News: POLITICO New York Playbook: Candidates make final primary pitches

Monday, August 22, 2022

POLITICO New York Playbook: Candidates make final primary pitches

Aug 22, 2022

By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Julian Shen-Berro

Presented by NextEra Energy

As early voting wrapped up on Sunday for this week's congressional and state Senate primary, we can't claim the streets were pulsing with political energy. But candidates were out in force all weekend making their closing arguments in some hard-fought races. As for voters, in New York City 76,335 have cast ballots through the end of early voting Sunday.

In the 12th Congressional District, Rep. Jerry Nadler has emerged as the frontrunner in polls in his crosstown matchup with fellow Rep. Carolyn Maloney. Maloney is fighting hard to overcome that, and tearing down a one-time ally in the process.

After the New York Post published a backhanded non-endorsement in the race, Maloney seized on it to raise questions about Nadler's mental faculties, telling NY1, "They call him senile." She also hit Nadler for his support in the 2021 mayoral primary of Scott Stringer, despite allegations of sexual misconduct. Nadler joined up with female supporters in an effort to counter Maloney's messaging centered on women's rights.

A third candidate in the district, upstart Suraj Patel, got an unexpected boost when former Mayor Mike Bloomberg was seen on video saying he voted for Patel. He's also got an ice cream truck. How's that for a late summer campaign gambit?

Over in the 10th District, spanning Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, the gang up against apparent frontrunner Dan Goldman continues. City Council Member Carlina Rivera and former Rep. Liz Holtzman joined forces to attack the impeachment lawyer, accusing him of changing his position on abortion — repeating a tactic used before by two other hopefuls, Rep. Mondaire Jones and Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou.

But progressives remain divided among multiple candidates in the race. "I do believe that progressives need to consolidate," Niou said. "And I believe that based on the ground game, the coalition that we have … and based on the polling, that ours is the campaign to consolidate around." There's exactly one day left and a slim chance for that to happen.

IT'S MONDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: EDurkin@politico.com and agronewold@politico.com, or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold

WHERE'S KATHY? Holding a Covid-19 and monkeypox briefing at her Manhattan offices.

WHERE'S ERIC? Meeting with United Clergy, making a business announcement, and speaking at a topping off ceremony for the new NYPD 116th Precinct.

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What City Hall's reading

"A Migrant Wave Tests New York City's Identity as the World's Sanctuary," by The New York Times' Andy Newman and Raúl Vilchis: "The four buses crossed into Manhattan on Wednesday morning and turned off a bustling avenue onto a shadowed side street in Midtown. The names printed on the buses — 'VLP Charter,' 'Coastal Crew Change' — gave no hint of their mission. Only Texas license plates gave them away… The city's immigrant affairs commissioner, Manuel Castro, shook everyone's hand. A man in a green T-shirt high-fived the children. Tables were laden with snacks, sanitizer, clothes, brightly colored book bags. People with clipboards proffered papers to fill out to earn a new identity: In addition to being undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers, the new arrivals would also join the ranks of homeless New Yorkers."

"NYC schools prepare to welcome influx of at least 1,000 migrant children from Texas border," by Gothamist's Sophia Chang: "At least 1,000 children who recently arrived in New York City from Latin America with their families seeking asylum will be welcomed to schools this fall with 'open arms,' Chancellor David Banks said Friday. The kids, ranging from 3 years old to high school age, will be enrolled in schools throughout the city and be offered specialized language assistance, pediatric care, academic help and mental health resources."

" Adams Endorses Primary Candidates, Hoping to Defeat Left-Wing Democrats," by The New York Times Jeffery C. Mays: "Most big-city mayors, especially those in the relative infancy of their tenures, typically try to avoid wading into fractious party primaries, mindful that their goal is to build consensus. Mayor Eric Adams of New York City does not subscribe to that theory. Just seven months into his first term, Mr. Adams, a Democrat, has injected himself into his party's divide, making endorsements in roughly a dozen state legislative primaries. Mr. Adams has endorsed incumbents, upstart challengers, and even a minister with a history of making antisemitic and homophobic statements. Behind all the endorsements lies a common theme: The mayor wants to push Albany and his party away from the left, toward the center."

BEHIND THE SCENES: Mayor Eric Adams' right-hand man, chief of staff Frank Carone, spent much of his first six months in office wining and dining lobbyists and private-sector people who want to do business with the new administration. Carone's schedule, received Friday through a Freedom of Information Law request, showed the top aide rubbing elbows with charter school boosters, cryptocurrency consultants and people looking to bid on upcoming casino licenses in New York.

On Jan. 19, Carone held a Zoom call with high-grossing lobbyist Suri Kasier and Charter Communications executive Camille Joseph-Goldman. Nine days later he dined at MarkJoseph steakhouse in Lower Manhattan with former City Council Speaker-turned-lobbyist Peter Vallone, Sr. In June, he lunched at The Odeon with Bradley Tusk , whose eponymous consulting firm ran a competing mayoral campaign last year and now boasts a cryptocurrency practice. And four days later, he met with two lobbyists who raised $7 million to boost Adams' election efforts before launching their joint consulting firm, Moonshot Strategies.

Also on his schedule: billionaire hedge funder Steve Cohen, who owns the Mets and wants to build a casino near the stadium in Queens ; and 2013 Republican mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis, who is interested in a casino in Brooklyn.

Carone also met several times with consultant Stu Loeser , who has sought to ingratiate himself with the new mayor after working on another competing mayoral campaign last year. Loeser said the meetings took place after Carone hired him to work on a slew of news stories reporters have been pursuing about Carone's past business as the partner of a sprawling Brooklyn law firm, Abrams Fensterman. — Sally Goldenberg and Joe Anuta

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WHAT ALBANY'S READING

State trooper who dated Cuomo's daughter should have been disciplined, report finds, by POLITICO's Joseph Spector: A state trooper should have been disciplined for having "a romantic relationship" with one of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's adult daughters while assigned to Cuomo's security detail, an Inspector General's report found. The 32-page report released Friday comes nearly two years after news swirled that Trooper Dane Pfeiffer was transferred off Cuomo's protective detail at the executive mansion when the governor found out about the relationship with one of his three daughters, Cara Kennedy-Cuomo. "Such a violation of State Police rules should have resulted in some form of discipline for Pfeiffer, even if it was as minimal as a verbal censure," Inspector General Lucy Lang's report said.

"Langworthy campaign adds new wrinkle to role of donations in picking state judges," by Buffalo News' Robert J. McCarthy and Charlie Specht: "This year's cross-endorsements of four candidates now mark 32 out of 59 judicial elections since 1995 in which voters had no say in who serves on the Supreme Court bench. As a result, the elections of judges who decide civil lawsuits, punishment given to criminals, and divorce proceedings were instead determined by party leaders. James J. Sample, professor at Hofstra Law School and an expert in New York's judicial nominating system, observes that Langworthy's congressional campaign, especially, 'offers a new channel for the age old practice.' It's more than 'just politics,' he says, when contributions to a Western New York judicial kingmaker occur just as he seeks a powerful post like member of Congress."

— ANALYSIS: "What next for New York's GOP?," by Buffalo News' Robert J. McCarthy

" New York state reports its first case of monkeypox in person under 18," by Gothamist's Ben Yakas: "Officials from the New York Department of Health have confirmed the state's first known case of monkeypox in a person under 18. The virus was detected in a child or teenager living outside of New York City, according to a new report on the outbreak. No other information about the case has been released. Children in other states, including Texas, California, Florida, Oregon, and Maine, have also contracted monkeypox, which is primarily spread through skin-to-skin contact."

— Teachers are frustrated that they haven't been given any guidance about monkeypox.

"Hochul orders Bronx assault suspect back into custody," by NY1's Joseph Konig : "A man accused of putting a Bronx resident in a coma during an unprovoked attack last week was taken back into state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision custody at the behest of Gov. Kathy Hochul. Bui Van Phu, 55, was initially released without bail after Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark downgraded his charges from attempted murder to third-degree assault and second-degree harassment, both misdemeanors and non-bail eligible offenses."

" Businesses say new state 'COVID tax' too costly," by Times Union's Rick Karlin: "Businesses statewide recently learned they have until Sept. 30 to pay an Interest Assessment Surcharge of $27.60 per employee. The money will go to the state labor department, which will in turn use it to pay the interest on the approximately $8 billion the state still owes the U.S. Treasury. During the worst phase of the pandemic New York had to borrow a total of $9.9 billion at 2.27 percent interest in order to pay unemployment benefits to the thousands of people thrown out of work by COVID and its attendant shutdowns."

#UpstateAmerica: Happy 200th birthday to the town of Byron.

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FROM THE DELEGATION

A crowded field of Democrats vies to succeed Katko in New York's most competitive seat, by POLITICO's Bill Mahoney and Anna Gronewold: In an election year that's generally considered to be favorable to the GOP, the Central New York seat currently held by retiring Republican Rep. John Katko just might be one of Democrats' best chances for a pickup as they attempt to hold onto their slim congressional majority. The Democratic candidates seem to agree. "It's viewed as the number one opportunity, not just in New York, but really in the entire nation to win a seat," Democratic hopeful Francis Conole, a commander in the Navy Reserves, said in an interview. ... But before Democrats can attempt to reverse their recent trend of underperforming in congressional races in the Syracuse area, they'll need to choose a candidate Tuesday in a competitive four-way primary for the 22nd Congressional District under new lines drawn earlier this year.

Long Island has three open House seats and plenty of primary candidates. Here's who is running, by POLITICO's Anna Gronewold: For the first time in recent memory, three of Long Island's four congressional districts are open seats, fueling extraordinary political jockeying to fill them. The free-for-all means as Tuesday's primaries approach, all of Long Island's future representatives in Congress remain uncertain. Reps. Lee Zeldin and Tom Suozzi decided to run for governor rather than reelection. Zeldin earned the GOP spot to challenge Gov. Kathy Hochul in November, and Suozzi came in third in the Democratic primary. Meanwhile, four-term Rep. Kathleen Rice announced in February she wouldn't seek reelection.

DEBATE DEBATE: Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney's campaign is pushing back against claims he is avoiding a debate with his primary rival Sen. Alessandra Biaggi. Progressive groups wrote to Maloney calling for him to debate and said a NY1 debate fell through because of his demands about location. But Maloney spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg said the TV station canceled the debate solely due to issues on its end. "Congressman Maloney eagerly agreed to participate in the League of Women Voters Forum and the televised NY1 debate," she said. "No demands or requests were made about location. In fact, when NY1 was struggling to find a location, our campaign attempted to help. Ultimately, due to staffing and location issues they were having, NY1 made the decision to cancel."

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AROUND NEW YORK

— Audiences for theater and musical performances have remained well below pre-pandemic levels.

— New York City spends $300,000 a year on police and sanitation overtime for the Staten Island St. Patrick's Day parade, which excludes LGBTQ+ groups.

— The MTA is seeking a three-year ban from the transit system for a man accused of attacking a subway station cleaner.

— Taxi drivers put out of work by congestion pricing could be given special preference for jobs as MTA bus drivers, transit officials said.

— Two NYPD officers were stripped of their guns and badges over a fatal ATV crash that may have involved a police chase.

— New federal funds for urban forests might help cities like Rochester and Syracuse.

— A former Department of Investigation employee charged he was fired for raising the alarm about misconduct in the city's lifeguard program.

— A bill introduced in the City Council would bar scrap metal shops from buying and selling catalytic converters, which are often targets for thieves.

— Andrew Cuomo is hiding "in shame," but "plotting" a return to politics, according to the New York Post.

— Lobbyists say Albany has been more "civil" without the fear of incurring Cuomo's wrath.

— A Rikers Island correction officer was fired over findings he had sex with a detainee and pressured her to delay filing a report that she'd been raped by another officer.

— Authorities are investigating after a monument was defaced at Holocaust Memorial Park in Brooklyn.

— A company that sold tens of thousands of air purifiers to New York City schools hired a lobbying firm with deep ties to the city's government, according to Gothamist.

— A poll worker claims she was barred from working this election cycle by a Brooklyn Democratic Party official after complaining about party leaders in a story published by The City.

SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NBC's Steve Kornacki … GS Global's Jennifer Loven … National Review's Rich Lowry … Tom Edsall … Steve Kroft … NewsGuard's Steven Brill and Gordon Crovitz … Luke Russert … Scooter Libby … AP's Nebi Qena … CBS' Nancy Chen ... Mother Jones' Pema Levy … Gigi Sharp … Adrian Slater … The New Yorker's Robin Wright … (was Sunday): Rochester Chamber of Commerce CEO Bob Duffy…Peter Hamby of Snapchat and Puck … Tim Griffin … Yahoo News' Jana Winter … NBC's Pamela Engel and Harry Smith … CNN's Cameron Hough … Steve Case of Revolution and the Case Foundation … Ken Mehlman of KKR … Mary Brady of the Economic Club of Washington, D.C. … Greg Bell … Joseph Buicko … Tzippy Baitch … Chavie N. Kahn (h/ts Jewish Insider) …

… (was Saturday): Larry Kudlow … CNN's Oliver Darcy … Fox's Tammy Bruce … Al Roker … former USTR Michael Froman, now at Mastercard … Connie Chung … Vox's Julia Kurzius … Jim Hock of PSP Partners … CBS' Fin Gómez … Ben LaBolt … Jessica Todtman … Meghan Grant Swiber … (was Friday): Rick Cosgrove, principal at Veritas Capital (h/t wife Catherine)

MAKING MOVES — Rep. Grace Meng will be the honorary co-chair of Justice Unites Us, a new effort that launched this year to mobilize Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, for the 2022 election cycle. She joins fellow honorary co-chair Rep. Ted Lieu. … Jeff Solnet is now deputy assistant secretary for strategic communications at the Department of Homeland Security. He most recently was an SVP at Precision Strategies, where he spent nearly seven years.

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Real Estate

"Here's where MSG's NY State Senate picks stand on the arena's 40-year tax break," by WNYC's Jon Campbell: "Lawmakers in Albany could — if they wanted to — cause a major headache for Madison Square Garden. The arena owned by the Dolan family hasn't been subject to any city property taxes since 1982, when the state Legislature passed an exemption – now worth an estimated $43 million a year – that remains on the books despite long-standing efforts to repeal it. … This year, an MSG-backed PAC has spent more than $400,000 on digital ads and mailers supporting a slate of 10 Democratic State Senate candidates – including six with a primary on Tuesday – through a super PAC known as the Coalition to Restore New York."

"Remote Isn't Going Away, But Neither Is the Office, Survey Finds," by Commercial Observer's Celia Young: "Remote work isn't going anywhere, at least in New York. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York's August survey found that service employees are spending 20 percent of their working hours at home, and plan to continue that next year. Roughly 30 percent of respondents— 150 business executives in New York, northern New Jersey and Fairfield, Conn. — log on remotely for 3.3 days a week on average, according to the survey."

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