Take it from him on a special election run

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Feb 12, 2024 View in browser   By Nick Reisman, Emily Ngo and Jeff Coltin With help from Irie Sentner Assemblymember David Weprin was the Democratic nominee in a 2011 special election to replace scandal-scarred Anthony Weiner in a Brooklyn House seat. | Craig Ruttle/AP A VERY SPECIAL ELECTION: Assemblymember David Weprin knows what it’s like to be under the klieg lights of a nationalized race. Weprin was the Democratic nominee in a 2011 special election to replace scandal-scarred Anthony Weiner in a Brooklyn House seat. He lost to Republican Bob Turner. But the loss taught Weprin a lot about how a special election, much like the one playing out on Tuesday between Democrat Tom Suozzi and Republican-backed candidate Mazi Pilip, is entirely different from a general election matchup. Weprin, who endorsed Suozzi, spoke with Playbook about this special election that has similarities to the race he waged and lost 13 years ago. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. What struck you the most about running in a special election? The traditional thought process doesn’t necessarily apply. There’s a lot of unknowns and unpredictabilities. You don’t really know what’s going to happen until it happens. Obviously, people aren’t used to voting in February. It’s going to come down to the weather that day. There’s an unusual amount of people who vote early now; that obviously was not a factor at all when I ran. It seems like this race has been, in effect, nationalized and turned into a referendum on the migrant crisis and Israel. Why does that happen? The 3rd district really does seem like this has become a national election as opposed to a local election. And my race became a national election as well because it was an important seat nationally. It was right after the surprise Kathy Hochul victory in Buffalo. She wasn’t expected to win. Back then, the issue was Barack Obama. His popularity was very low, and Israel was an important issue, too. Obama was perceived as not being pro-Israel enough. Netanyahu was the prime minister then, and he’s back now. It was a very Jewish district; it had a large Orthodox population. There are certain things you don’t anticipate that become a campaign issue. Was that frustrating having your race essentially become a referendum on Israel and Obama? I was supporting Obama, but I didn’t ask him to campaign for me in the district, just like Suozzi didn’t ask Biden to campaign for him. Presidential politics had nothing to do with my race. That was certainly a distraction. I didn’t think it was fair, but all’s fair in politics. People want to win an election, and this race on Long Island certainly has become a misleading referendum based on what outside groups are saying. If you look at these commercials, most are not from the candidates themselves. That’s more the nature of a special election. Is there added pressure being the only person on the ballot instead of running on a party-line ticket? There’s pressure, but it’s also added support. When I ran, it was the first time I had every Democratic official on my literature and campaigning for me. You rarely have that and the leaders of the party in both houses. I had them all. In the end, it came down to not endorsements, but other issues. I liked having all that support and everyone with me, but there were outside factors and other issues that had nothing to do with me or my opponent. — Nick Reisman HAPPY MONDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman. WHERE’S KATHY? Making an economic development announcement in Herkimer. WHERE’S ERIC? Speaking at a Regional Technology Transfer Leadership Convening, meeting with the Staten Island Hurricanes youth football champions and hosting “Talk with Eric: A Community Conversation” at Murray Hill Academy. QUOTE OF THE DAY:  “We could use Republican governors who have been complaining about the border problem to step up and say to members of their own party, ‘Give us the relief we've been asking for, help us out and pass that package.’ I’ve not heard that yet.” — Gov. Kathy Hochul on failed border deal in Congress on MSNBC ABOVE THE FOLD Assemblymember Catalina Cruz and state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal today will unveil legislation meant to bar the practice of limiting shelter stays. | Joseph Spector/POLITICO HOUSING RULES: State lawmakers want to end the 60- and 30-day limit for people living in homeless shelters as the migrant crisis continues to place pressure on the city’s resources. Assemblymember Catalina Cruz and Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal today will unveil legislation meant to bar the practice of limiting shelter stays — a move that’s squarely aimed at the Adams administration. If approved, state and local government agencies would be blocked from limiting the length of time a person or a family may reside in a shelter or emergency housing. The measure would also prohibit local governments, agencies or providers under contract from moving a person or families out of shelters unless a person faces immediate danger or has requested a transfer. Families with children can be moved out of emergency shelters after 60 days; an individual can be moved after 30 days. “To put children in this position is particularly loathsome, I would suggest,” Hoylman-Sigal told Playbook. “To face a 60-day notice and move yet again and upend their lives further and put down roots again seems unnecessary and cruel.” The measure, which has the backing of advocacy groups like homeless helper Win, was proposed after lawmakers raised concerns last year with the policy and worried about the effect of moving vulnerable people, including those who are pregnant, out of shelters. “The city’s migrant crisis demands real solutions, not short-sighted and senseless policies that make life harder for our new neighbors,” Christine Quinn, the group’s president and CEO, said in a statement. And the proposal isn’t solely meant to address the flow of people who have entered the shelter system amid the migrant crisis. “My goal here is to protect all New Yorkers — whether you’ve been here for three months and are in need of housing or 30 years and in need of housing,” Cruz said in an interview. Aid for migrants, including money for emergency shelters, is expected to reach at least $2.4 billion in the state budget. Kayla Mamelak, a spokesperson for Adams, said in a statement the 30 and 60-day notices are a tool “in a limited toolbox” to help people find more stable housing. More than 60 percent of the migrants in the city’s care have chosen to do so, Mamelak said. “We have coupled this policy — which places like Denver, Massachusetts, and other localities are also similarly implementing — with intensified casework and focused heavily on keeping families with school-aged children near school placements whenever possible,” Mamelak said. But Adams’ office has also maintained and continues to do so the city is “long past its breaking point.” A rollback of the policy would add billions of dollars in costs, his office said. “Most New Yorkers agree that a shelter system should be temporary, especially for children who need consistency and permanency. That is why we are so focused on helping people move from shelter into more self-sufficient lives, and why we strongly support resettling families in areas where they can build lives in this country,” Mamelak said. “A tiny hotel room is no place to grow up or raise a family. Instead of introducing counterproductive legislation, we instead ask that members of the Legislature join us in advocating for meaningful financial help and for the state to redouble its efforts to help resettle families across New York state.” — Nick Reisman KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION GOP candidate Mazi Pilip told the New York Post that she cast her ballot for Donald Trump in 2020. | Adam Gray/Getty Images THE TRUMP FACTOR: The closer the Long Island special election draws, the bolder Republican-backed candidate Mazi Pilip grows about linking herself to former President Donald Trump. After declining for much of her campaign to disclose who she voted for in past presidential elections, Pilip told the New York Post in a story published Saturday that she cast her ballot for Trump in 2020. Playbook asked Pilip’s campaign Sunday how she voted in 2016 and got no reply. There’s been a noticeable progression in how Pilip speaks publicly about Trump, the likely 2024 Republican nominee for president. “I know that he didn’t commit any crime,” the Nassau County legislator told CNN in a story that aired Feb. 4, defending Trump when asked about the Jan. 6 attack. “Nobody is above the law,” she told PIX11 of Trump when asked about his legal troubles in a forum that aired Jan. 30. Pilip campaigned quietly Sunday — the last day of early voting ahead of the Tuesday race — at events closed to reporters while her Democratic rival Tom Suozzi held a news conference denouncing her as “George Santos 2.0,” POLITICO reports. In an interview with FOX News, Pilip said, “I’ve very much vetted,” and charged Suozzi defaults to likening her to Santos because he hasn’t found any dirt on her. Pilip and New York Republicans have sought to tie Suozzi to President Joe Biden, but Suozzi has said both Biden and Trump are unpopular in the district and added it wouldn’t be helpful for Biden to campaign for him in the battleground. — Emily Ngo HOUSE GOP WANTS HOCHUL MEETING: House Republicans from New York have invited Hochul to Washington to discuss policy fixes to border security and the migrant crisis. The invite sent by Hudson Valley Republican Rep. Mike Lawler and signed by the 10 members of the GOP delegation from New York came as the governor and congressional lawmakers have traded increasingly pointed barbs over the issue. “While we have been offering serious solutions to the border crisis, you have done nothing other than attempt to place blame at the feet of Republicans in an attempt to score cheap political points and distract from your failure to address the challenges in New York,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Hochul. Hochul has pressed Republicans to support a Senate border security package to help alleviate the strain placed on the state and city from the influx of migrants. She has also said Republicans will pay in November for not accepting the Senate’s border security bill. “Despite your words and in light of our desire to have a meaningful dialogue on this issue, we are extending an invitation to you to join us in Washington, D.C. to meet with the House Republican New York Delegation and discuss real solutions to this crisis,” the lawmakers wrote. House Republicans have approved their own border security package, known as HR 2. Democrats have not embraced it. “New York’s GOP delegation just killed our best shot at ending the migrant crisis, and Gov. Hochul hasn’t hesitated to call them out,” Hochul spokesperson Avi Small said. “Now, they’re throwing a temper tantrum because Gov. Hochul exposed their failure. We need real solutions, not silly partisan stunts.” — Nick Reisman More from Congress: — The nation’s suburbs are moving toward Democrats — but not on Long Island, and the special election will be a real test. (POLITICO) — New York Democrats are worried about Tuesday’s special election. They have good reason to be. (CNN) CITY HALL: THE LATEST Mayor Eric Adams has talked a big game about how the city delivers services to New Yorkers but a detailed POLITICO analysis shows a mixed record that fails to live up to the mayor’s promised efficiency. | Benny Polatseck/Mayoral Photography Office INSPECT WHAT YOU EXPECT: Adams’ administration is taking longer to close noise complaints, pruning fewer street trees and answering far fewer 311 calls within 30 seconds compared to pre-pandemic levels. Mayor Eric Adams has talked a big game about how the city delivers services to New Yorkers. But a detailed analysis POLITICO conducted of 432 pages of recent metrics tracking the success of each city agency — from the turnaround time for in-person parking ticket hearings to the days needed to process senior rental assistance applications — shows a mixed record that fails to live up to the mayor’s promised efficiency. In fact, a sizable tranche of basic city services have regressed compared to pre-pandemic levels Adams’ most recent scorecard was delineated in the Preliminary Mayor’s Management Report, a tome released earlier this month that contains around 2,000 metrics tracking activities of city agencies between July and October of 2023. When you compare critical indicators to 2019 — before Covid upended city government — the results show a nearly even split between metrics that improved and those that regressed, with a handful of others that remained roughly static. The Adams administration, for instance, has upped the share of youth who receive mental health screening while in detention from 65 percent in 2019 to nearly 82 percent last year. While noise complaints submitted to the Department of Environmental Protection took an average of 5.4 days to close, two days longer than in 2019. — Joe Anuta More from the city: — More NYPD cops are reporting getting hurt by suspects, with statistics for 2023 on pace to be the highest ever. (New York Post) — New York City plans to implement an 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew at 20 more migrant shelters beginning today. (Daily News) — Con Sofrito, a Bronx restaurant popular with Adams and NYPD officials, has agreed to shut down this summer as part of a court battle over an illegal party room. (Daily News) NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY New Yorkers are somewhat split on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s “Empire AI” proposal to lure AI research and innovation to the state with public funds. | Stefani Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images DON’T ASK CHATGPT: More than two-thirds of New York voters — across both parties and independents — support requiring political campaign ads to disclose if they used artificial intelligence. And they’re somewhat split on Hochul’s “Empire AI” proposal to lure AI research and innovation to the state with public funds. Given a brief summary, 35 percent of New Yorkers support it, 29 percent oppose it, and most, 36 percent, aren’t sure. That’s according to an online Slingshot Strategies poll first in Playbook of 1,000 New York state voters for the AI Policy Institute, a think tank focused on ethical oversight of AI. Overall, the poll suggests a wariness about the growth of AI — 50 percent say they’re concerned, while just 20 percent say they’re excited. The poll was conducted Feb. 5-7 and had a 4.7 percent margin of error. “Elected officials would be wise to approach AI with caution and careful consideration of New Yorkers’ concerns about AI,” AIPI Executive Director Daniel Colson said in a statement. Playbook broke the news about the malicious deepfake audio of Manhattan Democratic leader Keith Wright, and 87 percent of respondents said that the incident increased their concern. — Jeff Coltin More from Albany: — Assembly Education Committee Chair Pat Fahy is calling for an increase in SUNY and CUNY spending. (Spectrum News) — A new state law will require businesses to include on a receipt the surcharges imposed for credit card purchases. (New York Times) — Alternatives to the Regents examinations could take years to develop. (LoHud) NEW YORK STATE OF MIND — Migrants are increasingly risking their lives to illegally cross into New York through Canada. (New York Times) — Harvey Weinstein's lawyer claimed “noise” from the #MeToo movement impacted the producer’s trial in one last-ditch effort to reverse his 2020 Manhattan sex crimes conviction. (New York Post) — Over three-quarters of Long Island school districts have seen their enrollments drop in the last decade by a total of 7 percent across the region. (Newsday) SOCIAL DATA Edited by Daniel Lippman MAKING MOVES — Hochul’s director of constituency affairs, Jenny Lam Low, has joined Empire State Development … Meghan Miele has been promoted to SVP at Hiltzik Strategies. … The New York League of Conservation Voters has named Jon Del Giorno as chair of its board, Mimi Raygorodetsky as secretary of the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, Vincent Albanese as a new board member, Michael Zapson as chair of its Long Island chapter board, and Carley Hill as chair of the newly-created Central and Western New York chapter board. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Eugene Daniels … Jon Finer … Jim VandeHei … Treasury’s Megan Bates-Apper … Chris Suellentrop … NYT’s Maya King … Robert Zeliger … WSJ’s Rachel Feintzeig … Ben Sherwood … Marc Caputo … Jeremy Iloulian … CNN’s Maria Awad … (WAS SUNDAY): Dan Barry … ProPublica’s Stephen Engelberg … Rob Hendin … Steven Roberts … Ilana Ozernoy … Evan Siegfried … BofA’s David Stern ... Alix Simnock … Eytan Saenger … (WAS SATURDAY): Bob Iger … George Stephanopoulos … Jim Cramer … Glenn Beck … Reuters’ Aram Roston … Clark Maturo … Caroline Simmons … CNN’s Mallory Thompson … WSJ’s Michael Gordon … Michelle Levi … John Yang … (WAS FRIDAY): Brian Greene YOUR NEW YORK NUMBER OF THE DAY 1.5 inches The latest snow forecast for the 3rd Congressional district on Tuesday — where bad weather could keep people from the polls and affect the outcome. (POLITICO)   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

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