Ahead of Thursday's Democratic primary in the race for governor of New York, Spectrum News takes a look back at major events of Governor Andrew Cuomo's tenure.
June 2011: Same-sex marriage passes
New York became the sixth state in the U.S. to pass a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in June of 2011, during Cuomo's first year in office.
Cuomo received praise for his political maneuvering to get the bill passed, succeeding where his predecessors, Eliot Spitzer and David Paterson, had failed. Four Republican senators voted yes for the bill.
October 2012: Hurricane Sandy
The storm pummeled New York City and Long Island in October 2012 and did more than $30 billion in damage to the state, according to the governor.
Cuomo has overseen post-storm resiliency projects, such as new flood barriers for the Hugh L. Carey and Queens Midtown tunnels that were installed earlier this year.
But the state-run Long Island Power Authority was criticized for its response in the immediate aftermath of the storm – and Cuomo was faced some criticism for his role with LIPA. (Cuomo later entered LIPA into a public-private partnership with PSEG.)
January 2013: Gun control law passes
One month after the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in Connecticut, the state legislature passed the SAFE Act, which Cuomo called the toughest gun control law in the United States. It was a collection of different gun measures and enhancements to existing laws.
Cuomo has touted the legislation and called for Congress to pass a similar law. Other Democrats have called for strengthening the law.
The SAFE ACT has faced criticism in upstate New York, where hunters and recreational shooters have said the law has made their life more difficult. Attempts to repeal, nullify or reform the law have been launched over the years.
April 2016: $15-an-hour minimum wage passed for much of state, including NYC
In 2015 and 2016, plans were put in place for the minimum wage to rise to $15 an hour, first for fast-food workers and later for numerous parts of the state, including New York City. (The rise to $15 an hour was staggered over several years; the minimum wage will be $15 an hour for all NYC employees by 2019.)
The $15-an-hour minimum wage was a long-time rallying cry for progressives. Critics said the minimum wage increase would lead to a loss of jobs overall across the state, particularly among low-wage and low-skilled workers.
2018: Corruption convictions
Guilty verdicts were reached in corruption trials of several people with ties to the governor in 2018. A former top Cuomo aide was convicted of bribery, and a developer connected to the Cuomo-backed Buffalo Billion project was found guilty of a bid-rigging scheme.
While Cuomo was not accused of any wrongdoing in the cases, his challengers in the governor's race – Republican Marc Molinaro and Democrat Cynthia Nixon – have both attacked his record against corruption.
Molinaro has accused the governor of being "in the pockets of powerful people" and has called for business or individuals with state contracts to be banned from making political contributions. Nixon has also called for an end to the unchecked influence of big money in state politics.