Cash flows in House race

Presented by Instagram: POLITICO's must-read briefing informing the daily conversation among knowledgeable New Yorkers

Feb 05, 2024 View in browser   By Jeff Coltin, Nick Reisman and Emily Ngo Presented by With help from Shawn Ness Former Rep. Tom Suozzi is beating his opponent Mazi Melesa Pilip in the money race. Suozzi is receiving donations from Hollywood celebrities while Pilip is pulling in cash from GOP donors and legislators. | Adam Gray/Getty Images Democrat Tom Suozzi is winning the money race in next week’s special election against Republican candidate Mazi Melesa Pilip. But both are tapping into a well of national fundraising support — Hollywood celebrities for Suozzi; prominent GOP donors and lawmakers for Pilip — with a bellwether House seat at stake. Suozzi may be a moderate Democrat, but he’s got Rebel Alliance support — Mark Hamill, the actor who played Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, donated $1,000 to his campaign. In a massive show of Force, Suozzi brought in more than $4.5 million in just three months, significantly outraising Pilip’s $1.3 million in the 3rd Congressional District. A thorough look at Suozzi’s contributions reveals some of who’s backing him in the race, where early voting opened Saturday: — A who’s who of big New York real estate developers, including RXR’s Scott Rechler and Related’s Stephen Ross and Jeff Blau. — Labor unions including the American Federation of Teachers, the Transport Workers Union and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. — Professional interest groups like the Florida Sugar Cane League, the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers. — Former Democratic congressional colleagues, including Reps. Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jeffries and Nydia Velázquez. Pilip, meanwhile, has benefitted from national GOP support as the party seeks to maintain its narrow majority in the House. Rep. Elise Stefanik, who has made New York House races a key priority this year given the razor-thin divide in the chamber, helped to raise $100,000 for Pilip. Pilip received a $5,000 contribution from Stefanik’s E-PAC as well as $2,000 from her main campaign account. Stefanik has also provided staff and hosted events. And underscoring the national implications of the race, Republican Reps. Tom Emmer, Steve Scalise and Pete Sessions all cut checks for Pilip’s bid. That national support culminated Friday with House Speaker Mike Johnson hosting an event for Pilip in Nassau County. His leadership PAC previously donated $5,000 to her campaign. National Democrats are still outspending the GOP, outside of direct contributions. But money isn’t everything. In a recent interview, Stefanik, the House conference chair and a potential running mate for former President Donald Trump, told Playbook the Nassau County GOP will make the difference in the special election. “Don’t underestimate the power of the Nassau County infrastructure, which has a record of putting up win after win,” Stefanik, a North Country Republican, said.  Long Island Republicans have racked up a series of victories in recent election cycles, capitalizing on voters’ concerns over public safety in New York. A lot of the credit has gone to Nassau County GOP Chair Joe Cairo, Stefanik said. Republicans in Nassau County could once point to a vaunted party apparatus, which helped catapult figures like Al D’Amato to the U.S. Senate and George Pataki to the governor’s office. D’Amato, now a prominent lobbyist, gave Pilip’s campaign $3,300. Republicans in recent years have seemed to regain their footing, turning back Democratic gains on bellwether Long Island: The GOP now has both county executive offices in Suffolk and Nassau and held all four House seats until George Santos’ expulsion. “Look at the local sweep they just had,” Stefanik said in the interview. “That’s putting fear into Democrats everywhere across the state.” — Jeff Coltin and Nick Reisman IT’S MONDAY. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.   A message from Instagram: Parents should be able to decide which apps are right for their teens. Giving parents a say in which apps are right for their teens helps them support their teens in having a positive experience online. That’s why Instagram wants to work with Congress to require parental approval wherever teens under 16 download apps. Learn more.   WHERE’S KATHY? Making an announcement about economic development in Syracuse. WHERE’S ERIC? Going live on FOX5’s “Good Day New York,” holding an in-person media availability in City Hall, hosting a roundtable discussion with the Albanian community, and then again with the Bronx Jewish community. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The # FIFAWorldCup 26 final is headed to New York New Jersey!” – FIFA, on X, celebrating New York and New Jersey as the “host region” for the 2026 World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — but sparking some territorialism. ABOVE THE FOLD Mayor Eric Adams is having a hard time corralling the employee retention rates. | Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office RAISES AND LEAVE, SO THEY DON’T RISE UP AND LEAVE: As Mayor Eric Adams’ administration struggles with employee retention amid a hiring freeze, non-union city employees are getting their first across-the-board raises since 2019, plus a $3,000 lump sum bonus. These employees — more than 10,000 workers, mostly at the management level — are also getting paid family leave for the first time and compensated parental leave doubled from six weeks to 12. The benefits and pay were first reported by POLITICO. City Hall didn’t make an announcement on the raises, but the deal was conveyed in a Mayoral Personnel Order. The association representing managerial employees has been agitating for more pay for years. The vast majority of the city’s 300,000-plus-person workforce is unionized and receives salary increases, paid family leave and parental leave through collective bargaining. The raises here match the pattern set for unionized employees, as has been standard practice. In this case, that means a more than 16 percent wage increase over a five-year period from 2021 to 2025, including retroactive raises. In total, that will cost $2.1 billion through fiscal year 2028, according to City Hall spokesperson Kate Smart, but it will be fully funded by money already in reserve funds. Adams implemented a hiring freeze in October 2023 as a way to save money amid a budget crunch, though hiring had slowed by then. At the same time, the city has lost thousands of employees, many of whom were working higher-paying desk jobs and could find better salaries and more flexible work-from-home policies elsewhere. — Jeff Coltin CITY HALL: THE LATEST City Councilmember Rafael Salamanca is officially running for Bronx borough president against incumbent Vanessa Gibson. | Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media Unit BEEP, BEEP, LOOK OUT: City Councilmember Rafael Salamanca has filed to run for Bronx borough president in 2025, setting up a primary clash with incumbent Vanessa Gibson. Salamanca made a BP committee with the Campaign Finance Board last week but claimed to Playbook it’s “just an exploratory thing, and we have not made a decision,” on whether to run. Bronx insiders have been expecting him to run for the seat. In fact, he initially launched a BP campaign ahead of 2021 before deciding instead to run for reelection to the council. He’s term-limited out of that seat in 2025. Serious challenges to incumbent BPs are rare, but Salamanca could be well-positioned against Gibson. She is Black, while he is Puerto Rican in the majority Latino borough. And Gibson reported just $40,000 on hand in January, while Salamanca has a massive $410,000 war chest, boosted in part by real estate types interested in his chairing of the Council’s powerful Land Use Committee. “I’m focused on serving our residents and families as the borough president,” Gibson told Playbook. — Jeff Coltin More from the city: — U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, who’s leading an investigation that has touched Adams, is driven by duty and bound to a moral code centered on fairness, according to those who know him. (City & State) — New York City provided 720,765 residents cash assistance last year — the most it’s ever awarded in welfare checks in at least a decade. (New York Post) — A Manhattan grand jury will hear evidence about migrants’ attacks on a group of NYPD officers outside a Times Square migrant shelter. (Daily News)   A message from Instagram:   NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY Gov. Kathy Hochul bashed House Republicans from New York for not taking up the new border security and immigration package. | Susan Watts/Office of Gov. Kathy Hochul HOCHUL VS. DELEGATION: Gov. Kathy Hochul on Sunday excoriated House Republicans from New York for their chamber not taking up a border security and immigration package. Hochul’s office released a letter to the New York House GOP delegation calling for passage of the Senate-negotiated proposal. It’s the latest sign of how the governor, contending with an influx of migrants into New York and the growing costs for the state associated with the crisis, has emerged as a prominent supporter of the latest border security plan in Washington. The letter from state operations director Kathryn Garcia was primarily aimed at Stefanik, the longest-serving House Republican from New York. “If at any point you and your colleagues are ready to stop grandstanding and work collaboratively on a serious solution, I assure you this administration is willing to work with you,” Garcia wrote. “We urge you to use the power entrusted to you by the residents of your districts to do what is right and take immediate action to solve this border crisis.” This received a rebuke from Stefanik’s team, who pointed to a Republican-backed immigration bill Democrats opposed. She accused Hochul in a statement of “parroting the desperate talking points of the beleaguered Joe Biden” in order to shirk responsibility for the migrant crisis. “Meanwhile Kathy Hochul rolled out the red carpet for illegals in New York [and] is now begging the media to forget,” Stefanik said. “Democrats are about to get walloped at the ballot box this November by angry New Yorkers who see through this laughable attempt by Democrats to orchestrate a false campaign to blame others for the border catastrophe their own far left policies created.” — Nick Reisman ABC AD PUSH: Business organizations pushing for changes to New York’s alcohol and beverage control laws will unveil an ad campaign today to press their case. New Yorkers Cheers for Change – a consortium of lobbying and industry groups – will air the video ad on digital platforms. Spending for the ad is expected to reach six figures by the end of the legislative session in June. “Small businesses, like restaurants and liquor stores, can’t continue to be regulated by laws that were drafted when the thruway was a pile of dirt, and our main modes of transportation were horse and buggies,” Paul Zuber, the executive vice president for The Business Council of New York State, said in a statement. The ad campaign is meant to highlight measures like allowing temporary permits for the sale of beer, wine, cider and liquor as well as allowing for the ownership of multiple liquor stores. — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — The fight over shoplifting is part of a broader and ongoing debate over New York’s bail laws. (Times Union) — The “Mom Squad” in the state Legislature has been placing an emphasis on issues facing young families. (Newsday) KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION The NRCC is sending out digital ads based around the attack on NYPD officers by men outside a migrant shelter in Times Square. Tom Suozzi has called for them to be deported. | Jason Beeferman/POLITICO FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: The attack on NYPD officers by several men near a Times Square migrant shelter is at the heart of a NRCC digital ad that launches today and charges Democratic special election candidate Tom Suozzi with “being part of the problem,” Playbook has learned. Republicans have put border security front and center in the Feb. 13 race to fill the Long Island House seat vacated by George Santos.They now have fresh fodder to use against President Joe Biden and Democrats with the surveillance video of the brazen beating of two officers Jan. 27 and the images of migrant men flipping off cameras as they were released from custody. Suozzi did not hesitate to call for deportation after the incident. “Kick them out … immediately,” he said in a CBS New York interview that aired Sunday. Hochul and a top Adams aide have also called for the deportation of the men involved. (Pilip declined to be interviewed by CBS.) But the political fallout is mounting. “Democrats created a border crisis,” alleges the NRCC ad, which also clips comments by Suozzi on sanctuary cities and ICE. Republicans blame Biden for being lax about protecting the border while Democrats say the GOP would rather fear-monger on immigration than work to fix the system. — Emily Ngo FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) hosted a joint fundraiser with Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) on Saturday in Venice, California, as he continues to ally with his fellow Squad member even after news broke about a federal investigation into her. The brunch-time fundraiser was at the home of Sylvia Aroth and Dante Cacace and listed ticket amounts ranged from $100 and $13,200, which were split evenly between Bowman and Bush. A Bowman spokesperson had no comment when asked how much was raised. Bowman last week told The Grio that the probe into her campaign spending on security services, stemming from payments to a former security guard she married last year, was “gross and disgusting.” He also expressed confidence that after the investigation played out, she would “be OK.” The tone of his comments slamming the investigation are markedly different from what he has said about investigations into former President Donald Trump, in which he has said “[n]o one in this country is above the law” and that the Alvin Bragg indictment against Trump was “one step towards accountability.” Bowman also worked to raise money online after Trump’s mugshot was released from his Georgia case. Bowman faces a well-funded challenger in Westchester County Executive George Latimer and faces heat about 9/11 conspiracy theory comments he made before entering Congress, which he says he regretted. — Daniel Lippman NEW YORK STATE OF MIND — The House expanded the Child Tax Credit and roughly 887,000 New York children will benefit. (State of Politics) — New analysis from census data found that an estimated 111,900 immigrants were illegally in Long Island in 2022. (Newsday) — The Albany County sheriff is seeking bail reform to deal with shoplifters across the state. (Times Union)   A message from Instagram: Parents should be able to decide which apps are right for their teens. Apps can teach teens skills or ignite their creativity. But with access to so many apps, parents should have a say in which ones their teens download. That’s why Instagram wants to work with Congress to require parental approval wherever teens under 16 download apps. Learn more.   SOCIAL DATA Edited by Daniel Lippman ENGAGED — Asaf Kanari, a VP in investment banking at Nomura, recently proposed to Tal Heinrich, a spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister’s office to the international media. The couple got engaged at home in New York after she landed back from a month of her working in Israel during the crisis and the couple celebrated at Nobu. They met on Hinge before realizing they had mutual Israeli friends. Instapics MAKING MOVES — Dan Kranz has been promoted to deputy chief of staff for Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.). He most recently served as Molinaro’s communications director. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: City Councilmember Shahana Hanif ... Business Roundtable’s Michael Steel … Omarosa Manigault Newman … CAA’s Ali Spiesman … Shelly Palmer … Andrew Godinich … Nicole Levy (WAS SUNDAY): Fed Chair Jerome Powell … Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) … Nicolle Wallace … CNN’s Shimon Prokupecz … Vox’s Sean Illing … Matt McDonald … Zachary Mitchiner of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office … Jon Gray ... Justin Meservie (WAS SATURDAY): Arthur Levitt Jr. ... MaryAlice Parks … Noam Safier … Dana Thomas Correction: NYC Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch’s birthday is on Feb. 21. It was listed incorrectly on Friday. YOUR NEW YORK NUMBER OF THE DAY $12,250 Cost of the seven-month lease of the Knightscope K5, the NYPD robot now retired from patrolling the Times Square subway station.   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://www.politico.com/_login?base=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to edwardlorilla1986.paxforex@blogger.com by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service