Against the advice and admonitions from many in the state Democratic Party, Cuomo ran in the primary against H. Carl McCall, the African American state comptroller who would have been the state's first black governor if elected. The campaign was bruising. Cuomo eventually dropped out. His relationships in the black community ruptured. McCall, beaten and broke, was trounced by the sitting Republican Gov. George Pataki. Since then, Cuomo has worked hard to repair his relationships within the party and with black elected officials, in particular.