WINNERS LOSERS

Who was up and who was down last week

With eight months to the primary, Gov. Kathy Hochul is in a pretty good position for reelection, according to a new Marist poll. But in case that slips, she’s got a trick up her sleeve: Canadians. That’s right – the U.S.-Canadian border, which has largely been closed for the past 18 months, is going to open up again, and many New Yorkers from western New York and the North Country are overjoyed. Next year, dual citizens could be taking their Tim Hortons coffee to the polls and backing Hochul en masse.

ROBERT JACKSON & CYNTHIA NIXON

Just like that, the governor of New York and the one-time gubernatorial candidate were friends. Cynthia Nixon was on the receiving end of a phone call from Gov. Kathy Hochul, letting her know that the state had finally, officially settled the decades-old Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit, which was welcome news to state Sen. Robert Jackson, who was the lead plantiff on the case.

WINNERS

OUR PICK

LOSERS

OUR PICK

CLAUDIA TENNEY

After a review of the Federal Election Commission records by The Daily Beast, it was revealed that Rep. Claudia Tenney spent thousands of campaign dollars on businesses that the Trumpist claimed ownership of. Through Tenney’s campaigns for state and federal offices, the GOP lawmaker earned her family’s companies more than $100,000. Despite the multiple requests for comment, Tenney’s team has yet to respond.

THE BEST OF THE REST JESSICA RAMOS

The Queens Democrat has been one of many critics of the LaGuardia AirTrain, the “dumb” pet project of ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Its apparent cancellation means Ramos will likely be spared the sight of watching the $2.1 billion boondoggle go through her state Senate district.

STEPHEN CRAMPTON & PLAINTIFFS

A judge sided with Stephen Crampton of the Thomas More Society – and the 17 hospital and nursing home workers the group represents – who sued over the state’s vaccine mandate for their right to seek a religious exemption to the rule.

THE REST OF THE WORST LAURA CURRAN

The Nassau County executive was caught breaking her own law, after it was discovered that she was sending taxpayers governmentfunded mailers with her name on them within 45 days prior to an election. Challenger Bruce Blakeman wants her to reimburse the county $80K for the mailers. He isn’t going to letter get away with this.

THOMAS JEFFERSON

All men are created equal, but not all statues are. At least that’s the case for some New York City officials, who have recently pushed to have the Founding Father’s statue booted from City Hall after 187 years.

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Vol. 10 Issue 40 October 18, 2021

The curious case of Brian Benjamin

Few could have predicted his rise to lieutenant governor,

and now he’s got his sights

set on the 2022 election.

CITYANDSTATENY.COM @CITYANDSTATENY THE POWER OF DIVERSITY BLACK

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October 18, 2021

Cover photograph: Sean Pressley

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