Governor Andrew Cuomo this week on Long Island laid out an agenda for Democratic state Senate candidates to sign: A platform that holds the line on property taxes and state spending, while also backing environmental protection measures and LGBT rights. Cuomo says it's about outmaneuvering Republicans.

“They're going to lie. They're going to try to spread fear,” he said.

As he stumped for Senate Democrats, Cuomo also implied it's a matter of finding ways of common ground in a large, complicated state.

“Each region is different. Each region has different needs,” he said.

Political observer Bruce Gyory says it makes sense for Cuomo to find and protect potential legislative allies for the governor next year should Democrats win control of the state Senate, with a conference that includes upstate and suburban moderates as well as self-identified Democratic socialists from New York City.

“Real political leadership requires the sequencing of those key issues that will expand your majority and keep it moving forward,” said Gyory.

The Democrats held a brief majority in 2009 and 2010, one that was a disaster for the conference as suburban and upstate lawmakers were forced to take difficult votes on taxes.

“They didn't do what the Democratic majority did in the Assembly did in 1975 and 1976 when they took over which is they didn't treat their marginal members as if they were cubs that needed protecting,” said Gyory.

Next year, Cuomo and the Legislature could face questions over a single-pay health care bill, as well as controversies over aiding undocumented immigrants and criminal justice reform. 

“If it works right, Governor Cuomo will be a kind of behind the scenes figure helping Andrea Stewart-Cousins and her leadership team keep that conference together and moving forward,” said Gyory.

Republicans currently hold a narrow majority in the Senate with the aid of Brooklyn's Simcha Felder, a Democrat who is aligned with the GOP.