“New York is a very blue state, and could easily elect a governor to the left of Cuomo. While Cuomo has a progressive record on the minimum wage, paid leave, and marriage equality, he has worked to keep the left in check and sided with Republican lawmakers to cement his power. As Clio Chang wrote at Splinter, Cuomo “has also worked to prop up the Independent Democratic Conference, a group of eight breakaway state Senate Democrats who caucus with Republicans, effectively giving them the majority. The Republican-led state Senate, with the help of the IDC, has worked to block progressive priorities on reproductive rights, immigration, and electoral reform.”

Jeet Heer writing in the New Republic: https://newrepublic.com/article/147588/democrats-elitist-obsession-qualifications