Cautiously, Cuomo Eases Himself Into Obama Surrogacy

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is a homebody.

He prefers to stay in New York, either in the Westchester County home he shares with his TV star girlfriend Sandra Lee or in the Executive Mansion in Albany, a place he is clearly enamored with and has fond memories of from when his father held the job.

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He loves the Adirdonacks and the Hamptons. He does not like spending a single night outside of the state and to date since being elected governor has not done so.

Cuomo also likes radio, preferring to keep his interviews local and has done a sit-down television exclusive exactly once since January 2011 — with our own Liz Benjamin (natch!)

Not doubting Cuomo’s sincerity for the love of New York, but a lot of this keeping close to home is designed to do exactly the opposite of what befell Mario in the 1980s and early 1990s, when presidential speculation overwhelmed what he was trying to get done in state government.

As the younger Cuomo said earlier this year, “I’ve seen this play before.”

So it wasn’t entirely surprising that the governor’s name yesterday did not appear on the official list of surrogates for President Obama following last night’s debate at Hofstra University in Nassau County. The governor even gave up his seat — and perhaps a few seconds on national TV — so a returning soldier could sit next to First Lady Michele Obama.

But it was a bit surprising that the governor apparently strolled into the so-called “Spin Room” following the debate to talk it over with reporters.

“I didn’t realize you had to sign up as an official surrogate,” Cuomo said gamely. “I didn’t sign up for a sign. I’ve been in a spin room many times, I don’t think I’ve ever had a sign as a matter of fact. I don’t know if that means something.”

What followed during the Q and A was a standard, not-to-revealing discussion of a Democrat praising a Democratic president.

“I thought he was masterful in terms of his performance,” Cuomo said of Obama.

Naturally, the governor was asked if he’s running for president in 2016. Cuomo shrugged it off by saying he’s focused on his job here in New York.

Cuomo did swoop in to Charlotte for the convention and gave a lively speech to the New York delegation that derided the Romney-Ryan ticket while praising the Obama record. He slipped out through the back of a tent without taking questions from reporters (he did, following Obama’s nomination speech, stop briefly to chat with a handful of reporters including myself before jetting back to New York).

Cuomo attends Obama fundraisers in New York City from time to time, but has not shown up on cable chat shows to boost the president.

Nor has Cuomo hit the campaign trail for the president like other, higher-profile governors in the country who may be in the running for the White House four years from now. Granted, he is not the chairman from the Democratic Governors Association like Maryland’s Martin O’Malley and New York will most certainly remain a Blue State this year.

And Cuomo does not have to raise his profile beyond New York, the media capital of the world, to remain a national figure.

Still, he is easing himself somewhat into being an Obama surrogate, even if it is in an environment he can control.