| | | | |  | | By Jason Beeferman, Daniel Lippman, Jeff Coltin and Nick Reisman | With help from Shawn Ness
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Rep. Jamaal Bowman is going up against Westchester County Executive George Latimer in the Democratic primary. Latimerhas raised more than twice his haul. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | Rep. Jamaal Bowman was already poised to face one of the toughest Democratic primaries in the nation. He doesn’t appear to be helping himself. Westchester County Executive George Latimer has raised more than twice his haul. And the squad member’s harsh criticism of Israel has put him in hot water in one of the most Jewish districts in the nation — all while Latimer has made his pro-Israel stance clear. The Congress member has had a growing list of gaffes, including, of course, pulling a fire alarm in Congress. He’s also recently criticized Latimer for taking money from a group of donors from which Bowman himself received campaign cash. But now he’s angered firefighters all over again, this time as he deals with the aftermath of an uncomfortable revelation from his past. In a 2011 online personal blog, penned during his time as a Bronx principal, Bowman posted a lengthy poem in which he suggested the 9/11 attacks were a conspiracy. The comments have infuriated first responders, and multiple law enforcement groups who spoke with Playbook said the writings have all but disqualified him from their endorsement. “I’ve been dealing with these imbeciles for over 20 years now, where I’ve been accused of planting bombs every 10 floors in the Trade Center and things like that,” said Thomas von Essen, the city’s fire commissioner on Sept 11. In a statement, Bowman denied any 9/11 conspiracy, saying he doesn’t “believe anything that these cranks have said” and that his “life’s work has proven that.” He also said the post came as he reviewed a “wide range” of books, films and articles and considered getting a doctoral degree, which he eventually earned. Reelection is already looking increasingly difficult for all members of the squad, even as every member of the far-left troupe has outraised their challenger — except Bowman, that is. Forty percent of Latimer’s $1.4 million war chest came from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Bowman, meanwhile, has raised $725,000. Latimer declined Playbook’s request for comment on Bowman’s now-14-year-old writings. His campaign has instead been eager to focus on Latimer’s staunch support for Israel. There’s another issue for Bowman. In fundraising emails, he and his allies have repeatedly slammed AIPAC for supporting “insurrectionist Republicans.” Yet in the last two years, he accepted almost $40,000 from 20 PACs that collectively gave more than $700,000 last quarter to Republicans who voted to not certify the 2020 election or supported efforts to overturn it, according to a Playbook analysis of FEC data. The PACs supporting Bowman and those “insurrectionist” Republicans included the American Hospital Association PAC, Air Line Pilots Association PAC and the Animal Wellness Action PAC. — Jason Beeferman and Daniel Lippman HAPPY TUESDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman. WHERE’S KATHY? Making an economic development announcement in Rochester, making an announcement in Malta about state and federal investments in high-tech manufacturing and appearing on MSNBC’s “The Last Word.” WHERE’S ERIC? Holding an in-person media availability in City Hall and appearing live on FOX5’s “The 5 O’Clock News.” QUOTE OF THE DAY: “If Canada someday ever attacked Buffalo, I'm sorry my friends, there would be no Canada the next day.” — Gov. Kathy Hochul, last week defending Israel’s war on Gaza, via The Forward. She apologized, City & State reported, after her words were interpreted as justifying genocide. Programming Note: Hochul will be among the six state leaders Thursday taking questions at the POLITICO Governors Summit in Washington. It’s an exclusive conversation with New York’s top official as the state faces a range of challenges in 2024. What would you ask the governor? Let us know!
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | | 
A new poll found that New Yorkers do not like either candidate in the 2024 Presidential election. A plurality of Republicans and Democrats would vote for someone else if given the opportunity. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | ANYONE ELSE: A plurality of New York voters are pining for alternatives in the race for president. A Siena College poll released this morning found that 41 percent of voters surveyed said they preferred someone else when given the choice of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Only 28 percent of voters polled want Biden to win a second term, while an equal percentage of those polled prefer Trump as the next president, the poll found. Broken down along party lines, 38 percent of Democrats wish for an alternative in the presidential race, compared to 29 percent of Republicans who prefer someone different. In a head-to-head matchup, Biden received 48 percent to Trump’s 36 percent — a 12-point difference between the two that dwarfs the 23-point win for Biden in Democratic-heavy New York four years ago. Fifty percent of voters in the state hold an unfavorable view of Biden, while 46 percent view him favorably. Meanwhile, Gov. Kathy Hochul continues to struggle with voters, especially those who are not enrolled in either major party. The poll found 46 percent of voters hold an unfavorable view of her; only 41 percent view her favorably. Fifty-five percent of independent voters view her unfavorably, the poll found. Nevertheless, 58 percent of voters believe Hochul to be hard-working and nearly half, 49 percent, do not think she is corrupt. The poll of 806 registered voters was conducted from Feb. 12 to 14 and has a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points. — Nick Reisman
| | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | | | 
The FCC has banned robocalls like the one Mayor Eric Adams used to call New Yorkers in their preferred languages like Mandarin or Spanish. | Courtesy of the Office of Mayor Eric Adams | ADIÓS ROBOMAYOR: The FCC effectively banned robocalls that contain voices generated by artificial intelligence this month — precisely the kind of call Mayor Eric Adams experimented with by cloning his voice speaking different languages. “He loves a gimmick,” quipped Albert Fox Cahn of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project. “Whether it’s the mothballed robot or the AI robocalls.” The city “has not conducted robocalls since last fall,” a spokesperson told Playbook, but defended the practice, saying the mayor’s voice in languages like Yiddish and Mandarin “helped enhance the way we reach out and connect with the city’s uniquely diverse population. Our administration is committed to using AI in a transparent and responsible way, and we released an AI Action Plan to do exactly that and provide a framework for how city government can use AI efficiently and responsibly.” City Hall released audio of Adams in Spanish inviting New Yorkers to a hiring event for city jobs but has refused for months to release the calls in other languages. — Jeff Coltin More from the city: — New York City first responders took longer to get to fires and other emergencies, while more people died in blazes, at the start of this fiscal year compared to last year’s. (NY Post) — The city’s official evacuation plan for the shelter Floyd Bennett Field lacks details and clarity on what to do in a weather-related evacuation. (Gothamist) — Adams stunningly reversed course on plans to turn an abandoned luxury Harlem condominium complex into a migrant shelter when he was met with community outrage. (NY Post)
| | NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY | | | 
Gov. Kathy Hochul has been a staunch supporter of the city's congestion pricing plans despite bipartisan calls for changes and exemptions. | Darren McGee/Office of Gov. Kathy Hochul | TOLL GATE: Congestion pricing hasn’t started yet, but already there are bipartisan calls for changes and exemptions. Hochul has emerged as a key defender of the plan to charge tolls to peak hours while traveling below 60th Street in Manhattan. The governor, a western New York native, defended the plan in a WABC interview with billionaire businessman John Catsimitidis and pledged to find “efficiencies” in the MTA’s spending. “No increases go up without coming through me,” she said. Suburban lawmakers from both parties have sought toll exemptions for a range of commuters, including agriculture workers and first responders. Hochul has not embraced the idea. Instead, she has framed congestion pricing as a necessary plan to boost the MTA’s finances. “We’re trying to encourage people to take the trains and subways,” she said in the interview, pointing to the “disinvestment” from mass transit in prior years. “It was heading off the cliff, the fiscal cliff,” she said. “I created a whole mechanism to bring in more money for the operating costs of the MTA.” — Nick Reisman CASINO PUSH: A coalition of unions is urging state Sen. Jessica Ramos to back Steve Cohen’s bid for a casino at Citi Field. Seven unions including Laborers’ Local 79, the Transport Workers Union and the District Council of Carpenters, along with the Building Trades Employers’ Association, wrote to Ramos to express their “emphatic support” for the proposed $8 billion sports and entertainment complex. The billionaire New York Mets owner is partnering with Hard Rock International on the plan, known as Metropolitan Park, for the parking lot adjacent to the stadium. They’re competing in a crowded race for one of three New York City-area casino licenses. Ramos’s support is essential. Because the site is technically public parkland, Cohen needs legislation in Albany to authorize the change of use — but Ramos, whose district includes Citi Field, has not yet decided whether she will introduce such a bill. “We implore you to do everything in your power to make Metropolitan Park a reality,” the unions wrote in the letter. “Our members cannot afford to miss out on the thousands of union construction job opportunities Metropolitan Park will create.” Ramos said in a statement in response: “Every project should be union — shovel to broom.” — Janaki Chadha More from Albany: — Legal Weed in New York was going to be a revolution. What happened? (The New Yorker) — More gridlock is looming if the Legislature rejects a newly proposed House map. (Times Union) — Hochul, a lifelong western New Yorker, has been renting an apartment in Manhattan. (New York Post)
| | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | | 
Former NYPD officer Mike Sapraicone is looking like the front-runner for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's seat in November. He has picked up endorsements from four key counties in the state. | Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP | GILLIBRAND VS. WHO?: Republican contenders for U.S. Senate are picking up county endorsements ahead of the NY GOP convention this week. Mike Sapraicone, a retired NYPD detective who lost out on the nomination to run for George Santos’ seat, now seems to be the party’s leading choice to take on Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who will be heavily favored in November. Most of the biggest counties, including Nassau, Suffolk, Queens and Westchester are backing him. But Cara Castronuova, a Newsmax pundit who lost a 2022 Assembly race to Michaelle Solages, got Staten Island’s endorsement, and is threatening to run in a primary, the Post reports. MAGA folks say the former Democratic donor Sapraicone is too much of a centrist, while Castronuova is backed by Trump allies like Rudy Giuliani, Roger Stone and Santos. “Let me get inside the ropes against Kirsten Gillibrand,” Castronuova, a boxer, said in a statement. “One on one, woman vs. woman.” Also running is Josh Eisen, a business owner with a record of harassing legal opponents and journalists. He’s endorsed by former Gov. George Pataki and the New York Young Republican Club. — Jeff Coltin More from Congress: — Rep. Marc Molinaro arrived in Washington hoping to be a pragmatic lawmaker — but Congress had other ideas. (POLITICO)
| | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | — Deer still roam Staten Island, but a city-run vasectomy program is paying off. (Staten Island Advance) — After transgender community leader Cecilia Gentili’s funeral was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Catholic Archdiocese condemned it, saying they didn’t know her identity when they agreed to host. (The New York Times) — State legislators are poised to announce nine individuals to study reparations for descendents of enslave people. (State of Politics)
| | SOCIAL DATA | | Edited by Daniel Lippman MAKING MOVES — Morgan Hitzig is now a VP and investor at VC firm Venrock, where she is focusing on investments that work with the public sector. She most recently was head of growth at Peregrine. MEDIAWATCH — Streetsblog NYC’s Jesse Coburn won the George Polk Award for local reporting for “Ghost Tags: Inside New York City’s Black Market for Temporary License Plates." See all the winners. WEEKEND WEDDING — Ilana Maier, assistant commissioner for communications at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development, and Scott Berlin, senior digital and data analyst at the Hamilton Campaign Network, were married Saturday at the Hilton Pearl River in Rockland County. Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine officiated the Jewish ceremony, since the couple met on his 2021 campaign. (X PICS) SPOTTED: State Sen. Nathalia Fernandez, Hamilton Campaign Network’s Melissa Mark-Viverito, Tyler Aldrich, Eddy Castell and John Emrick, Red Horses’ Doug Forand, Jasmine Blake, HPD’s Adolfo Carrión, Ahmed Tigani, George Sarkissian, Will Innes, Molly Stromoski, Natasha Kersey, Willam Fowler, Gabby Eiss and Aman Islam, Jovan Richards, Megan Wylie, Steph Campanha Wheaton, Westchester County Legislator Vedat Gashi, Dylan Tragni, William Forero, Steve Presser, CWA’s Mia McDonald, AFL-CIO’s Liam Kahn and Drag Out The Vote Chris Diaz, PPGNY’s Marina Montgomery, Hochul’s Jewish liaison Eva Wyner and Voters of Tomorrow’s Jack Lobel. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Trevor Noah … Doug Mills … David Corn … Bob Davis … Vox’s Dylan Matthews … Michael Clemente … Mark Knoller … Amy Spitalnick … Elliot Mahlof ... Dan Gross … (WAS MONDAY): Andrew Ross Sorkin … former Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) … Sarah Stillman … Tamara Hinton … Tucker Warren … Samantha Zalaznick … (WAS SUNDAY): Keith Urbahn … FT’s Janan Ganesh … former Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) … Ben Wofford … NBC’s Rebecca Kaplan … Commerce’s Ayodele Okeowo … SBA’s Aneysha Bhat … Rabbi Hershel Reichman ... Michael Janofsky ... Scott Liebman ... Hilda Applbaum ... Nancy Goroff ... Dylan Sandler ... Angela Chiappetta … (WAS SATURDAY): Sam Vinograd (4-0) … Betsy Fischer Martin … Lachlan Markay … Edith Honan … Dianna Heitz … Curtis Tate … Will Hayworth … Kelsey Rohwer … Greg Matusky … (WAS FRIDAY): Sonia Gardner ... Ty Trippet
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