Zephyr Teachout
Zephyr Teachout (Democratic Party) ran for election for Attorney General of New York. She did not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on June 28, 2022.
Teachout was a 2016 Democratic candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 19th Congressional District of New York.[1]
Teachout also ran as a Democratic candidate for Governor of New York in the 2014 elections.[2][3]
Biography
Teachout was teaching constitutional and property law at Fordham Law School at the time of her candidacy. She holds a J.D. from Duke University.[4]
Elections
2022
See also: New York Attorney General election, 2022
General election
General election for Attorney General of New York
Incumbent Letitia James defeated Michael Henry in the general election for Attorney General of New York on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Letitia James (D / Working Families Party) | 54.6 | 3,168,256 | |
Michael Henry (R / Conservative Party) | 45.3 | 2,631,301 | ||
Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 3,073 |
Total votes: 5,802,630 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Sean Hayes (L)
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Letitia James advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of New York.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Zephyr Teachout (D)
- Daniel Goldman (D)
- Clyde Vanel (D)
- Shelley Mayer (D)
- Maria Vullo (D)
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Michael Henry advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of New York.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- John Sarcone III (R)
- Joseph Holland (R)
Conservative Party primary election
The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. Michael Henry advanced from the Conservative Party primary for Attorney General of New York.
Working Families Party primary election
The Working Families Party primary election was canceled. Incumbent Letitia James advanced from the Working Families Party primary for Attorney General of New York.
2018
- See also: New York Attorney General election, 2018
General election
General election for Attorney General of New York
Letitia James defeated Keith Wofford, Michael Sussman, Christopher B. Garvey, and Nancy Sliwa in the general election for Attorney General of New York on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Letitia James (D) | 62.4 | 3,739,239 | |
Keith Wofford (R) | 35.2 | 2,108,600 | ||
Michael Sussman (G) | 1.2 | 72,512 | ||
Christopher B. Garvey (L) | 0.7 | 43,767 | ||
Nancy Sliwa (Reform Party) | 0.4 | 26,441 | ||
Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 2,958 |
Total votes: 5,993,517 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Vincent Messina (Independence Party)
- Kenneth Schaeffer (Working Families Party)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Attorney General of New York
Letitia James defeated Zephyr Teachout, Sean Maloney, and Leecia Eve in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of New York on September 13, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Letitia James | 40.3 | 608,308 | |
Zephyr Teachout | 31.0 | 468,083 | ||
Sean Maloney | 25.1 | 379,099 | ||
Leecia Eve | 3.5 | 52,367 |
Total votes: 1,507,857 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Attorney General of New York
Keith Wofford advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of New York on September 13, 2018.
Candidate | ||
✔ | Keith Wofford |
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Green primary election
Green primary for Attorney General of New York
Michael Sussman advanced from the Green primary for Attorney General of New York on September 13, 2018.
Candidate | ||
✔ | Michael Sussman |
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Independence Party primary election
Independence Party primary for Attorney General of New York
Vincent Messina advanced from the Independence Party primary for Attorney General of New York on September 13, 2018.
Candidate | ||
✔ | Vincent Messina |
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Reform Party primary election
Reform Party primary for Attorney General of New York
Nancy Sliwa defeated Michael Diederich Jr. and Christopher B. Garvey in the Reform Party primary for Attorney General of New York on September 13, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Nancy Sliwa | 52.8 | 14,864 | |
Michael Diederich Jr. | 24.0 | 6,752 | ||
Christopher B. Garvey | 23.2 | 6,533 |
Total votes: 28,149 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Working Families Party primary election
Working Families Party primary for Attorney General of New York
Kenneth Schaeffer advanced from the Working Families Party primary for Attorney General of New York on September 13, 2018.
Candidate | ||
✔ | Kenneth Schaeffer |
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Reform Party primary election
Reform Party primary election
Reform Party primary for Attorney General of New York
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
✔ | Nancy Sliwa | 52.8 | 14,864 | |
Michael Diederich Jr. | 24.0 | 6,752 | ||
Christopher B. Garvey | 23.2 | 6,533 |
Total votes: 28,149 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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2016
New York's 19th Congressional District was a battleground district in 2016. Incumbent Chris Gibson (R), who began serving in Congress in 2011, chose not to seek re-election in 2016, leaving the seat open. John Faso (R) defeated Zephyr Teachout (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Faso defeated Andrew Heaney in the Republican primary, while Teachout defeated Will Yandik to win the Democratic nomination. The primary elections took place on June 28, 2016.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | John Faso | 54.1% | 166,171 | |
Democratic | Zephyr Teachout | 45.9% | 141,224 | |
Total Votes | 307,395 | |||
Source: New York Board of Elections |
Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Zephyr Teachout | 71.3% | 13,801 | ||
Will Yandik | 28.7% | 5,561 | ||
Total Votes | 19,362 | |||
Source: New York State Board of Elections |
Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
John Faso | 67.5% | 10,922 | ||
Andrew Heaney | 32.5% | 5,253 | ||
Total Votes | 16,175 | |||
Source: New York State Board of Elections |
2014
- See also: New York Gubernatorial election, 2014
Teachout ran for election to the office of Governor of New York. Teachout lost the Democratic nomination in the primary on September 9.[2]
Results
Primary
Governor of New York, Democratic Primary, 2014 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
Andrew Cuomo Incumbent | 62.9% | 361,380 | ||
Zephyr Teachout | 33.5% | 192,210 | ||
Randy Credico | 3.6% | 20,760 | ||
Total Votes | 574,350 | |||
Election results via New York State Board of Elections. |
Endorsements
Teachout received the endorsement of the New York State Public Employees Federation prior to the primary election.[12]
Issues
Residency challenge by Governor Cuomo
The New York Supreme Court began hearings on August 7, 2014 to determine if Teachout met the five-year residency requirement for ballot placement. A challenge was brought by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who won re-election in November. Martin E. Connor, representing Cuomo's campaign, claimed that Teachout had not spent the last previous years living continuously in New York. Teachout owns a cabin in Vermont, where she spent time in previous summers. Connor also noted that Teachout did not have a state driver's license or change her address to a New York residence until recently.[13]
Teachout supplied evidence to the court in support of her residency, including an account of her move from Vermont to North Carolina to New York in June 2009. She also provided her 2009 tax return with New York address, a Fordham Law School directory and bank statements documenting purchases at New York businesses. Teachout believed that Cuomo's efforts were intended to avoid embarrassment from losing votes to a more liberal candidate.[13] On August 11, Edgar G. Walker ruled against Cuomo's residency challenge, keeping Teachout on the primary ballot.[14] Cuomo appealed Walker's decision to a state Supreme Court panel, which upheld the decision to keep Teachout on the ballot on August 20, 2014.[15]
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Zephyr Teachout did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Teachout's campaign website stated the following:
“ |
Workers Rights Investigate wage theft, especially in vulnerable sectors like the service industry Investigate any company doing business in New York that violates the New York State Fair Pay Act or the Lilly Ledbetter Act. No employee with the same job should be paid a different wage on the basis on sex, race or national origin, and their claims should never be barred by a statute of limitation. To close the pay gap for women and people of color in New York, we need an AG who will vigorously pursue violations of these laws. Ensure workplace safety regulations are enforced. Voting rights and voter suppression As the Attorney General I will vigorously pursue all claims of New Yorkers being denied free access to the polls, including any instances where ballots and voter rolls were dismissed. Protect Tenants and Enforce Fair Housing My office will seek referrals from the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) for rent regulation abuses and to investigate substandard and dangerous conditions at public and publicly supported housing units. My office will pursue repeated overcharges in rent stabilized apartments in New York City, and in Nassau, Rockland and Westchester counties, where rent control and stabilization laws apply. My office will also investigate and prosecute companies that violate the Fair Housing Act in their advertising and operations. Protect Civil Rights My office will use its full power under local, state, and federal law to protect: voting rights, reproductive health rights, LGBTQ rights, disability rights, religious rights, equal education opportunity, and employment rights. The NYS OAG’s work in Oswego County, where transgender employees were being denied healthcare coverage until the AG intervened, and the guidance OAG issued, reaffirming New Yorkers’ protections through Title IX and the Dignity for All Students Act, in the wake of Trump administration’s rescinding of federal guidance, are examples of the important work my office will pursue. I am proud to have been endorsed by the civil rights icon and lawyer Robbie Kaplan, who put this moment in perspective: “Now, more than ever, as our nation faces imminent threats to our democratic system and the potential reversal of long-established fundamental rights for women, minorities, immigrants and LGBTQ Americans, it would be hard to overstate the importance of having an Attorney General with courage, deep knowledge of constitutional law, and a demonstrated commitment to integrity and independence.” End Cash Bail and Mass Incarceration We must examine fully the state of the criminal justice system. As AG, I will investigate and report on injustices at each point of contact with the system; these include policing in our schools and neighborhoods, arraignment and pre-trial detention, adequate public defense, incarceration practices, parole and probation, and re-entry rights and services. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 70 percent of people in jail are innocent in the eyes of the law — men and women awaiting trial — a majority of whom are young men of color, caged up because they cannot afford to post bail. This policy of cash bail serves to criminalize poverty, and often ensures inmates suffer further abuse and violence within the system. Mass incarceration is the legacy of slavery and it is inextricably linked to the system of oppression that locks black people behind bars, and out of jobs, schools, and markets. As Attorney General I will advocate several necessary reforms to ensure a moral and just criminal justice system: Discovery Reform Speedy Trials Legalization of marijuana Re-entry programs Changing the culture of prosecution Consumer Debt/Student debt/Fair Lending My office will use its parens patriae powers to investigate systemic risk to New Yorkers and enjoin the loopholes used by Too Big to Fail banks in the consumer debt-supported swaps market. I strongly support the revival and passage of the Consumer Credit Fairness Act, to better protect consumers from unfair debt-collection lawsuits, and I will use my position as AG to advocate for iis passage. Make Climate Liability Real All of this costs us our health and costs taxpayers money. The companies responsible for climate change must pay. We must also continue the important ExxonMobil litigation that the AG’s office is currently pursuing. Protect our Clean Air and Water But it is not just big fossil fuel: in Newburgh, the biggest polluter is the Department of Defense, which has exposed the children of Newburgh to unacceptable levels of PFOS. And despite New York’s purported commitment to renewable energy reliance, new gas pipelines are being approved and pushed. As AG, I will be aggressive in suing the big polluters, and where necessary, demanding that the Governor refer criminal and civil matters to the AGs office so our hands are not tied. I will intervene when New Yorkers are denied fair process by FERC, to comment on and pushback against fossil fuel projects that threaten their air and water. Sue Big Pharma for Fraud and Illegal Drug Pricing Abatement will require major funding — for treatment programs, live-saving intervention services, and more — and counties and municipalities are being crushed by the costs of the crisis, both human and financial. The big pharmaceutical companies that profited grossly off this misery must be held to account, and to fund the recovery. This is perhaps the most abusive, egregious scandal in the history of the pharmaceutical industry, where deceptive marketing converted a niche opioid painkilling drug into one of the most widely used prescription drugs in the country. Pharmaceutical companies convinced the medical community to overuse these dangerous drugs, whose efficacy is to treat chronic pain is highly questionable, putting everyone prescribed at risk of opioid addiction. Drug prices generally are out of control, and the costs are passed on to New Yorkers. Antitrust violations like illegal price-fixing have led to rising co-pays and crucial medicine being unaffordable. Investigators must not be fearful of taking on too big to fail pharmaceutical giants. If they are too big to fail, they are too big to do business. My office will use the full extent of its legal powers, including the Donnelly Act, to stop consolidation in the market and prevent pricing abuses by the industry. Trustbusting: Break up corporate monopolies We have seen the adverse effects of the mergers of cable giants. The quality of service has declined; with little incentive to create a good product, consumers are left without options. And workers rights have been decimated, all while CEOs receive hefty bonuses. I will hold cable companies accountable, and ensure consumers receive the service they deserve. I will use my power as the Attorney General to prevent these large mergers from occuring in the first place. As Attorney General I will: Continue the important lawsuit against Spectrum. Fight to block mergers that hurt New Yorkers, even if the federal government doesn’t act Investigate the ways in which big distributors illegally squeeze farmers and producers Stand up for the privacy rights of New Yorkers against tech giants Protect Immigrant rights and lead the fight to abolish Ice I will work to ensure the people of New York, regardless of status, can freely access our courts and schools without threat from ICE; and to protect an already vulnerable population from scams and immigration fraud. I support drivers’ licenses for undocumented immigrants. We must Abolish ICE. I will be a champion for moving our immigration policy out of the Department of Homeland Security, where there is the least amount of oversight and most opportunity for abuse. Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence The reckoning over the rampant and systemic mistreatment of women, in the workplace and in private, is long overdue. This movement is characterized by the incredible bravery of survivors; women who individually and collectively are saying, “No more.” Yet survivors face a system that fosters secrecy and retaliation against the accuser, making it more difficult to enforce laws designed to protect workers from sexual harassment. And local authorities long have failed to adequately address sexual assault complaints, from untested rape kits to inadequate support for victims. It is this broken system that has allowed for decades of sexual misconduct allegations to be swept under the rug in Albany, and allowed for alleged abusers to avoid facing a full investigation, much less punishment. As Attorney General I will: Investigate county and municipal level handling of sexual assault claims. In New York, reports indicate nearly 2,000 rape kits remain untested. Investigate companies doing business in New York State that repeatedly violate statutes providing women the right to a safe workplace environment. Use investigations to lift the shroud of secrecy, including pushing for the release of accusers and employees from Non Disclosure Agreements that only protect serial abusers. I strongly support the recommendations put forth by Harassment Free Albany, available here: https://www.harassmentfreealbany.com. Clean up Albany As Attorney General I will: Investigate corruption among lawmakers and lobbyists. I will use the powers of the Attorney General’s Office to reopen the Moreland Commission, under the existing Executive Order that created it. Lead the fight for #TimesUp in NY government Beef up the public corruption and criminal units of the AG’s office I do not take corporate PAC money or LLC money, and I have called on my opponents to pledge the same. Trump Lawlessness and Corruption I have been in the legal fight against Trump’s lawless actions from the moment he was elected, and I am fully ready to lead that fight for the people of New York. Three days after he was elected, I was one of a team of top lawyers to sue Trump for his violations of the Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution. That lawsuit, which is still ongoing, would force him to divest his business interests. I will continue to aggressively follow the evidence of his personal, campaign, and business activities that violate NY State and federal law. I will be relentless, independent, ethical and swift, acting without fear or favor. I believe that we in New York can and must do more, because Trump’s businesses are here, giving us jurisdiction to investigate, restrain, and where necessary dissolve corporations founded on fraud. As AG, I will be fully ready to prosecute any associate of Trump who is pardoned in a self-serving pardon under state law. |
” |
—Zephyr Teachout's campaign website (2018)[17] |
2016
Obama endorsement |
---|
During the 2016 election cycle Teachout was one of the candidates endorsed by President Barack Obama |
Full list of Obama's 2016 endorsements |
The following issues were listed on Teachout's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.
“ |
|
” |
—Zephyr Teachout's campaign website (2016), http://www.zephyrteachoutforcongress.com/issues |
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Poughkeepsie Journal, "Zephyr Teachout will run in 19th Congressional District," January 25, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 New York Daily News, "Zephyr Teachout confirms plans for a Democratic primary against Gov. Cuomo," June 13, 2014
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Candidate Petition List," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ Teachout-Wu, "Biographies," accessed September 5, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Details for Committee ID: C00580431," accessed July 8, 2015
- ↑ Poughkeepsie Journal, "Zephyr Teachout will run in 19th Congressional District," January 25, 2016
- ↑ Daily KOS, "Morning Digest: Republican covers up actual straight sex scandal with fake gay sex scandal," August 10, 2015
- ↑ Faso for Congress, "About," accessed August 12, 2015
- ↑ Daily Freeman, "Assemblyman Pete Lopez drops out of 19th Congressional District race," January 11, 2016
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Filings received for the 2016 Primary Election," accessed May 15, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "New York House Races Results," June 28, 2016
- ↑ ReadMedia, "PEF endorses an array of labor-friendly candidates for 2014 elections," August 20, 2014
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 The New York Times, "Cuomo Contests New York Residency of Teachout Before Primary," August 6, 2014
- ↑ Governing, "New York Governor Loses Bid to Keep Opponent Off Ballot," August 12, 2014
- ↑ New York Daily News, "Zephyr Teachout cleared by state Supreme Court to run against Andrew Cuomo in Democratic primary," August 20, 2014
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Zephyr Teachout for Attorney General, “Issues,” accessed August 22, 2018
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