Democrats Eye Candidate Teachout in New York

After the left-wing of Democrats fell short nominating Bernie Sanders for president, one candidacy increasingly viewed as a major priority is that of former Fordham University Law Professor Zephyr Teachout in New York's open 19th District (in the Hudson Valley).

Bernie Sanders himself has written one of his rare emails on behalf of Teachout.

Best known for running to the left of Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the 2014 Democratic primary and drawing a surprising 34 percent of the vote, Teachout moved from Brooklyn to the 19th District (Dutchess County) in March 2015. Two months earlier, Republican Rep. Chris Gibson announced he would not seek re-election.

This year, Republicans have a formidable nominee to succeed Gibson in former state Assembly GOP leader John Faso. Known as a "conservative reformer" in Albany, Faso, 64, was his party’s nominee for state comptroller in 2002 and governor in 2006. Although unsuccessful, he still maintained a strong following within GOP circles. Earlier this year, he won the U.S. House primary with 67 percent of the vote over a better-funded opponent.

Along with being the Republican nominee, Faso has the ballot lines of New York’s Conservative, Independents and Reform Parties. In addition, he is running in a district where so-called "carpetbaggers" have not done well. Two years ago Democrat Sean Eldridge moved into the 19th District to become a candidate and, despite excellent campaign funding, lost to Gibson by a landslide.

But despite these advantages, Faso inarguably has a fight on his hands.

Teachout, 44, is underwritten by what appears to be a "Who's Who" of left-of-center sources of campaign donations. Besides Sanders' backing, Jonathan Berger, who has given $42,000 to super PACs, is a major contributor to Teachout. So is John Koza, who has given $250,000 to super PACs and directly to Teachout. Still another is Deborah Sanger who has given $250,000 to super PACs and directly to Teachout.

Why so much focus on one little-known Democrat outside the Empire State? Part of the answer could be Teachout's widespread network of contacts developed after years of work for and association with national left-of-center causes and candidates.

In 2004, she ran the digital operations for the presidential candidacy of an earlier leftist hero, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. Teachout also praised the "Occupy Wall Street" movement.

She was the first director of the Sunlight Foundation, which seeks greater transparency in government and which receives significant funding from the Open Society Foundation founded by billionaire George Soros, the Hungarian-born "paymaster of the left."

The other — and very obvious — reason for the unusual attention focused on Teachout’s candidacy by the national left is that she makes little effort to downplay her own views.

She has hailed the Black Lives Matter movement as a group with "an intelligent, moral, thoughtful and serious message." A vigorous supporter of the controversial Iran nuclear deal, she charged on Twitter that New York’s Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer "is wrong to oppose the Iran deal." Like Sanders, Teachout backs a new carbon tax on consumers that would tax gas, electricity and heating oil.

Whether Faso can overcome the opponent whose candidacy increasingly appears to be a top priority of the national Democratic left is sure to make the New York-19 House race one of the most closely watched in 2016.

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax.