutive balanced budgets, marriage equality and passage of the SAFE Act, which he called “the best gun law” in the United States.
Cuomo, who made the five-minute trip from his house to the American Legion Hall, dismissed the Republicans’ attempt to smear Harckham, saying they had no solutions to offer.
“They literally have nothing to say on the merits and that’s why we’re going to win, because we are right,” Cuomo defiantly told the crowd to thunderous applause. “You see it from the top down. Look where the President has gone. He’s desperate, running around the country and what is he saying to this country? He’s pointing to the border, he’s pointing to the caravan. Why? Because he’s desperate and he’s going with what he’s used in the past.”
Also addressing the crowd was Lowey, who said gaining control of the House and state Senate would provide a measure of protection against Trump.
“We need real leadership to protect ourselves from the hatred, the violence, intolerance we are seeing today,” Lowey said.
Afterward, in a brief session with the media, Cuomo said he was “confident across the board” that not only will he be successful but that Democrats are poised for victory as well. He even predicted that some Republicans in New York State would vote for Democrats in this election cycle.
Cuomo was also relishing the prospect of the Democrats winning the House because Lowey would be poised to become chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. Asked what that would mean for New York, Cuomo replied, “money.”
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
