Cuomo: 'Rogue' women's-party takeover efforts are 'sad'

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo reacted today to attempts to challenge his hand-picked leadership in the Women's Equality Party by saying "I haven't looked at the rogue filings, but obviously they are trying to play politics, which is not overly suprising in a political party."

"But it is a shame in some ways," he said, as reported by Michael Gormley, "because ... concept is a party that gives women a voice and we focus on issues that are important to women and women in this society, as we just spoke at length, I believe have a unique set of issues."

One of the "rogue" filers, ex-Sen. Cecelia Tkaczyk, has said that she wants women to actually run the party from the grassroots, not the governor. The other group looking to win control of the WEP -- creation of which last year peeved Democrats to Cuomo's left -- has a visible Republican pedigree.

Cuomo continued with his response at a news conference by expounding on women's issues.
"The illness is the pervasive sexism and discrimination against women and I would like to see a party, a political force, that takes that message and resonates that message time and time again," he said.

"And that's what the party is all about and it's a shame if that is destroyed."

Tkaczyk's effort was first described at length here by Capital New York/ Politico.