It’s the battle over who’s the more effective governor along the Hudson — rookie Democratic New York Gov. Cuomo or sophomore Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Both powerful politicos are making waves and drawing national attention for their aggressive stewardship of their states, and are considered future White House contenders.
Faced with yawning budget deficits in high-tax states, both governors took a fiscally conservative approach to balancing the books by slashing spending instead of raising taxes.
“In some ways, they both are successful. They got extraordinary things done,” said Baruch College poli-sci Professor Doug Muzzio.
But that’s where the similarities end, said Muzzio.
Christie exhibits a more blunt, go-for-the-jugular, “confrontational toughness” in public that seeks to marginalize and steamroll his critics, he said.
Cuomo exerts a “subtle and strategic” power aimed at persuading skeptics to back him.
“Cuomo does it with a scalpel,” Muzzio said. “Christie does it with a chainsaw.”
During his 17 months in office, Christie has rammed through a conservative agenda despite opposition from a Democratic-run state Legislature and unions: a property tax cap, spending cuts, and a benefits overhaul requiring government workers to pay more for pension and medical coverage.
During his first six months, Cuomo, too, has trimmed spending and reined in taxes. He demanded that a temporary tax on the wealthy expire as scheduled.
Like Christie, Cuomo won approval of a property-tax cap — a key campaign promise — over the grumbling of Democrats.
In contrast with Christie’s war with labor leaders, Cuomo has quietly extracted concessions from unions through private negotiations.