THE TEACHOUT CHALLENGE MAY OR MAY NOT SUCCEED, BUT IT’S CERTAINLY PUTTING A DENT IN CUOMO’S VIABILITY AS A NATIONAL CANDIDATE: New York Times snubs Andrew Cuomo with non-endorsement.

In 2010, the New York Times offered a ringing endorsement of Democrat Andrew Cuomo for governor, citing in particular his campaign promise to clean up corruption in the state’s capital and reform campaign finance rules.

“Mr. Cuomo acknowledges that his foremost task is restoring trust and transparency to Albany, and the sections on ethics reform are the most impressive in his briefing books,” the editorial board wrote.

But times have changed. In a major snub, the Times editorial board said Tuesday that it will not endorse Cuomo, now governor, for re-election in the state’s Democratic primary in two weeks, largely because he failed to act on the promises that enchanted the paper nearly four years ago. . . .

Looming over the Times’ non-endorsement is the controversy earlier this year over the Moreland Commission, an independent panel set up to investigate corruption that Cuomo’s administration blocked when it looked too closely into Cuomo’s allies. The New York Times published the seminal story on Cuomo’s interference with the commission.

Still, the Times declined to endorse Zephyr Teachout, the Fordham Law School professor challenging Cuomo in the primary, in spite of praise for many of Teachout’s proposals.

They’re afraid she might win.

UPDATE: From the comments: “Check out the comments by Times readers to the non-endorsement. I’ve yet to read a single one defending Cuomo. And they’re Cuomo’s natural constituency and the kind of people who vote in Democratic primaries. The Professor here might be on to something.” I occasionally am.