New York Governor's Race Finally Gets Competitive

Jillian Bandes | September 22, 2010 8:20 AM

In August, New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino was down by thirty-seven points to Democratic candidate Andrew Cuomo. Quinnipiac now down has him down by six. During that time, Paladino pulled off an upset victory over Rep. Rick Lazio in the primary, but still — that's an unbelievable margin at this point.

Credit Paladino's campaign slogan: "I'm mad as hell." Credit the fact that his upset primary victory allowed a more energized base. Credit the fact that Paladino wants to clean up Albany "with a baseball bat," and has deep pockets to get the message out to every single eligible voter. Even if Paladino doesn't pull this one off, it really makes a dent in New York's formerly unbreakable Democratic reputation, especially considering the number of other House seats now currently in play as well.