Many political pundits believe Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been courting liberal voters ahead of a potential run for the White House in 2020.
This week, New York became the first state to offer free college tuition for families earning less than $125,000 per year. Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was there when he signed the bill.
"I am so grateful to my friend and our governor for taking this idea and not just talking about, but actually making it happen for the young men and women of our state," she said.
In addition to sharing the stage with Clinton, the governor has also appeared alongside progressive icon Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in recent months.
Michael Dawidziak, a Sayville-based political consultant, says Gov. Cuomo is "clearly one of the front runners" for a presidential bid.
"A door that seemed to be closed for Andrew Cuomo has opened wide. If Hillary Clinton had been elected president, he would have been shut out from running for eight years," says Dawidziak.
While the governor hasn't said whether or not he is considering a run for the White House, he has another race to concentrate on first. He's up for re-election in 2018.