Incumbent Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D-N.Y.) earned the Democratic nomination for New York governor on Thursday evening. But he didn’t earn the majority of votes in Tompkins County, home of Ithaca and Cornell.
Tompkins was one of 12 counties that supported Cynthia Nixon, who had positioned her campaign as a challenge to Cuomo from the left. There are 62 counties in New York.
Nixon won 56.53 percent of the 10,544 valid ballots in Tompkins County, while Cuomo earned 43.17 percent, according to the local government website. Meanwhile, Cuomo secured a decisive victory in the entire New York State, capturing 65.6 percent of the total votes.
Nixon campaigned in downtown Ithaca earlier this month, when she denounced Cuomo’s environmental policies and announced plans to convert a power plant into a renewable energy facility, as reported by The Sun. She also visited Ithaca Farmer’s Market on her campaign trail.
Cuomo is one of the four ex-officio members of the Cornell University Board of Trustees, a position granted to those who occupy the office of New York State governor during their terms, according to Cornell’s bylaws.
Tompkins County is also one of the only two counties that voted for New York Councilman Jumaane D. Williams for lieutenant governor, who lost the race to Kathy Hochul, incumbent lieutenant governor.
Hochul previously visited Cornell in November to announce a $15 million state-sponsored grant to upgrade the University’s high tech X-ray facility, The Sun previously reported.