Zephyr Teachout has a plausible path to victory (NY-AG)

[brooklynite]

City & State NY

Two months after former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigned over allegations of abusing multiple women, and roughly two months before the statewide primary elections, the Democratic race to replace him is taking shape.

New York City Public Advocate Letitia James is hoping to dispel the idea that she is the establishment candidate and Fordham Law professor Zephyr Teachout is embracing her image as an outsider who would challenge Gov. Andrew Cuomo, while the campaign strategies of Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney and Leecia Eve remain elusive.

At first, James seemed to be the prohibitive favorite. She was nearly installed in the office for the rest of Schneiderman’s term by the state Legislature and she won the party’s designation at its statewide convention in May.

But the race, like the rest of New York politics, was upended by the recent victory of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over longtime Rep. Joe Crowley in the Democratic primary in the 14th Congressional District. Teachout, one of the early endorsers of Ocasio-Cortez, is hoping that the same anti-establishment, anti-corruption wave will also carry her to victory. Teachout has a history of impressive performance: in 2014, entering the race with no name recognition or fundraising network, she managed to pull one-third of the Democratic gubernatorial primary vote.