SOMETHING TO CONSIDER

MIDTERMS 2022 Where Are We Headed?

BY PAUL HARVEY

It is difficult to believe that my first summer back in the Northeast is nearly coming to a close. I have thoroughly enjoyed every single minute being back, going to state parks and existing in the beautiful spaces and enjoying the local festivals that we have. Soon enough, it will be my favorite season, and I get to experience the full glory of fall through the colors of yellow, orange and, of course, red, white and blue. While talks of catching waves are on the minds of many vacation goers, there are some political “waves” that are brewing that will have significant implications on the next two years in both state and federal legislative sessions.

SPECIAL SESSION REQUIRED

After the Supreme Court struck down New York’s restrictive concealed carry permit requirements, Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a proclamation calling the legislature back into session on June 30 to consider new legislation related to firearms in the state. Several other states, including Massachusetts and New Jersey, are also expected to rewrite their laws since they also have similar requirements. Failing to rewrite these laws would leave the states exposed to litigation that would give judges strong legal precedent to overturn these laws outright. The Supreme Court’s ruling comes a month after mass shooting events in Buffalo, New York; Uvalde, Texas, and Chicago, that took the lives of dozens of Americans, including children. These events also led to the first major gun-reform legislation in 30 years, led by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), who has fiercely led for changes since another mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012, and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), a strong supporter of gun-ownership.

Legislators have already announced what kind of changes they would like to see made during the special session, but nothing is considered final until there is an agreement made between the Assembly speaker, Senate president and Hochul. Such ideas include excluding concealed carrying in so-called “sensitive areas,” such as mass transit, restaurants, schools, hospitals and public gatherings. Assemblyman Robert Smullen called the special session “political grandstanding” and said that they should only tailor laws to New York City.

READING THE TEA LEAVES

Primary season is quickly drawing to a close, but several hotly contested races have still yet to take place in early September. Massachusetts is of particular importance since the current governor is not running for reelection. Races in Rhode Island are also hotly contested by progressive challengers looking to unseat moderate incumbents in the races for governor, both houses of the state legislature and an open congressional seat. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) will face a nominal contest for his party’s renomination in the state governor’s race, but the marquee race in the state will be which Republican will get the opportunity to face Sen. Maggie Hassan (D) in the fall general election.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) also faced a nominal opposition for his party’s nomination for a fourth term as the state’s governor. Vermont will also elect its first woman to represent the state in Congress later this year and will be the last state to send a woman to Congress. Former Gov. Paul LePaige also handily won the Republican nomination for a rematch against current Gov. Janet Mills (D) in Maine for the fall campaign.

New York’s Hochul and Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado surprised many political observers with their large margins of victory in New York’s June gubernatorial primary. Even in New York City, where both of the governor’s challengers hailed from, Hochul and Delgado still managed to claim a 37% percent average margin of victory in the five boroughs. The general election

race will feature three candidates: Hochul on the Democratic line, current Congressman Lee Zeldin on the Republican and Conservative lines and current New York City public advocate Jumaane Williams, who will appear on the Working Families line.

This is not the first time three candidates have appeared on different party lines. In 2018, actress Cynthia Nixon and thenNew York City Council Member Jumaane Williams received the endorsement of the Working Families Party for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively, but dropped out of the race in October of that year. The Working Families Party then gave their designation to now former Gov. Andrew Cuomo for the office of governor and Hochul for the lieutenant governor nomination. History does not always repeat itself, but it does often rhyme, and only time will tell if it rings true.

Voters are still concerned about the overall state of the economy with inflation fueling much of the concern. Even though states have taken measures to attempt to return some funds to taxpayers (see our last issue of Northeast Dairy), voters are clearly concerned with the prolonged pains that inflation has continued to wreak on their wallets. Voters in states that have areas of especially high costs of living, like New York and California, will also be looking at how candidates plan to deal with rising rent and violent crime. However, recent decisions by the Supreme Court on civil issues related to climate change, reproductive issues, gun-related rights and civil liberties have boxed voters into a corner when it comes down to deciding what is more important: civil liberties or money. It will be up to each party and candidate to find a message that most resonates with their constituents in order to drive voter turnout in their favor on Election Day.

Paul Harvey is the director of regulatory affairs for the Northeast Dairy Foods Association, Inc.

JOIN ME FOR LEGISLATIVE UPDATES ON ZOOM

Since starting at NDFA, I have hosted a monthly legislative meeting call on Zoom exclusively for our members on the first Tuesday of each month to keep you informed about the happenings taking place both inside and outside of state capitals, as well as within the association. The Zoom link, along with our easy-to-read bill tracker, is sent out one week prior to the call. During this time, questions are encouraged pertaining to specific topics or pieces of legislation. If I am unable to answer particular questions during the call, please email me at ph@nedairyfoods.org, and I can respond to you directly. If I receive multiple questions about the same topics, I will be sure to answer them in the next forum. Again, please note that these calls are for NDFA members only. If you are an NDSA member, please reach out to Executive Vice President Ozzie Orsillo at oo@nedairyfoods.org. Our next legislative call will be Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022, at 11 a.m. via Zoom.