1994 New York gubernatorial election

The 1994 New York gubernatorial election was an election for the state governorship held on November 8, 1994. Incumbent Democratic governor Mario Cuomo ran for a fourth term, but was defeated by Republican George Pataki in an upset victory. Pataki had previously been described by the New York Daily News as "a little-known Republican state senator." The conservative New York Post attributed the result to how voters "had grown tired of the 12-year incumbent Cuomo and his liberalism."

1994 New York gubernatorial election

November 8, 1994

Nominee George Pataki Mario Cuomo Party Republican Democratic Alliance Parties Conservative Tax Cut Now Liberal Running mate Betsy McCaughey Stan Lundine Popular vote 2,538,702 2,364,904 Percentage 48.79% 45.45%

County results Pataki:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Cuomo:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

Governor before election Mario Cuomo Democratic Elected Governor George Pataki Republican

Pataki's victory was one of the most notable of the 1994 "Republican Revolution" midterm elections, which also ousted governors in Alabama, New Mexico, and Texas. This is the last time a governor of New York lost re-election. This would be the last gubernatorial race until 2022 that was decided by a single-digit margin.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Mario Cuomo, incumbent governor
• Lenora Fulani, activist and perennial candidate

Withdrawn

• Roy Innis, National Chairman of CORE and candidate for Mayor of New York City in 1993

Campaign

Only two candidates announced their intention to challenge incumbent governor Mario Cuomo in the Democratic primary: Lenora Fulani, who had been the 1990 gubernatorial nominee of the New Alliance Party and its 1988 and 1992 presidential nominee; and Roy Innis, the National Chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality. Ultimately, Innis did not submit petitions. Fulani, however, submitted petitions and made it onto the Democratic primary ballot. Fulani's bid was generally considered a losing effort with no hope of keeping the nomination away from Cuomo. Cuomo refused to debate her, Fulani made it plain that she wished to draw African-American voters away from the Democratic Party, and no elected officials endorsed Fulani except Adam Clayton Powell IV. Fulani was also far outstripped when it came to fundraising. On September 13, 1994, Cuomo handily defeated Fulani.

Results

Results by county

  Cuomo

•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%
•   80–90%

Democratic Gubernatorial Primary Results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mario Cuomo (incumbent)	548,762	79.45
	Democratic	Lenora Fulani	141,918	20.55
Total votes			690,680	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• Evan G. Galbraith, former Ambassador to France
• Herbert London, college professor, Conservative candidate for Mayor of New York City in 1989 and Conservative nominee for governor in 1990
• George Pataki, State Senator
• Richard M. Rosenbaum, former chairman of the Republican Party of New York

Withdrawn

• J. Patrick Barrett, businessman
• Bill Green, former U.S. representative (Withdrew – July 31, 1994 – Endorsed Richard Rosenbaum)

Declined

• Al D'Amato, U.S. senator

Campaign

Initially, most expected U.S. senator Al D'Amato to be the Republican and Conservative nominee for governor in 1994. D'Amato began what looked like the beginnings of a campaign in September 1993 when he attacked Cuomo's record as governor, claiming that New York had become "the taxasaurus and spendasaurus capital of the nation." However, less than a month later, D'Amato decided not to run; he, correctly, predicted that his party might take control of the U.S. Senate in the 1994 elections, which would make him chairman of the Senate Banking Committee.

After considering other potential candidates, D'Amato—in conjunction with state GOP chairman William Powers—endorsed the candidacy of State Senator George Pataki. Pataki was perceived as a candidate who could garner the support of the party's moderate and conservative factions. Lewis Lehrman, the 1982 gubernatorial nominee who narrowly lost to Cuomo, publicly flirted with a run, but ultimately didn't mount a candidacy.

Former gubernatorial candidate Herbert London declared his candidacy on October 5, 1993. Running on a platform of tax cuts, reductions in state Medicaid and welfare payments and social conservatism, London was critical of both Cuomo and D'Amato. However, London's social conservatism and poor fundraising caused many party leaders to believe that he had no chance of defeating Cuomo.

On January 4, 1994, Evan Galbraith, a businessman from Manhattan and former ambassador to France under the Reagan Administration, decided to explore a potential gubernatorial bid. (Galbraith had also previously been a candidate for governor in 1990, but a court declared him eligible due to residency issues.) He quickly received endorsements from several notable figures, among them Henry Kissinger and William F. Buckley, Jr. Galbraith was considered by some as an alternative to London, holding similar positions but able to appeal to a larger base of voters. Galbraith formally declared his candidacy on April 29; by this time, however, most conservatives had coalesced around either London or Pataki.

Pataki formally declared his candidacy on March 14, but had been actively preparing for a campaign since the previous fall with the support of D'Amato and Powers. Senate Majority Leader Ralph Marino refused to support his nomination, angry over Pataki's association with Change – New York which had worked to prevent Marino's reelection. There was also concern over Pataki's position on the abortion issue, with organizations on both sides of the issue not being satisfied with his "middle-ground" approach.

Former U.S. representative Bill Green declared his candidacy on March 18, hoping to become the moderate alternative to Pataki and London. Green claimed that he was conservative on fiscal issues while "sensibly compassionate" on social issues. His bid was badly damaged when Michael Long, Chairman of the Conservative Party, indicated that he did not believe that Green could receive Conservative support.

Former State Party Chairman Richard Rosenbaum declared his candidacy on March 23. His platform was very similar to that of Bill Green but went even further, supporting Medicaid-financed abortions and tighter restrictions on guns. He also managed to create a much larger campaign chest of about $1.2 million. Rosenbaum decided against trying for an automatic ballot spot through the convention process; a Republican of the Rockefeller mold, he did not believe he could attain the required 25% of the vote. Instead, Rosenbaum opted to petition his way onto the ballot.

J. Patrick Barrett, a businessman from Syracuse who was expected to join the race, dropped out on May 20 when he came to the conclusion that he could not obtain the necessary support at the state convention.

At the Republican convention, Pataki won the overwhelming support of the delegates present. Herbert London, the runner-up, fell short of the 25% showing that he needed to obtain a place on the party's primary ballot.

Republican State Convention Vote

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George Pataki	-	72.40
	Republican	Herbert London		22.10
	Republican	Evan Galbraith		2.80
	Republican	Bill Green		2.60
	Republican	Scattering		0.10
Total votes				100.00

Primary

London, Galbraith and Green were all initially determined to petition to be on the primary ballot on September 13, but efforts were made to dissuade them from doing so. In return for his support for Pataki, London was nominated for the position of Comptroller. This move allowed Pataki to secure much of London's support within both the Republican and Conservative parties. On May 31, Green withdrew from the race and endorsed Rosenbaum.

On September 13, Pataki defeated Rosenbaum in the Republican primary by a margin of 75.6–24.4%. Rosenbaum endorsed Pataki the next day.

Results

Republican Gubernatorial Primary Results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George Pataki	273,620	75.60
	Republican	Richard M. Rosenbaum	88,302	24.40
Total votes			361,922	100.00

Conservative primary

Conservative Gubernatorial Primary Results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	George Pataki	17,649	78.40
	Conservative	Robert G. Relph, Sr.	4,862	21.60
Total votes			22,511	100.00

Independence Party

Independence candidate:

• Richard M. Rosenbaum, former Chairman of the Republican Party of New York (Initial Nominee – Withdrew September 14 – Endorsed George Pataki)
• Tom Golisano, businessman (Nominated – Added to Ballot September 28)

Libertarian Party

The original Libertarian candidate was New York City radio personality Howard Stern, who announced his candidacy for governor on his nationally syndicated radio show on March 22, 1994. Stern ran on a platform of reinstating the death penalty, letting road crews work only at night, staggering highway tolls to prevent traffic jams, and vowing to resign from office as soon as these goals were accomplished. Stern won the party's nomination by a two-thirds majority on the first ballot at their state convention on April 23, 1994.

Libertarian State Convention Vote

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Libertarian	Howard Stern	287	75.33
	Libertarian	James Ostrowski	34	8.92
	Libertarian	Norma Segal	24	6.30
	Libertarian	Dottie Lou Brokaw	22	5.77
	Libertarian	Joseph Brennan	10	2.63
	Independent	Scattering	4	1.05
Total votes			381	100.00

Stern refused to file the financial disclosures required by law of any party seeking to hold public office. He filed suit against the state of New York, arguing that the applicable law violated his right to privacy and freedom of association. When the court denied his petition for an injunction, Stern called a press conference on August 4, 1994, and withdrew from the race. Robert L. Schulz, a political activist from Queensbury, New York, replaced Stern on the statewide ballot. Stern's running mate, Stan Dworkin of Westchester County, remained on the slate as candidate for lieutenant governor.

General campaign

Though early on in the election Cuomo led by as much as ten points, Pataki was eventually able to tie him due to his difficulty in defending his record. Pataki promised to cut income taxes by 25 percent which appealed to voters in an economic downturn.

One key issue in the election was capital punishment. Cuomo had long been a staunch opponent of the death penalty while Pataki supported it. In the 1980s and early 1990s most New Yorkers supported capital punishment due to high crime rates. Republican ads pointed to the case of Arthur Shawcross, a multiple murderer convicted of manslaughter who was paroled by New York in 1987 and committed additional murders while on release (during the time Cuomo was governor). This revelation caused a significant loss of support for Cuomo.

Polling

Source	Date	George Pataki (R)	Mario Cuomo (D)	Tom Golisano (IF)
Buffalo News	November 6, 1994	38%	42%	5%
Marist Institute	November 3, 1994	40%	43%	7%
New York Daily News	November 3, 1994	36%	50%	7%
New York Post/FOX-TV	November 2, 1994	32%	46%	-
Quinnipiac College	November 1, 1994	31%	44%	7%
The New York Times	October 31, 1994	34%	44%	-
New York Daily News/WNBC	October 30, 1994	42%	43%	-
New York Post/FOX-TV	October 30, 1994	40%	36%	-
The New York Times/WCBS-TV	October 7, 1994	44%	41%	-
Quinnipiac College	October 2, 1994	38%	42%	-
Marist Institute	October 2, 1994	44%	38%	-
WROC-TV/WIXT-TV	September 16, 1994	41%	35%	-
New York Post/Buffalo News	September 11, 1994	43%	41%	-

Results

While the race was very close overall, Pataki won by running up huge margins outside of New York City. Cuomo won only one county outside of the Five Boroughs, Albany County, while also failing to sweep the Five Boroughs unlike in his previous three successful runs, losing Staten Island.

New York Gubernatorial Election, 1994

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	George Pataki	2,156,057	41.43%	+20.08%
	Conservative	George Pataki	328,605	6.31%	−14.09%
	Tax Cut Now	George Pataki	54,040	1.04%	N/A
	Total	George Pataki	2,538,702	48.79%	+27.44%
	Democratic	Mario Cuomo	2,272,903	43.68%	−7.74%
	Liberal	Mario Cuomo	92,001	1.77%	+0.02%
	Total	Mario Cuomo (incumbent)	2,364,904	45.45%	−7.72%
	Independence	Tom Golisano	217,490	4.18%	N/A
	Right to Life	Robert T. Walsh	67,750	1.30%	−2.10%
	Libertarian	Robert L. Schulz	9,506	0.18%	−0.43%
	Socialist Workers	Lawrence Lane	5,410	0.10%	−0.21%
Majority			173,798	3.34%	−28.49%
Turnout			5,203,762
	Republican gain from Democratic

New York City Results

New York City Subtotal

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George Pataki	368,788	24.39%
	Conservative	George Pataki	42,981	2.84%
	Tax Cut Now	George Pataki	11,238	0.74%
	Total	George Pataki	423,007	27.97%
	Democratic	Mario Cuomo	1,007,747	66.63%
	Liberal	Mario Cuomo	52,316	3.46%
	Total	Mario Cuomo (incumbent)	1,060,063	70.09%
	Independence	Tom Golisano	16,516	1.09%
	Right to Life	Robert T. Walsh	9,943	0.66%
	Libertarian	Robert L. Schulz	1,018	0.07%
	Socialist Workers	Lawrence Lane	1,806	0.12%
Total votes			1,512,353	100%

Breakdown by Borough

Bronx County Subtotal Party Candidate Votes % Republican George Pataki 40,401 19.20% Conservative George Pataki 4,757 2.26% Tax Cut Now George Pataki 1,656 0.79% Total George Pataki 46,814 22.25% Democratic Mario Cuomo 153,477 72.94% Liberal Mario Cuomo 6,323 3.01% Total Mario Cuomo (incumbent) 159,800 75.95% Independence Tom Golisano 1,937 0.92% Right to Life Robert T. Walsh 1,499 0.71% Libertarian Robert L. Schulz 117 0.05% Socialist Workers Lawrence Lane 246 0.12% Total votes 210,413 100% Kings County Subtotal Party Candidate Votes % Republican George Pataki 100,703 23.91% Conservative George Pataki 10,945 2.60% Tax Cut Now George Pataki 3,248 0.77% Total George Pataki 114,896 27.28% Democratic Mario Cuomo 285,625 67.81% Liberal Mario Cuomo 13,510 3.21% Total Mario Cuomo (incumbent) 299,135 71.02% Independence Tom Golisano 3,976 0.94% Right to Life Robert T. Walsh 2,433 0.58% Libertarian Robert L. Schulz 248 0.06% Socialist Workers Lawrence Lane 517 0.12% Total votes 421,205 100% New York County Subtotal Party Candidate Votes % Republican George Pataki 58,775 15.84% Conservative George Pataki 4,354 1.17% Tax Cut Now George Pataki 1,906 0.52% Total George Pataki 65,035 17.53% Democratic Mario Cuomo 282,299 76.07% Liberal Mario Cuomo 17,611 4.75% Total Mario Cuomo (incumbent) 299,910 80.82% Independence Tom Golisano 3,742 1.01% Right to Life Robert T. Walsh 1,492 0.40% Libertarian Robert L. Schulz 349 0.09% Socialist Workers Lawrence Lane 564 0.15% Total votes 371,092 100% Queens County Subtotal Party Candidate Votes % Republican George Pataki 123,496 30.76% Conservative George Pataki 15,060 3.75% Tax Cut Now George Pataki 3,474 0.86% Total George Pataki 142,030 35.37% Democratic Mario Cuomo 237,732 59.21% Liberal Mario Cuomo 12,564 3.13% Total Mario Cuomo (incumbent) 250,296 62.34% Independence Tom Golisano 5,314 1.32% Right to Life Robert T. Walsh 3,239 0.81% Libertarian Robert L. Schulz 257 0.06% Socialist Workers Lawrence Lane 401 0.10% Total votes 401,537 100% Richmond County Subtotal Party Candidate Votes % Republican George Pataki 45,413 42.01% Conservative George Pataki 7,865 7.28% Tax Cut Now George Pataki 954 0.88% Total George Pataki 54,232 50.17% Democratic Mario Cuomo 48,614 44.97% Liberal Mario Cuomo 2,308 2.13% Total Mario Cuomo (incumbent) 50,922 47.10% Independence Tom Golisano 1,547 1.43% Right to Life Robert T. Walsh 1,280 1.19% Libertarian Robert L. Schulz 47 0.04% Socialist Workers Lawrence Lane 78 0.07% Total votes 108,106 100%

Rest of State Results

Rest of State Subtotal

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	George Pataki	1,787,269	48.42%
	Conservative	George Pataki	285,624	7.74%
	Tax Cut Now	George Pataki	42,802	1.16%
	Total	George Pataki	2,115,695	57.31%
	Democratic	Mario Cuomo	1,265,156	34.27%
	Liberal	Mario Cuomo	39,685	1.08%
	Total	Mario Cuomo (incumbent)	1,304,841	35.35%
	Independence	Tom Golisano	200,974	5.44%
	Right to Life	Robert T. Walsh	57,807	1.57%
	Libertarian	Robert L. Schulz	8,488	0.23%
	Socialist Workers	Lawrence Lane	3,604	0.10%
Total votes			3,691,409	100%

Breakdown by County

Albany County Subtotal Party Candidate Votes % Republican George Pataki 46,008 Conservative George Pataki 7,150 Tax Cut Now George Pataki 1,038 Total George Pataki 54,196 Democratic Mario Cuomo 61,719 Liberal Mario Cuomo 2,027 Total Mario Cuomo (incumbent) 63,746 Independence Tom Golisano 5,490 Right to Life Robert T. Walsh 1,290 Libertarian Robert L. Schulz 498 Socialist Workers Lawrence Lane 244 Total votes 125,464 100% Allegany County Subtotal Party Candidate Votes % Republican George Pataki 9,937 Conservative George Pataki 1,132 Tax Cut Now George Pataki 219 Total George Pataki 11,288 Democratic Mario Cuomo 2,655 Liberal Mario Cuomo 81 Total Mario Cuomo (incumbent) 2,736 Independence Tom Golisano 1,040 Right to Life Robert T. Walsh 310 Libertarian Robert L. Schulz 33 Socialist Workers Lawrence Lane 16 Total votes 15,423 100% Broome County Subtotal Party Candidate Votes % Republican George Pataki 43,387 Conservative George Pataki 3,669 Tax Cut Now George Pataki 872 Total George Pataki 47,928 Democratic Mario Cuomo 21,446 Liberal Mario Cuomo 518 Total Mario Cuomo (incumbent) 21,964 Independence Tom Golisano 6,909 Right to Life Robert T. Walsh 962 Libertarian Robert L. Schulz 140 Socialist Workers Lawrence Lane 69 Total votes 77,972 100% Cattaraugus County Subtotal Party Candidate Votes % Republican George Pataki 16,557 Conservative George Pataki 2,694 Tax Cut Now George Pataki 368 Total George Pataki 19,619 Democratic Mario Cuomo 6,060 Liberal Mario Cuomo 182 Total Mario Cuomo (incumbent) 6,242 Independence Tom Golisano 1,494 Right to Life Robert T. Walsh 638 Libertarian Robert L. Schulz 43 Socialist Workers Lawrence Lane 36 Total votes 28,072 100% Cayuga County Subtotal Party Candidate Votes % Republican George Pataki 15,330 Conservative George Pataki 3,874 Tax Cut Now George Pataki 437 Total George Pataki 19,641 Democratic Mario Cuomo 5,914 Liberal Mario Cuomo 156 Total Mario Cuomo (incumbent) 6,070 Independence Tom Golisano 1,793 Right to Life Robert T. Walsh 497 Libertarian Robert L. Schulz 71 Socialist Workers Lawrence Lane 33 Total votes 28,105 100% Chautauqua County Subtotal Party Candidate Votes % Republican George Pataki 28,229 Conservative George Pataki 3,435 Tax Cut Now George Pataki 671 Total George Pataki 32,335 Democratic Mario Cuomo 12,849 Liberal Mario Cuomo 321 Total Mario Cuomo (incumbent) 13,170 Independence Tom Golisano 1,795 Right to Life Robert T. Walsh 670 Libertarian Robert L. Schulz 94 Socialist Workers Lawrence Lane 43 Total votes 48,107 100% Chemung County Subtotal Party Candidate Votes % Republican George Pataki 18,223 Conservative George Pataki 1,350 Tax Cut Now George Pataki 369 Total George Pataki 19,942 Democratic Mario Cuomo 7,589 Liberal Mario Cuomo 172 Total Mario Cuomo (incumbent) 7,761 Independence Tom Golisano 2,114 Right to Life Robert T. Walsh 553 Libertarian Robert L. Schulz 30 Socialist Workers Lawrence Lane 13 Total votes 30,413 100% Chenango County Subtotal Party Candidate Votes % Republican George Pataki 10,824 Conservative George Pataki 1,678 Tax Cut Now George Pataki 275 Total George Pataki 12,777 Democratic Mario Cuomo 3,104 Liberal Mario Cuomo 112 Total Mario Cuomo (incumbent) 3,216 Independence Tom Golisano 1,065 Right to Life Robert T. Walsh 222 Libertarian Robert L. Schulz 54 Socialist Workers Lawrence Lane 25 Total votes 17,359 100% Clinton County Subtotal Party Candidate Votes % Republican George Pataki 12,435 Conservative George Pataki 1,311 Tax Cut Now George Pataki 291 Total George Pataki 14,037 Democratic Mario Cuomo 8,592 Liberal Mario Cuomo 278 Total Mario Cuomo (incumbent) 8,870 Independence Tom Golisano 1,339 Right to Life Robert T. Walsh 447 Libertarian Robert L. Schulz 66 Socialist Workers Lawrence Lane 45 Total votes 24,804 100% Columbia County Subtotal Party Candidate Votes % Republican George Pataki 12,746 Conservative George Pataki 3,186 Tax Cut Now George Pataki 323 Total George Pataki 16,255 Democratic Mario Cuomo 7,125 Liberal Mario Cuomo 292 Total Mario Cuomo (incumbent) 7,417 Independence Tom Golisano 987 Right to Life Robert T. Walsh 230 Libertarian Robert L. Schulz 78 Socialist Workers Lawrence Lane 29 Total votes 24,996 100% Cortland County Subtotal Party Candidate Votes % Republican George Pataki 9,393 Conservative George Pataki 1,803 Tax Cut Now George Pataki 274 Total George Pataki 11,470 Democratic Mario Cuomo 3,549 Liberal Mario Cuomo 120 Total Mario Cuomo (incumbent) 3,669 Independence Tom Golisano 904 Right to Life Robert T. Walsh 307 Libertarian Robert L. Schulz 63 Socialist Workers Lawrence Lane 25 Total votes 16,438 100% Delaware County Subtotal Party Candidate Votes % Republican George Pataki 11,044 Conservative George Pataki 1,730 Tax Cut Now George Pataki 200 Total George Pataki 12,974 Democratic Mario Cuomo 3,253 Liberal Mario Cuomo 103 Total Mario Cuomo (incumbent) 3,356 Independence Tom Golisano 670 Right to Life Robert T. Walsh 167 Libertarian Robert L. Schulz 31 Socialist Workers Lawrence Lane 21 Total votes 17,219 100% Dutchess County Subtotal Party Candidate Votes % Republican George Pataki 51,127 Conservative George Pataki 6,898 Tax Cut Now George Pataki 1,028 Total George Pataki 59,053 Democratic Mario Cuomo 24,090 Liberal Mario Cuomo 802 Total Mario Cuomo (incumbent) 24,892 Independence Tom Golisano 2,973 Right to Life Robert T. Walsh 1,354 Libertarian Robert L. Schulz 210 Socialist Workers Lawrence Lane 78 Total votes 88,560 100% Erie County Subtotal Party Candidate Votes % Republican George Pataki 150,222 Conservative George Pataki 20,529 Tax Cut Now George Pataki 4,182 Total George Pataki 59,053 Democratic Mario Cuomo 137,678 Liberal Mario Cuomo 4,117 Total Mario Cuomo (incumbent) 24,892 Independence Tom Golisano 15,526 Right to Life Robert T. Walsh 5,536 Libertarian Robert L. Schulz 486 Socialist Workers Lawrence Lane 332 Total votes 338,608 100%