Cuomo Turned Gay Marriage Into Personal Mission

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is winning rave reviews for getting gay marriage passed in New York. ("Enormous victory" for him, declares Politico.) And the New York Times has a lengthy piece detailing how he personally managed the push, including the wooing of deep-pocketed GOP donors who could provide cover for Republican legislators. Sample line: "It was about a Democratic governor, himself a Catholic, who used the force of his personality and relentlessly strategic mind to persuade conflicted lawmakers to take a historic leap."

His strategy began with convincing gay rights advocates in the state to unite and let him take the lead on lobbying, in contrast to the chaos that led to the defeat of the issue in 2009. Cuomo also used his pull with the Catholic Church to keep criticism muted. And it didn't hurt that his girlfriend has a gay brother and kept up the pressure at home. The governor's political fortunes may ultimately be tied to the economy, notes New York, but "in his first six months Andrew Cuomo has already established a permanent, enormous part of his legacy: He is the governor who made marriage for all a reality in New York." Click for more on his maneuverings. (More gay marriage stories.)