By John DeSio

With an apparent blowout coming in primaries for governor and Senate, the state’s Democratic voters have only one place they can see a little action come election time, that being the race to replace Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.

The Republicans, who tend to loathe primaries, have already settled their own candidate: Former Westchester District Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who has a good resume as a prosecutor and a very ethically-challenged husband, will go to battle from the right come November. But the picture is not nearly as clear when it comes to Democrats, who have four candidates from which to choose.

The early leader in the race is Andrew Cuomo, the former HUD secretary and son of the last Democrat to occupy the Governor’s mansion, Mario Cuomo. The most recent Quinnipiac Poll of the race showed Cuomo with 45 percent of the vote, a fairly commanding lead in a four-way race.

The one man standing in the way of Cuomo’s ambition is Mark Green. Though two other candidates, Charlie King and Sean Patrick Maloney, have submitted enough petitions to remain on the ballot in September, the media focus has honed in on Cuomo and Green, two men with long pedigrees in the public eye. Both have made runs at major office before, Green having run for Senate in 1986 and 1998, as well as for Mayor in 2001. Cuomo ran for his father’s old job, governor, in 2002.

In 2002, Cuomo was the outsider of the campaign, with the vast majority of his party’s power brokers lining up behind former Comptroller Carl McCall. This time around Cuomo has the party juice. Most of the state’s county leaders lined up behind him come convention time, and he was the only one of the four candidates who did not have to petition his way onto the ballot. But that petitioning process might not have been such a bad thing.

“When big county bosses like the Bronx and Brooklyn and Nassau twisted the arms of delegates to oppose me, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise,” said Green. Through his petitioning process and beyond, the candidate said he has met tens of thousands of voters and spoken with them personally. He continues to visit two subway stops each day of the campaign. “There is a clear contrast between the political insider and the subway Democrat.”

Green sounds like a kid with a new toy when he talks about the campaign, joking and laughing with a level of enthusiasm you typically don’t see in political candidates. He exudes confidence, noting that he is five for six in Democratic primaries while Cuomo has never won once. The former public advocate is also very critical of Cuomo and his chosen campaign methods, stating that while Cuomo is trying to win the election through currying favor with the political elite, Green has been busy courting the voters.

“Eighty percent of the final verdict in this race will be based on who has the record and skills to be Attorney General to succeed Eliot Spitzer, irregardless of who a county boss supports,” said Green. He points out that he himself has a record of actual accomplishment in areas that are under the attorney general’s jurisdiction, looking back at his work as public advocate and the City’s consumer affairs commissioner. “Andrew Cuomo has a mediocre record in the area of housing, which has nothing to do with the office of Attorney General.”

Fixing Albany has become a major catchphrase this election cycle, and Green pointed to four specific areas: campaign finance, redistricting, lobbying reform and judicial selection; that he would target from the AG’s office. Cuomo is beholden to everything and everyone, Green said , and he won’t be able to fix state government without crossing some of his allies. He also said that since Cuomo has refused to disclose some personal finances, has shifted money in between campaign committees and is so far hiding from debates, his reform credentials are dubious at best.

“I don’t see how he can promise to shake up the political establishment when he’s very much a part of it,” said Green. “If I helped clean up Washington (referring to his 1972 bestseller Who Runs Congress?) and New York City, I can certainly help clean up Albany.”

Green even made it clear that he would not be hesitant to go after politicians who abuse the public trust, noting recent scandals in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens. The candidate would by no means point any specific fingers, but did point out that since he had no problem going head-to-head with former arch-rival Mayor Rudy Giuliani, tackling other politicos would be no sweat.

“I have by far the most relevant experience and qualifications to be attorney general,” said Green. “And I’ll step on toes when I have to.”