Politico New York Playbook: October 2, 2018

CUOMO HAS 22-POINT LEAD IF NIXON STAYS IN, SIENA FINDS — Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s chances of winning a third term will not be significantly diminished if Cynthia Nixon continues to run on the Working Families Party line, a poll released by the Siena College Research Institute on Monday found. In fact, it's possible that a continued Nixon candidacy might actually help Cuomo. Cuomo led Republican challenger Marc Molinaro 50-28 when poll respondents were given the names of every candidate currently slated to appear on the ballot. Nixon drew 10 percent on the WFP line, and the Green Party’s Howie Hawkins, Libertarian Larry Sharpe, and Serve America Movement candidate Stephanie Miner split 4 percent of the support of likely voters. When pollsters asked about Cuomo and Molinaro only, the governor led 56-38. That 18-point advantage is actually slightly less than Cuomo’s 22-point lead in the crowded field scenario. POLITICO’s Bill Mahoney