Andrew Cuomo Looking Like the Man to Beat in 2010

With various officials being blamed for the economy, bailouts, and bonuses, one politician who has come out of the scrum looking stronger is New York's Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. He has drawn praise from GOP members on the Senate floor and led one local DNC committee member to say, "This is a is a bipartisan disgrace and Andrew Cuomo has risen above the partisan game of who’s at fault by showing real leadership and taking real action."

With such buzz, once again speculation has turned to whether Cuomo will step forward challenge Governor Paterson next year. Paterson, officially in his second year as governor, seems desperate for a positive headline these days. Whether it's the MTA bailout or the possibility of raising income taxes on the rich, his leverage in Albany seems weak to say the least. Today the Times has an account of how his statewide town hall meetings have turned forums for the governor to be scolded by constituents, whose questions are not vetted beforehand. One man in Niagara recently stood up and told Paterson, “A good way to lead is by example. You’re not demonstrating how you’re feeling our pain—if at all you’re feeling our pain.”

Adding grist to the Election 2010 mill, the Post reports that even prominent Republicans are showing support of a Cuomo run. Former state Republican Party Chairman Pat Barrett is hosting a fundraiser for "Cuomo 2010," joining the ranks of Alfonse D'Amato, who is already on the Cuomo bandwagon.

Cuomo continues to lead polls against Paterson or any other potential rivals for governor with one pollster telling CQ Politics that Cuomo “seems to be a guy who likes to be in charge, to get things done.” His role in the bonus scandal has even drawn him praise when compared to his predecessor as AG, Eliot Spitzer. Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf says, “Spitzer appeared to me more involved in headlines and Andrew Cuomo seems more involved in getting things done," and another poli sci professor added, “Cuomo is not the flash in the pan that Eliot Spitzer was.”