Despite Ms. Nixon’s focus on the subway, Mr. Cuomo, who is said to be considering a presidential run in 2020, has retained a comfortable primary lead in recent surveys. The subway, however, has been a concern for Mr. Cuomo: As the system descended into crisis last summer, his approval ratings dropped.

For years, advocates have criticized Mr. Cuomo’s uneven leadership of the transit system, with a focus on splashy projects like the Second Avenue subway over the unglamorous nuts and bolts of running the system. They have also urged him to ride the subway to understand the daily suffering of riders.

The last time Mr. Cuomo is known to have taken the subway was in January 2017 for the first trip on the new Second Avenue line on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Mr. Cuomo lives in Westchester County and often works in Albany, the governor’s office has said, though he does frequently travel to New York City.

“The governor was born and raised in Queens and grew up taking the train — but riding the subways doesn’t fix them, and that’s the only thing we’re focused on,” said Dani Lever, a spokeswoman for Mr. Cuomo. She declined to say when Mr. Cuomo last took the subway.

Ms. Nixon has made a point of riding the subway, as has Mr. de Blasio, the governor’s frequent adversary. Mr. de Blasio has taken the subway at least 18 times this year, his office said, providing a list of recent trips.

“It’s important that public officials experience the subway crisis like everyone else does,” said Austin Finan, a spokesman for the mayor.



Last week, the subway’s new leader, Andy Byford, released a comprehensive plan to overhaul the system, including quickly installing new signals on the busiest lines. The proposal could cost $19 billion in the first five years — and an additional $18 billion during the second five years of the plan, according to board members who were briefed on the plan.