Incumbent Democratic attorney general
Andrew Cuomo declined to run for reelection
in 2010, instead successfully running for Governor. State Senator
Eric Schneiderman narrowly won the Democratic primary and then won the general election by a wide margin. In 2014, all statewide offices in New York were held by Democrats. Republicans believed that their best chance of winning a statewide election in 2014 rested on defeating Schneiderman, citing Governor Cuomo's high approval ratings and large campaign war chest and the belief that Comptroller
Thomas DiNapoli was unlikely to be vulnerable because "
Comptrollers seem to get re-elected as long as they do their jobs." Schneiderman has used his designation as Republicans' "top target" to raise money.
Governing did not believe Schneiderman would be defeated in 2014. A March 2013 article listed the 2014 New York attorney general election as "not competitive", citing the high-profile cases Schneiderman had taken on. A December 2013 article rated the race as "Safe Democratic", stating that "Schneiderman should have no problem winning a second term." ==Democratic primary==