Dive Brief:

• A strong showing in the New York Democratic primary by Cuomo opponent Zephyr Teachout is being hailed as proof that the state could inspire Common Core and standardized testing opposition on the left nationwide.
• Though it isn't clear if the public's resistance to the Common Core State Standards and the tests aligned to them will hurt Cuomo as he faces Republican Rob Astorino, also against the standards, in the general election, Teachout's relative success could be a sign that progressive pushback is more widespread than some may have expected.
• Also among Teachout's K-12 policy platform: Doing away with New York property tax caps for school districts.

Dive Insight:

Potentially helping Cuomo were concessions made in some areas, like the teacher evaluations tied to Common Core tests, as a June plan approved by the state's legislature shields teachers from the two lowest ratings through the end of the 2014-15 school year. Still, these efforts to appease unions and other Common Core opponents didn't win the governor any endorsements — nor did Teachout receive their endorsement. (The unions refrained from endorsing any candidate in 2010 and may do the same once again.) 

Meanwhile, Astorino is pushing for a "Stop Common Core" ballot line in November, and he has criticized the connection between the standards and the state's Race to the Top grant from the Obama administration, as well as pegging their troubled implementation as indicative of what he sees as disorganization in the state's education system.