20 minute read
FIRST READ
Rep. Jerry Nadler’s campaign picked up a lot of steam in the final weeks of the campaign and he won comfortably over Rep. Carolyn Maloney and Suraj Patel.
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– state Sen. Jabari Brisbort, on possible reconciliation between democratic socialists and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, via the New York Post
BATTLE OF THE TITANS
Gov. It didn’t take long for the dust to settle and a clear victor to emerge in the 12th Congressional District, where two powerful House leaders from opposite sides of Manhattan were pushed into a tumultuous primary after neither would concede the seat to the other when redistricting forced their hands. Rep. Jerry Nadler was crowned the Democratic nominee within a few hours of the polls closing, handily defeating longtime Rep. Carolyn Maloney with 55% of the vote to her 24%. Attorney Suraj Patel, who positioned himself as a fresh voice representing generational change, scooped up 19% of the vote. What started as an unprecedented contest between two New York political fixtures turned into a tense standoff in the weeks leading up to
WRECK THE VOTE
As expected, turnout for New York’s primary elections – and special elections – was low on Tuesday night, with less than 16% of active voters casting ballots. There is something disconcerting about showing up to vote at an empty polling site. With New York City polling places handing out new pens and Ulster County was set to release a unique new “I voted” sticker, maybe November holds more promise.
– state Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, on the mayor’s endorsements against left-wing candidates, via The New York Times the election. Maloney referred to a New York Post editorial in the final days of the campaign that called Nadler “senile,” something he said wasn’t true. But when Nadler began picking up speed in the final weeks of the campaign after receiving a coveted endorsement from The New York Times and performing well in several debates, Tuesday proved there was really no going back. And in the end, there could only be one political titan remaining: Maloney’s nearly 30-year tenure in Congress has come to a close (at least for now), while Nadler will continue on as the powerful chair of the House Judiciary Committee.
HUDSON VALLEY SPOTLIGHT
Of all the political contests that played out in New York this year, a bellwether race in the Hudson Valley probably captured the most national attention. The 19th Congressional District special election centered on abortion rights in wake of Roe v. Wade’s reversal, and many looked to Democrat Pat Ryan and Republican Marc Molinaro’s battle as a gauge for the country’s current political climate in battleground districts. Higher than expected turnout was enough to boost Ryan to victory, giving him 51% of the vote and sparking hope for the Democratic Party’s chances to hold
their razor-thin majority in Congress this November. The special election results in New York caused The Cook Political Report to revise its midterm outcome, predicting slightly fewer GOP gains in the House than it had before. Still, the seat won’t be a guaranteed notch on Democrats’ belt for long. The district will once again find itself in the spotlight – and on the ballot – in November. Ryan will remain in office for four months while running for a full term as the Democratic nominee in the 18th Congressional District, and then Molinaro will have another chance in the general election, this time facing the Democratic nominee and political newcomer Josh Riley.
RED ON RED CLASH
Of all the Republicans vying to win their party’s nomination for Congress heading into November, former gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino and state Republican Party Chair Nick Langworthy’s battle was perhaps the most controversial. Though Langworthy ultimately edged out his polarizing challenger with 51% of the vote, the primary contest in the 23rd Congressional District was close – far closer than many anticipated. The race caused a schism among New York Republicans – caused in large part by Paladino’s history of racist and sexist remarks as well as the inappropriate attacks he’s slung at other political figures. It was also seen as a proxy war for influence over the state Republican Party between Langworthy and Rep. Elise Stefanik, who backed Paladino for the seat. In a special election within the same district, Republican Joe Sempolinski bested Democrat Max Della Pia, though the margin
Democrat Pat Ryan won a tight battle in the 19th Congressional District special election for the Hudson Valley.
Dan Goldman spent his way to victory
First-time candidate Dan Goldman claimed victory in the 10th Congressional District following a tight race, up about 1,300 votes over Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou.
Goldman, speaking to supporters at a watch party at the Torch & Crown Brewing Co. in SoHo, said, “It is quite clear from the way that the results have come in that we have won.”
Goldman spent the beginning of the night watching the results with family and friends before making his appearance at the watch party around 10:30 p.m.
Goldman served as counsel to the House Democrats during the first impeachment of then-President Donald Trump and presented himself to voters as an experienced fighter on national issues, even as he lacked the deep local connections of some of his opponents in the race. He was also the leading moderate in the primary, declining to line up with opponents who supported policies like Medicare for All, broad student loan forgiveness and expanding the U.S. Supreme Court.
In the final days of the campaign, after he received the coveted New York Times endorsement, the former federal prosecutor faced attacks from many of the other candidates over self-funding his campaign with $4 million (he’s an heir to Levi Strauss & Co.), his flip-flop in an interview regarding legal abortion restrictions and most recently, a tongue-in-cheek endorsement from Trump.
But as Goldman was targeted, many observers felt the progressive vote in the district was split among multiple left-leaning candidates – allowing Goldman to eke out a victory.
Goldman won 26% of votes, while Niou netted 24%, followed by Rep. Mondaire Jones with 18% and New York City Council Member Carlina Rivera at 17%.
At Goldman’s party, speakers included District Council 37 Local 299 President Jackie Rowe-Adams and Assembly Member Robert Carroll. Also in attendance were former City Council Member Alan Gerson and former Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch.
In his election night speech, Goldman vowed “to fight for our planet and to protect our children and neighbors from the scourge of gun violence and hate crimes in our society.” He also said his perceived win was “a rebuke of Donald Trump who tried and failed again to meddle in an election” – referring to the former president’s backhanded public “endorsement.” – Sara Dorn
THE WEEK AHEAD
TUESDAY 8/30
Election boards across the state will start tallying the remaining absentee ballots, getting closer to the final results for the Aug. 23 primary. WEDNESDAY 8/31
The New York City Council holds a 10 a.m. oversight hearing on examining the city’s preparedness and response to public health emergencies. INSIDE DOPE
The council will also hold a hearing on a bill to establish a city Office of Pandemic Preparedness. MONDAY 9/5
Politicians will flock to Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn for the West Indian Day Parade Carnival – celebrating the cultures of the Caribbean.
was much closer than expected at 53% to 46%. The district showed an 11-point Republican advantage according to Cook’s model, so Della Pia overperformed by a few percentage points. And in Long Island’s 1st Congressional District, the Republican and Conservative Partybacked Nick LaLota, who is chief of staff in the Suffolk County Legislature, easily knocked out his two challengers, setting himself up as the likely replacement for GOP gubernatorial nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin.
SEAN PATRICK MALONEY KEEPS HIS SEAT
From the start of their charged contest in the 17th Congressional District, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney held several strong institutional advantages over progressive state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi. While the well-known senator has made a name for herself as a fierce state leader backed by a slew of progressive organizations and politicians, it wasn’t enough to topple the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair. In the end, he won with 66% of the vote, crushing progressive hopes in the region. Despite angering many of his peers for running in the new lines and pushing out Rep. Mondaire Jones, Maloney’s deep ties to the Hudson Valley area along with his strong labor support and major fundraising advantages were enough to propel him to victory. “Tonight, mainstream won,” Maloney said during his victory speech. “Common sense won. Democrats want candidates who get results and bring home the win.”
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney pushed Rep. Mondaire Jones out of this seat and then won reelection easily.
SECOND CHANCES AND BIG MARGINS
A number of highly competitive Democratic races have played out across the state where money has flooded in and political newcomers have bet big – while others
Astoria, Queens, is now represented by democratic socialists across the board
– Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Lee Zeldin, on Gov. Kathy Hochul in a pitch for campaign donations, via the Post
– New York City Mayor Eric Adams on a recent story in The New York Times that documented his many visits to a swanky restaurant, via Politico New York have tried again. Longtime political insider Robert Zimmerman beat four other candidates with 35% of the votes in the crowded 3rd Congressional District, with support from the Democratic establishment, including the Queens Democratic Party, major labor unions and even Hillary Clinton. He will vie against Republican nominee George Santos this November to replace Rep. Tom Suozzi in what’s likely to be a competitive fight. Newsday reported that it may be the first time that the two major-party congressional candidates on Long Island are both out gay. After failing to clinch the victory two years ago, veteran Francis Conole pulled a comeback in the 22nd Congressional District, securing the nomination this time around with 39% of the vote. In the 4th, 11th and 16th Congressional Districts, Democrats Laura Gillen, former Rep. Max Rose (who is looking to win back the seat he lost two years ago) and progressive Rep. Jamaal Bowman all easily coasted to primary victories.
DSA-BACKED GONZALEZ CAPTURES QUEENS
After a disappointing performance in the June primary, progressive Democrats gained ground this time around with some surprising upsets and narrow defeats. The biggest winner of the night however was Kristen Gonzalez – a political newcomer backed by the Democratic Socialists of America and other powerful left lawmakers. Facing a well-funded opponent in Elizabeth Crowley, she triumphed in the newly created District 59, capturing 57% of the vote and fending off the former New York City Council
A Q&A with state Sen.
ROBERT JACKSON
Your campaign leading up to the primary featured tense opposition from Rep. Adriano Espaillat. Why do you think this is? Does Espaillat feel threatened by your politics? I think that he feels threatened at the fact that all of the unions, all of the progressive groups around the city were supporting me and the fact that he put together his entire squad in order to try to take me out. We prevailed. People say to me, “Congratulations, you did it.” And I say to them, “No, we did it.” We did it and it was a democratic process, democracy in action. And we’re in favor of democracy, but not as a result of one person ruling northern Manhattan and the Bronx. That would be a dictatorship. We are for the democratic process that we’re used to in New York City and the state where people have good enough signatures, get on the ballot and can run and after it’s over, being able to say thank you to everyone that we’ve done a good job on behalf of the people talking about their issues and concerns that impact their daily lives – and that’s what my campaign was about.
Some of your supporters have framed this race as another anti-Independent Democratic Conference race, since Angel Vasquez used to work for former state Sen. Marisol Alcantara, who was part of that group. Do you agree with the framing? I think that there was a continuation of that. Angel was the chief of staff under Marisol, which under Marisol, education funding never happened, housing never happened, immigration reform never happened. Many of those things happened when the leadership of the state Senate went to Andrea Stewart-Cousins, so things got done after we ran. Angel alone with his representative that he was working as a chief of staff – didn’t do the job representing our people. That’s proven. After January 2019, things started to move. We also found out that hedge funds and real estate were pumping money into the campaign via an independent expenditure – and directly through his campaign. So you tell me in evaluating that, knowing what the IDC was about and knowing what has occurred and finding out all of this in order to try to get him elected. You ask the people. Ask them what they think and they will tell you. This was about a group of individuals under the leadership of Adriano Espaillat trying to get me out of this seat. Because I am the only person as an elected public official in northern Manhattan that can challenge Adriano regarding a work ethic to get the job done. And that’s why they elected me to represent them in January, those new people in the Bronx, and the ones in northern Manhattan and Community Board 12.
What did you do differently in this year’s race compared to 2018? I think that we worked with more diversity within the various groups. So for example, besides all of the labor unions, the individuals not affiliated with labor unions, all of the endorsements of current representatives, and former representatives, like former Congressman Charles Rangel, and former Borough President Fernando Ferrer. – Asar John
Our Perspective
We Need Legislation to Help Keep Amazon Warehouse Workers Safe
By Stuart Appelbaum, President, Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, RWDSU, UFCW Twitter: @sappelbaum
More people are shopping online, buying everything from toothpaste and tissues to desks and dining tables. As a result, warehouse facilities are popping up across New York at staggering numbers; Amazon alone has opened nearly 70 facilities in the state and over half of those facilities have been built since January 2021. At the same time, we have seen increased stress, pain, and resulting safety issues for warehouse workers, due to increased quotas and speeds.
Unsafe work speeds, unreasonable work quotas, dangerous work, and insufficient breaks all contribute to the skyrocketing rate of injuries and sickness in the industry — including heart attacks, strokes, repetitive motion injuries, and irreparable life-long joint and back pain. At Amazon, the injury rate is 54% higher than the average rate for the state’s warehousing industry — and even that is a staggering misrepresentation of the reality given how many injuries at Amazon go unreported.
Regulations protecting workers in the warehousing industry have lagged far behind its rapid growth. The RWDSU has long prioritized the challenge of protecting warehouse workers from stress induced injuries and illness from limitless quotas.
The RWDSU encouraged the introduction of the Warehouse Worker Protection Act (WWPA - A10020/S8922), modeled after similar legislation signed into law in California last year. The law would help protect workers from inhumane quotas — quotas that have caused workers lifelong injuries and outrageously, in some cases, their lives. The WWPA would require that quotas, which are oftentimes completely unknown to workers, be transparent. And it would prevent workers from being disciplined if they fail to meet these quotas, especially if it’s due to basic human needs like bathroom and water breaks. Research shows that many of these injuries and illnesses are preventable and are the result of mismanagement that prioritizes speed and productivity for profits over workers’ safety. The WWPA would create important boundaries to protect warehouse industry workers from the brutal line speeds and quotas that are driving injuries and sickness at New York’s warehouses.
The rise of e-commerce has forever changed the retail sector. Just because the work has changed doesn’t mean workers shouldn’t be protected. We will continue to fight to ensure workers and their health and safety are protected. Without the WWPA, workers will suffer.
Our coalition of workers, community groups and unions took a huge step and achieved a big win for workers’ safety when the WWPA passed the NYS legislature. This critical bill needs to be signed into law so it can start helping workers who need it now more than ever.
www.rwdsu.org
Special elections give national Democrats renewed hope
The results of New York’s two special elections are buoying Democrats’ hopes of maintaining control of Congress in November. Republican Joe Sempolinski won the Southern Tier’s 23rd District, but pulled off the win by a surprisingly slim margin. Meanwhile, Democrat Pat Ryan’s victory in the 19th District, which spans the Catskills and Hudson Valley, indicated the party’s abortion rights narrative in the wake of the reversal of Roe v. Wade can rally voters to the polls.
The district Ryan will represent is R+2 under the current lines, but it’s a toss-up under the newly drawn lines that will take effect next year, according to the Cook Partisan Voting Index, which measures the political leanings of a district compared to the nation as a whole. Biden won the district by 4 percentage points and Trump by 2 points in 2016. Ryan netted 51% of votes on Tuesday night, compared to his Republican opponent Marc Molinaro’s 49%.
Sempolinski, the Steuben County Republican Committee chair and a former aide to Rep. Tom Reed, beat Democrat Max Della Pia by 7 percentage points to fill his former boss’s seat. The margin of victory was underwhelming compared with Cook’s model showing the district leaned R+11. Trump, however, won the 23rd District by more than 18 percentage points in both 2016 and 2020. The newly drawn district in the 23rd will be R+12.
The winners of both contests will serve just four months of the remainder of their predecessors’ terms. Ryan is his party’s nominee in November for a full term in the 18th District, while Sempolinksi said he will return home to Steuben County after his brief stint on Capitol Hill.
The 19th District in particular was seen as a proving ground for the messaging strategies deployed by both party establishments nationally. While Ryan, the Ulster County executive, leaned heavily on abortion rights, Molinaro campaigned on curbing crime and fighting inflation.
Historically, the president’s party almost always loses seats during midterms, and that’s likely to happen this year as well, according to various outlooks, though Republicans’ anticipated gains in the House may be dwindling. The Cook Political Report revised its midterm outlook on Wednesday, citing the results of the special elections in the 19th and 23rd Districts, among others, to predict the GOP will gain 10-20 seats, down from 15-30 in early June. The GOP’s chances of winning the Senate were also weaker. “The coin is definitely in the air for the Senate. That chamber could remain 50-50, or either party gain a seat or two with very small numbers of votes making the difference,” Charlie Cook, political analyst and founder of Cook Political Report, wrote Thursday.
Based on FiveThirtyEight’s polling algorithm, voters since early August have slightly favored Democrats to maintain control of Congress, a shift from earlier in the summer when Republicans were up more than 2 percentage points. – Sara Dorn
member, who had pulled in a lot more money and secured big endorsements from New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Rep. Adriano Espaillat. Gonzalez’s success didn’t echo across the board for state Senate DSA insurgents. Community organizer David Alexis fell to longtime incumbent state Sen. Kevin Parker in District 21, though the margin was notably tight. Alexis – a firsttime candidate – put together a strong grassroots campaign against the Energy and Telecommunications Committee chair that ultimately left him trailing the longtime incumbent by a couple thousand votes.
INCUMBENTS REIGN
For the most part, incumbents proved they’ve still got what it takes, and the results Tuesday night were largely promising for many household names in the state Senate. In one of the most notable contests, state Sen. Gustavo Rivera of District 33 in the Bronx prevailed in a highly competitive battle against first-time candidate and lawyer Miguelina Camilo. The race was tight – 51% to 47% – and the odds appeared to be stacked against Rivera because he once again had to take on the Bronx Democratic Party, and redistricting added several new neighborhoods into the mix. Though Camilo, the more moderate candidate, enjoyed the support of a slew of powerful political leaders like Adams and Espaillat, it wasn’t enough to end Rivera’s more than 10 years in office. And it also means the New York Health Act, a plan to create single-payer health care in the state, will keep a major backer. Fellow progressive state Sen. Jabari Brisport breezed past a controversial Adams-endorsed candidate, the Rev. Conrad Tillard, and Renee Holmes with 69% of the vote in Brooklyn, earning the socialist a likely second term in District 25. And in Washington Heights and Inwood, state Sen. Robert Jackson emerged the victor in District 31, with 57% in a crowded field of candidates. His strongest competitor was Angel Vasquez, the former chief of staff to Marisol Alcantara, who Jackson defeated in 2018, and Vasquez was supported by Espaillat, Reps. Hakeem Jeffries and Ritchie Torres, as well as Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine.
It was a good night for incumbents, and state Sen. Gustavo Rivera.
September 29, 2022 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM Museum of Jewish Heritage 36 Battery Place, New York, NY 10280
Join us for a full-day of discussions that dissect the biggest infrastructure issues, including funding for repairs, use of MWBEs, policy recommendations, and where the city and state has seen its biggest successes and shortcomings. Panel Topics Include: • Design & Construction in a Post-Pandemic Era • Rethinking New York’s Transportation Systems • Innovation in NY Rebuilding: Construction, Development & Workforce • The Public-Private Partnerships Bringing Projects to Life in New York KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Maria Torres-Springer, New York City Deputy Mayor for Economic & Workforce Development
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