Ithaca - If there was any doubt about Eliot L. Spitzer's strength in this year's Democratic contest for governor, he wiped it all away Saturday during a conclave of small county Democrats on Cornell University's campus.

Spitzer, the state attorney general, pummelled Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi 148 to 7 in a straw poll conducted by the Democratic Rural Caucus, a traditional early test in the vein of the Iowa presidential caucuses.

It only underscored the notion that the new campaign launched by an accomplished and well-financed candidate like Suozzi is so far nowhere near derailing the "Spitzer Express," at least as far as the party hierarchy is concerned.

"It means a great deal to me that the folks from across the state . . . and these are teachers and store owners, the folks who do not live and breathe politics . . . have come in support of what I've been trying to do," Spitzer said after the vote. "That is enormously important to me."

In two other votes, former U.S. Attorney Denise E. O'Donnell of Buffalo earned a surprising second-place finish in a crowded contest for attorney general, and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton received an unexpected challenge from an anti-war candidate who got nine votes to Clinton's 126.

Suozzi predicted in Buffalo last week he would get "crushed" by Spitzer in the meeting of rural Democrats, who have been voting since 1998 as a way to be heard outside the big, urban counties and to kick off the statewide election year. When that "crush" was officially recorded Saturday, however, it did not deter his resolve to take the matter to the voters.

"This is a very early stage, and my campaign is about going right out to the people with my message," Suozzi told reporters. The Rural Caucus straw poll has not always proven an accurate harbinger of things to come. It backed former Transportation Commissioner James L. Larocca for governor in 1998; he finished fourth in the Democratic primary that year. That same year, it backed former New York City Public Advocate Mark J. Green (an attorney general hopeful this year) for senator before then-Rep. Charles E. Schumer won it all.

And in 2000, the delegates supported former HUD Secretary Andrew M. Cuomo (another attorney general candidate in 2006), who eventually left the race after then-Comptroller H. Carl McCall built a big lead for governor.

Spitzer, however, reminded reporters that the caucus backed his first run for attorney general in 1998.

The meeting allowed candidates for the contested races of governor, attorney general and senator to explain their stands and make claims for early leads. That proved especially important for Cuomo, who has resurrected his political career this year in his bid for attorney general.

Cuomo outpaced five other candidates in the party's most competitive contest and beat his next strongest challenger by a more than 2-to-1 margin, reflecting the name recognition most observers believe he has built throughout upstate. He recounted his HUD efforts in economic development in various cities, as well as promoting the Erie Canal.

He said his campaign will hinge on matters of criminal, social, economic and racial justice, with a promise to attack a capital he said is run by lobbyists.

"I know what it takes to clean up government; I know how to do it because I did it before," Cuomo said, referring to his days in the Clinton administration. "I'll clean up the Medicaid program and New Yorkers will get the health care they deserve."

After emphasizing her role as a tough federal prosecutor, O'Donnell earned a surprising second-place finish - a boost for her credentials in the crowded field.

Jack O'Donnell, her son and spokesman, said she was pleased with the effort - calling it a "strong second-place finish."

The final tally showed Cuomo with 79 votes, followed by O'Donnell with 30, party activist Charlie King with 18, Green with 17, former Clinton official Sean P. Maloney with eight, and Assemblyman Richard L. Brodsky of Westchester County with four.

Clinton got an unexpected challenge from Jonathan Tasini, labor activist and anti-war candidate who called for an immediate return of troops in Iraq, but easily beat him, 126-9. Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi and Sen. David A. Paterson, Spitzer's choice for lieutenant governor, were nominated with virtually no opposition.