Governor Cuomo says he’s not getting involved in any fights for party control of the State Senate, after Tuesday’s elections created uncertainty over who might be in charge of the chamber.
Democrats have won 31 seats to the Republicans 30. Two races are still being tallied, but Democrats are favored to win at least one, giving them the numerical majority. But there’s a complication – there’s a third group of Democratic Senators who have formed a break away caucus that often sides with the Republicans. Governor Cuomo has had a good relationship with the Senate’s GOP Majority over the past two years, and has remained neutral in the race for party control of the Senate. He says he’s going to let the Senators fight it out for themselves.
“I have no intention of getting involved,” Cuomo said.
Cuomo says in recent years, the Senate has functioned as more of a coalition government, and whichever side gets two of the three groups together, will run the Senate next year.
And he says if the Democrats do regain control, he predicts they will do a better job than last time, when their two year reign was marred by dysfunction.
“They learned that lesson the hard way,” the governor said.