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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Delivers Top 10 On Letterman

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo has continued a recent media blitz with an appearance on David Letterman's "Late Show,'' delivering a Top 10 list of ways "New York State is Better than Ever.''

Tuesday night's list included items such as "We're up to three Starbucks per capita'' and "You know the Finger Lakes? We're adding a thumb.''

Other items poked fun at some of the state's unusually named towns, including "Otsego and Oswego finally figured out which town was which'' and "Still the only state in America with a Coxsackie."

Cuomo's visit to Letterman's show coincides with the release of a 500-page memoir and high-profile interviews on CBS News and in major national publications.

In his new warts-and-all biography, "All Things Possible: Setbacks and Success in Politics and Life," Cuomo covers a crushing political defeat followed by an ugly headline-grabbing tabloid divorce within a two-year span.

In an exclusive interview with CBS 2 political reporter Marcia Kramer, Cuomo confessed that he was once so low he thought about writing a book on losing.

"I remember when I was in the midst of my low point I thought about doing a book on losing," Cuomo told Kramer.

The 56-year-old Democrat is running for re-election next month and is widely believed to have national ambitions.

Cuomo's Republican opponent, Rob Astorino, slammed the governor's publicity push and criticized him for not agreeing to a one-on-one television debate, CBS 2 reported.

Meanwhile, a recent Quinnipiac University has Cuomo ahead by 20 points in the New York gubernatorial race.

The survey gives the Democratic incumbent 51 percent of the vote, with the Westchester County Executive getting 31 percent and Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins picking up 9 percent.

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(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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