Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Elections

Elections

  • How Much Does Brooklyn Congressional Primary Result Show Path in Overlapping State Senate Race?

    myrie w congressmembers via indivisble bk

    Zellnor Myrie receives the endorsement of Rep. Clarke, among others (photo: @BKIndivisible)


    A wide swath of central Brooklyn is hosting its second contentious Democratic primary race this year. After a surprisingly close congressional primary in June, voters in a largely overlapping state Senate district will vote in September in another race where an incumbent is facing an upstart challenger.

    Brooklyn Congressional District 9...

  • Rematch of Tight Manhattan Senate Primary Takes Shape in Different Political Environment

    marisol alcantara reelect

    Sen. Alcántara, middle (photo: @NY31Alcantara)


    Both are Democrats with a steady history of politics and activism in New York. Both graduated from in-state universities and began their careers by working with labor unions. Both are people of color and have participated in the political arena while being the only one of their demographic in the room. On virtually every policy issue, they agree, yet the two -- Marisol Alcántara and Robert Jackson -- are engaged in a nasty political race that will be decided on primary election day, September 13.

    Alcántara is the

    ...
  • Independence from Cuomo, or Lack Thereof, Becomes Flashpoint in Attorney General Race

    Andrew Cuomo Tish James

    Cuomo & James (photo: The Governor's Office)


    New York City Public Advocate Letitia James is performing a balancing act as she runs for state Attorney General, at once cross-endorsing with Governor Andrew Cuomo, a fellow Democrat seeking a third term, and accepting his fundraising support, while also attempting to convince skeptical voters that she would be sufficiently independent if both are victorious this fall.

    After the shocking resignation of Eric Schneiderman amid domestic abuse allegations and James’ decision to run for attorney general,

    ...
  • Running for Attorney General, James Outlines Initial Policy Platform

    tish james tishjames

    Letitia James (photo: @TishJames)


    While initial polls show that many voters are too unfamiliar with their choices in the Democratic primary for Attorney General to have a preference, Public Advocate Letitia James has led the polling among those who do make a choice. The latest poll from Siena College, of Democratic voters likely to cast a ballot on September 13, has James at 25 percent, with U.S.

    ...
  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Attorney General Candidate Sean Patrick Maloney

    mxm logo

    Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


    August 8, 2018 - Max & Murphy Podcast: Attorney General Candidate Sean Patrick Maloney

    sean patrick maloney wbai podcast 277U.S. Representative Sean Patrick Maloney is running in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of New York. Maloney, who has a long government and private sector resume and

    ...
  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Queens State Senate Rematch Features Different Kinds of Democrat

    mxm logo

    Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


    August 8, 2018 - Max & Murphy Podcast: Queens State Senate Rematch Features Different Kinds of Democrats, with Senator Tony Avella and challenger John Liu

    tony avella john liu wbai 277 bState Senator Tony Avella says he decided to become part of the Independent Democratic Conference, which entered into a

    ...
  • Cuomo Brought Rogue Democrats Back, But Hasn't Offered or Accepted Endorsements

    Cuomo Klein Stewart-Cousins

    Gov. Cuomo, center, with Sens. Stewart-Cousins, left, & Klein (photo: The Governor's Office)


    Governor Andrew Cuomo says he wants Democrats to take control of the state Senate and, in reunifying two factions to be able to focus on flipping Republican seats, he publicly offered support for senators who once made up the Independent Democratic Conference, a group of breakaway Democrats that until April held a years-long power-sharing agreement with Republicans.

    Cuomo and the leaders of the two Senate groups -- mainline conference leader Senator

    ...
  • Cuomo and Legislative Leaders Silent Amid Intensifying Calls for Sexual Harassment Hearings

    Cuomo Women's Equality Act presser 2013

    Gov. Cuomo in 2013 (photo: The Governor's Office)


    As part of the #MeToo movement, a group of women who experienced sexual harassment or abuse while working in New York state government have for months been advocating for public hearings on the culture that enables that misconduct in government, especially the state capital, and in the private sector. Their calls have intensified -- and been echoed by prominent women running for state elected offices this year -- after Governor Andrew Cuomo and state legislative leaders passed new anti-harassment

    ...
  • Key to Victory, Black Voters Appear Solidly Behind Cuomo Over Nixon

    Cuomo Brooklyn church

    Gov. Cuomo at God's Battalion Church in Brooklyn (both photos via Governor's Office)


    On a recent morning at Sylvia's, the historic soul food restaurant in Harlem, caterer Lindsey Williams was weighing his upcoming vote in New York's gubernatorial primary election.

    "I listened to Cynthia Nixon, and I liked what she was saying," said Williams, the 52 year-old grandson of Sylvia's founder Sylvia Woods.

    Ultimately, however, Governor Andrew Cuomo had his vote, Williams said, citing his admiration for the governor's father, late Governor Mario Cuomo,

    ...
  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Manhattan State Senate Rematch Centered on Breakaway Democrats

    mxm logo

    Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


    August 1, 2018 - Max & Murphy Podcast: The Epicenter of the Fight Over the IDC, with guests State Senator Marisol Alcántara and challenger Robert Jackson

    marisol alcantara robert jackson stateMarisol Alcántara won a close, competitive four-way Democratic primary in 2016 to take her seat in the state

    ...
  • In Wide Open Lieutenant Governor Primary, Hochul Targets Votes in Williams’ Backyard

    hochul in brooklyn w lawmakers

    Lt. Gov. Hochul, center, in Brooklyn (photo: @KathyHochul)


    Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, in campaign mode, has appeared in the Bronx and Brooklyn several times over the past few weeks. The Democratic lieutenant governor, facing a challenge from Brooklyn City Council Member Jumaane Williams as she seeks a second term, has been spending more time in New York City as primary day gets closer.

    Hochul’s focus on the city, and its communities of color in particular, are indicative of the importance of voters from the five boroughs,

    ...
  • 'Undecided' Leads Competitive Democratic Attorney General Primary

    Tish James City Hall rally

    Letitia James at City Hall (photo: Gotham Gazette)


    In the four-way contest for the Democratic nomination for attorney general, Public Advocate Letitia James is leading the pack but more than 40 percent of likely primary voters have yet to decide who they will support, according to the latest Siena College poll released Tuesday.

    The poll, conducted from July 22 to 26, sampled hundreds of

    ...
  • What New York Voters Care About Ahead of State Elections

    govcuomo rochester

    (photo via the Governor's office)


    The latest statewide poll from Quinnipiac University shows New York voters’ preferences in the races for governor, attorney general, and others. But it also divulges the issues that New Yorkers say are most important to them in the run-up to the September primary and November general elections.

    One question asked what issue voters prioritize most in their vote for governor, with a short list of issues

    ...
  • Eyeing Ad Revenue and Antitrust Laws, Teachout Targets Tech Giants in Wake of Daily News Layoffs

    Zephyr Teachout

    Zephyr Teachout (photo: Gotham Gazette)


    Democratic Attorney General hopeful Zephyr Teachout is placing the blame for mass layoffs at the New York Daily News on tech giants Google and Facebook, and plans, if elected, to enforce antitrust laws to battle what she calls a “duopoly” of ad revenue that is crushing local news.

    Referring to big tech as a “parasite on journalism,” Teachout unveiled on Wednesday a broad, though somewhat vague, plan to use the antitrust laws available to state and federal prosecutors to break up Google and Facebook’s stranglehold on the news

    ...
  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Attorney General Candidate Leecia Eve

    mxm logo

    Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


    July 25, 2018 - Max & Murphy Podcast: Attorney General Candidate Leecia Eve

    leecia eve attLeecia Eve is one of four Democrats vying for the party's nomination to become the next Attorney General of New York. Eve has a long resume practicing law and serving in government, including work for then-Senator Joe Biden, then-Senator

    ...
  • In Midst of Attorney General Campaign, Teachout to Join New York Bar

    teachoutzpep

    Zephyr Teachout (photo: zephyrforny.com)


    Zephyr Teachout is set to cast aside a key question surrounding her candidacy for New York Attorney General. After filing the appropriate paperwork, reviewing the required “orientation” course online, and sitting for the necessary interview, Teachout will be sworn into the New York Bar on August 22.

    Teachout, running in a four-way Democratic primary, is seeking to become the state’s top legal officer. She has been licensed to practice law in North Carolina, where she did legal work early in her career, and has been teaching at

    ...
  • In Democratic Senate Primary, Barkan Criticizes Gounardes for Embracing 'Anti-Immigrant' Reform Party Leader

    barkan handshake

    Ross Barkan (photo: @RossBarkan)


    As the contested Democratic primary for a southern Brooklyn state Senate seat heats up with less than two months to go, reporter-turned-candidate Ross Barkan is calling out his opponent Andrew Gounardes for accepting the endorsement of the Reform Party and its local leader, Bob Capano, who has a history of anti-immigrant rhetoric.

    Barkan and Gounardes are competing ahead of the September 13 primary for the Democratic nomination in state Senate District 22, hoping to unseat Senator Marty Golden, one of the few Republican

    ...
  • Leading Immigrant-Advocacy Group Backs Ramos in Bid to Unseat Peralta

    jessica ramos cm

    Jessica Ramos (photo: @JessicaRamos)


    When state Senator Jose Peralta joined the Independent Democratic Conference at the beginning of last year, he became the latest Democrat to sever ties with his own party and become part of a coalition with Republicans, a move that further consolidated GOP control over the upper chamber of the state Legislature and enraged many Democrats. Fast forward a year and a half, and after considerable criticism and facing primary challengers in this year’s elections, the IDC dissolved its breakaway faction and rejoined the mainline

    ...
  • Inside the Democratic Attorney General Candidates’ July Campaign Finance Filings

    sean pat maloney5

    Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (photo: @RepSeanMaloney)


    The race for state Attorney General appears to be the most wide open in the 2018 New York election cycle, at least among statewide races. In the wake of former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s shocking resignation, four Democrats have jumped into a competitive primary that will be decided on September 13, with the winner automatically seen as the frontrunner to win the general election against Republican nominee Keith Wofford and Green Party nominee Michael Sussman.

    Recently released campaign finance filings

    ...
  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Letitia James & the Attorney General Primary

    mxm logo

    Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


    July 18, 2018 - Max & Murphy Podcast: Letitia James & the Attorney General Primary

    ag candidate letitia jamesOn Wednesday, July 18, the Max & Murphy podcast moved to the airwaves of WBAI radio, 99.5FM and wbai.org, where the hosts will weekly interview guests, discuss key issues, and take calls from

    ...
  • The July Financial Picture for Former Breakaway Democrats and Their Primary Challengers

    liu and ramos via jessicaramos

    John Liu and Jessica Ramos (photo: @JessicaRamos)


    The deadline for candidates for state office to file their latest campaign finance disclosures with the state Board of Elections was Monday, July 16. The disclosures show candidate fundraising and expenditures from the last six months, from January to July.

    All 213 seats in the state Legislature -- 150 Assembly and 63 Senate -- are on the ballot this year, but few incumbents face competitive races. The state Assembly is overwhelmingly composed of Democrats, most of whom do not have a

    ...
  • Statewide Candidates File July Fundraising Numbers

    Cuomo check

    Gov. Cuomo at a funding event (photo: The Governor's Office)


    With less than two months till the September 13 primary election, candidates running for state office filed campaign financial disclosure reports with the New York State Board of Elections by the Monday deadline, showing fundraising and expenditures from a six-month period between January 16 and July 16.

    Governor Andrew Cuomo, the two-term incumbent Democrat who is running for reelection, continues to maintain an overwhelming funding advantage with more than $31 million in his campaign coffers. Cuomo

    ...
  • Amid Primary Fights, Cuomo and Hochul Increase Frequency of Joint Governmental Events

    cuomo hochul bus stop

    Gov. Cuomo and Lt. Gov. Hochul (photo: The Governor's Office)


    Governor Andrew Cuomo and Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul have increased the frequency of their public appearances together in recent months, perhaps a reaction to the Democratic primary challenge against Hochul by City Council Member Jumaane Williams, not to mention Cynthia Nixon’s parallel attempt to unseat Cuomo.

    Between the close of state budget season at the end of March and mid-July, Cuomo and Hochul appeared together at 17 separate public government events, eight more than their nine

    ...
  • Assembly Race Poses Another Test for Queens Machine

    catalina cruz parade Queens

    Catalina Cruz (photo: @CatalinaCruzNY)


    Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Democratic primary victory over Rep. Joe Crowley last month in New York’s 14th congressional district sent shockwaves throughout the country and signalled a monumental shift in Queens politics, where the Crowley-led county party has held significant sway in local elections for many years. The effects of Ocasio-Cortez’s win and Crowley’s loss, both nationally and locally, are still developing, but reverberations are certainly being felt in the already-competitive Democratic primary for New York

    ...
  • The Cynthia Nixon-Working Families Party Back-up Plan

    nixon wfp via nixon twitter

    Cynthia Nixon and the WFP (photo: @CynthiaNixon)


    If Cynthia Nixon is unsuccessful in her attempt to defeat Governor Andrew Cuomo in the September 13 Democratic primary, she is likely to vacate the Working Families Party ballot line for the general election in order to avoid playing “spoiler” by pulling votes from Cuomo and helping elect another candidate, such as Republican gubernatorial nominee Marc Molinaro.

    While Nixon has been endorsed by the Working Families Party, in a move that has put the WFP’s existence at risk, the party has arranged a

    ...