Bob Lonsberry

Bob Lonsberry

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LONSBERRY: Lovely Warren For Lieutenant Governor

Lieutenant Governor Lovely Warren.

It has a nice ring to it.

And it would be a good move -- for Andrew Cuomo, Lovely Warren, the city of Rochester, and the people of New York.

For a while quietly, and yesterday not so quietly, the speculation has been that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo might ask Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren to join him as his running mate this fall as he seeks a fourth term.

It's a good idea, and I hope it happens.

Here's the breakdown.

The current lieutenant governor is Kathy Hochul, who used to represent a congressional seat now held by former Erie County Executive Chris Collins. He has decided to declare a blood feud with Cuomo, and there's nothing Cuomo likes better than payback. And with anti-Trump sentiment expected to help Democrats in this year's midterm congressional elections, the belief is that Hochul would have a fair chance at spanking Collins. 

So Hochul is probably going to declare for Congress.

That leaves her seat open.

And that leaves the governor with a chance to make a statement.

His two lieutenant governors thus far have been about geography. Maybe it's time one of them was about race.

As Andrew Cuomo works to position himself as a potential presidential candidate for the party that claims more than 90 percent of the black vote in America, it would be good to have a close black colleague. It would be nice if statewide Democrats ran black candidates as well as courted black votes.

Lovely Warren would be a compelling lieutenant governor candidate.

She is scrappy and experienced, and would galvanize black and female voters. She is nice to look at and she can give a speech, and her youthfulness would be a nice balance to Andrew Cuomo's more grizzled appearance. 

It would also be a powerful statement of the reality of the American dream if a black girl from one of the poorest streets in the nation could become a leader of one of that nation's biggest states. The challenges faced by girls growing up in urban poverty are almost unfathomable, but Lovely Warren overcame them. She finished school, she went to college, she got a job, she went to law school, and she has been employed in a responsible position all of her adult life. She is a married mother repeatedly elected to office and the sort of example of achievement that more people need to see.

Andrew Cuomo was born with a silver spoon in his mouth; Lovely Warren was born with a leather boot in her backside. The two of them, on one ticket, represent different examples of what America and the Democratic Party can be.

She would be a smart and good choice as a running mate.

And the city would do fine in her absence.

The selection last year of Cedric Alexander as deputy mayor creates a succession plan for the city of Rochester that is second to none. He has increasingly been the public face of the administration, and has the leadership experience and skills to be an excellent mayor. Cedric Alexander is a national-class leader who could do tremendous things for Rochester.

So it's a win-win-win.

And it should happen.

And it will, if Andrew Cuomo wants it to.

There are potential pitfalls, and they should be noted.

First of all, Kathy Hochul might not beat Chris Collins. He is an incumbent, it is a Republican district, and she has -- as lieutenant governor -- traded in her past genial moderation for angry progressivism. She used to be a wagger, but now she's a barker, and that might not sell.

Lovely Warren is headstrong and independent, and that might not jibe with the type of campaign or administration Andrew Cuomo likes to run. Further, his past lieutenant governors have been road warriors, covering the state back and forth -- that might be a challenge for the parent of a young child. 

Also, efforts to discredit Cedric Alexander began almost as soon as he arrived in Rochester. Suspecting he came to town for something bigger than deputy mayor, invisible opponents have attacked him pretty steadily. Those efforts have been thus far unsuccessful, but people don't seem to easing up on the attacks.

But those things are all surmountable, and part and parcel of the risks of public office.

Lovely Warren should be the candidate, and she should be the lieutenant governor.

And she should keep her eye on the fact that as lieutenant governor she would be one indictment or presidential nomination away from the big chair.

Which truly would be historic.


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