New York is a big state with small politics. It is home to many of the most ambitious and inventive people in the world, but its governance is stunted by party hacks and special interests, petty rivalries and systemic corruption.

The Democratic primaries on Thursday, Sept. 13, provide some ground for hope. The damage being done by the Trump administration has reawakened New Yorkers to the importance of political participation. Recognizing this new spirit, energetic Senate candidates are promising real reform. Candidates for attorney general — in particular Zephyr Teachout, a national expert on corruption — are campaigning to clean up Albany and take on the Trump administration, and they’re well positioned to do just that.

Unfortunately, the top of the ticket offers less cause for enthusiasm.

In his two terms as governor, Andrew Cuomo has had significant accomplishments. But he has done little to combat the corruption in the Legislature and his own administration, and he has allowed the subway system, the foundation of the New York City economy, to rot. The case for change, at a time when so many New Yorkers yearn for change, is not hard to make.

Yet the actor and activist Cynthia Nixon was the only Democrat with the guts to take on Mr. Cuomo, his $30 million campaign war chest and his reputation for vindictiveness. She has campaigned on sweeping promises to address New Yorkers’ hunger for health care, housing and a fair criminal justice system.