There’s a simple reason why Cynthia Nixon had no chance of beating Cuomo – money

New York’s gubernatorial campaign was a microcosm of the battle between moderate democrats and 'democratic socialists' that continues to rage within the party

Cynthia Nixon’s bid to become the Democratic Party’s candidate for governor of New York was halted last night after her primary challenge to incumbent candidate Andrew Cuomo ended in defeat. In the final vote tally, Nixon won 34.4 per cent of the final vote to Cuomo’s 65.6 per cent.

Though what has been widely characterised as an “easy win” for Cuomo, an experienced politician with the democratic establishment and large corporate donors behind him, was in fact anything but. In the days preceding the vote, Cuomo became increasingly rattled by Nixon, whose progressive platform forced him to move leftwards on issues including marijuana legalisation and votes for prisoners.

New York’s gubernatorial campaign was a microcosm of the battle between moderate democrats and “democratic socialists” that continues to rage within the party. 2016’s bitter democratic presidential primary between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton failed to generate a cohesive direction for the future. In the last twelve months progressives such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, an ally of Sanders, have pulled off huge upsets against establishment-backed figures. Yet instead of Nixon offering new hope, this time it was the establishment’s turn to strike back.

Although New York didn’t warm to Nixon’s particular combination of socialism and the city, this primary contest presents significant concerns for both wings of the Democratic Party.

While the final result seems like a convincing win, it would have been far closer had Nixon not been robbed of a chance to properly compete. In American politics, money talks the loudest. During the 2016 democratic primary, Sanders was only able to be competitive with Clinton because he raised more money than her. Data suggests that better-financed candidates win elections 91 per cent of the time.

After shunning corporate donations, Nixon’s energetic campaign received more small donations in its first day than Cuomo did in seven years as governor – a remarkable achievement. But as the campaign rumbled on, Cuomo’s financial resources became unmatchable. BuzzFeed News reported that he spent nearly the same amount per day that the Nixon campaign had raised in total. In the final days this was spent on the wide distribution of materials that suggested, without evidence, that Nixon is "soft on antisemitism", despite the fact that her children are Jewish.

Openly bisexual Nixon also faced cultural barriers. She was mocked as an “unqualified lesbian” from the second she announced her campaign - misogynistic and homophobic critiques that Cuomo was exempt from. New York has never had a governor that wasn’t white, male and presenting as heterosexual, evidence that it is perhaps more conservative than it seems.

Scratching beneath the surface of the “easy win” narrative, the establishment should be worried that a politically inexperienced queer woman with a fraction of the campaign resources, who was shunned by democratic heavyweights including Clinton and former vice president Joe Biden, could win 35 per cent of the vote from uber-wealthy heterosexual male incumbent Cuomo.

Yet there’s no doubt that the result will be disappointing to those on the democratic left. Once again, they were pipped to the post, clinging on to ways they have brought their opponents leftward instead of being able to enact their progressive agenda. With republicans occupying the three main offices of government and the supreme court tilting to the right, the introduction of legislation that regulates campaign donations is extremely unlikely. If progressives ever hope to get over the finish line and set their movement alight, they will need to find a way of generating the kind of money that Sanders did in 2016.

The democratic left also need to begin convincing influential institutions and organisations that they are a safe pair of hands. Nixon’s campaign was backed by the Working Families Party, a small but influential third party of unions and progressive activists. But disappointingly she failed to gain an endorsement from LGBT+ organisation the Human Rights Campaign, despite the fact that she is married to a woman and has an openly trans son. This disconnect cannot continue.

As she conceded to governor Cuomo, Nixon spoke optimistically about the future of the movement she represents. If Sex and the City 2 is anything to go by, second acts aren’t Nixon’s strength, but there is certainly the feeling that we haven’t seen the last of her. If the democratic left wants to win, it needs to find a way of levelling the playing field – because this time Nixon never really had a chance.