Zephyr Teachout to Face Gov. Cuomo in Democratic Primary

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Zephyr Teachout won a court challenge Monday and will face off again incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a primary, writes The Wall Street Journal.

Cuomo’s campaign had sought to knock Teachout off the ballot by first questioning the signatures on her petition and then questioning her residency. In both cases, the governor’s re-election campaign came up short and now will face Teachout, a little-known Fordham University professor, in a primary on Sept. 9.

“Today we beat the Governor and his old boys club in court,” said Teachout in a statement. “His two attempts to knock me off the ballot have failed -- first by challenging my petition signatures, and second by challenging my residency. We won Rounds 1 and 2. Now it’s time for Round 3: a debate. New York Democrats deserve a debate between Andrew Cuomo and myself about the issues that real New Yorkers care about: schools, fracking, corruption and building a fair and strong economy. There wasn’t supposed to be a primary in Andrew Cuomo’s New York. Game on.”

According to the Journal, Cuomo’s camp plans to appeal the ruling.

“As the judge himself noted in his decision, Ms. Teachout admitted under oath that she misrepresented her address on official and tax documents,” attorney Martin E. Connor, who argued for the Cuomo campaign, told the Journal. “Will Ms. Teachout be paying the taxes owed to the state of New York?”

Photo credit: Fordham University