The governor has not murdered any unicorns.
Though Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, admitted he had not watched his Republican rival’s latest attack ad against him–a spoof of negative advertising that accuses the governor of being a “unicorn killer” and “locking Santa in a chimney”–he confirmed to reporters today no unicorns have been slain under his tenure.
“I have not murdered any unicorns. I am against it,” Mr. Cuomo quipped at a campaign event in Manhattan for his Women’s Equality Party this afternoon. “Even women, all women, are against murdering unicorns.”
Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, running an uphill race against Mr. Cuomo, released a web ad this week mocking some of the attacks Mr. Cuomo and his surrogates have hit him with. Mr. Astorino was incensed that Eric County Democrats recently ran a television ad before a Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins game tweaking Mr. Astorino for being a Dolphins fan, while highlighting Mr. Cuomo’s allegedly far stronger commitment to Buffalo. (The ad also photoshopped Mr. Astorino’s son out of a family photograph in Miami.)
“Andrew Cuomo got 40 percent rejection from his own party,” Mr. Astorino said during an Albany radio appearance, referring to last week’s Democratic primary against Zephyr Teachout and Randy Credico. “So I think he’s becoming more and more desperate. He’s becoming more and more dirty and filthy on TV, throwing out all these nonsense allegations and lies. And that’s the way he thinks, the only way he can win.”
Mr. Cuomo suffered what many saw as a setback last week when Ms. Teachout, a relatively unknown law professor, channeled liberal disgust with the governor to garner nearly 40 percent of the vote. Mr. Astorino, however, significantly lags behind Mr. Cuomo in fund-raising and may struggle to tap into the same sort of left-wing discontent that powered Ms. Teachout.