Mr. Paladino has cheapened the campaign with bigotry and aimless swagger. Even if Mr. Paladino had chosen to be a serious candidate, his “platform” is little more than sputtering threats to cut and close and freeze.

[Mr. Cuomo] has a strong record in office over the last four years and has proposed serious solutions for some of the state’s problems.

We endorse him with the hope that he would be a bolder and more forthright governor than he has been a candidate. New York cannot afford anything like the scandal, gamesmanship and weakness that have marked the governor’s office in the past four years.

Our endorsement is not merely a process of elimination. Mr. Cuomo has proposed serious ethics and redistricting reform. His blueprints for reasserting fiscal control lack many important details but generally seem to set a proper course. He knows about the sinkholes and mudslides of Albany from the experience of his father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo. As the state’s chief lawyer, he successfully prosecuted Democrats and kept pressure on Wall Street while actively defending consumers. He needs to be no less assertive if he becomes governor.