He imposed a tax on millionaires. He pushed for same-sex marriage. He implemented a free-tuition program for the state university (though critics from the left, including Nixon, say it didn’t go far enough).

He also had the nerve to stand up to the teachers unions. He pushed for – and got – a property tax cap. He lowered state income taxes during his two terms. His economic development efforts have helped not only Western New York, but areas all around upstate.

Nixon is both passionate and, on the subjects she cares about, well informed. She is especially focused on improving education in New York – always a worthy goal – but her approach would hurt the state. Her plan to raise taxes to bolster the state’s already sky-high levels of education spending risk driving high-earning New Yorkers out of the state, sending an unhelpful message to employers and leaving fewer taxpayers to shoulder the increased burden.

Nixon’s inexperience is also a problem. America’s experiment with celebrity politicians hasn’t worked out well. The idea that a passionate outsider with name recognition can solve the very real problems of government policy stems from genuine frustrations, but whatever the answer is, it isn’t in electing unqualified, novice candidates to top positions. It’s an open invitation to chaos.