| | | | |  | | By Nick Reisman, Emily Ngo and Jeff Coltin | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Rich Mendez
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New York Republican consultants are mixed on former President Donald Trump's pick for vice president. | Paul Vernon/AP | ASKANCE AT VANCE New York Republican consultants want to hold the House and make gains in the Democratic-dominated Legislature. Sen. JD Vance’s spot on the ticket may complicate those goals in the historically blue state. Interviews with a half-dozen Republican consultants, former elected officials and party leaders show a mixed picture of the Ohio lawmaker’s pairing with former President Donald Trump in a race that’s been upended by President Joe Biden’s decision to not seek reelection. And some believe there are better alternatives than Vance, who suggested some top Democrats are “childless cat ladies” and stoked controversy with comments about people leaving violent marriages. Bill O’Reilly, a longtime GOP campaign adviser in New York, said Rep. Elise Stefanik, one of the runners up in the veepstakes, would have been a stronger pick for Trump. “She would have appealed to all the same voters Vance does but without the baggage,” O’Reilly told Playbook. “She wouldn’t put Trump in embarrassing situations like Vance has.” Stefanik has long been considered a rising star in the party, though still a lightning rod for Democratic voters given her staunch support of Trump. She gained a new level of prominence this year when she grilled Ivy League college presidents over their handling of antisemitism on their campuses. “She would definitely add some interest as a woman, which would add to the suburbs and exurbs,” O’Reilly said. Her allies contend Stefanik is already in a good position as a prominent member of the House GOP conference. “She’s an outstanding surrogate for Donald Trump regardless of the ticket,” Erie County GOP Chair Michael Kracker said. Stefanik isn’t the only wished-for alternative. Still, other consultants like Vince Casale were hoping for Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, another runner up who would have been the first Black man on a national Republican ticket. “Your VP pick needs to bring some sort of electoral plus to the ticket,” Casale said. “What is that the campaign thought they needed?” A Vance spokesperson did not return messages seeking comment. The selection of Vance has provided Democrats with an opening to call the Trump-led ticket “weird.” With abortion rights playing a key role in the party’s platform, an opportunity for Vice President Kamala Harris to show an even starker contrast with the Trump campaign. That could be an especially potent mix in New York, home to six swing seats, five of which are held by first-term Republicans. Still, Vance’s bid has been greeted enthusiastically on the political right in New York. “He is a perfect choice for the Conservative Party,” said Gerard Kassar, the chair of the influential organization. “We are very comfortable with him.” There is also acknowledgment among New York Republicans that Vance is unlikely to be replaced and skepticism — voiced by Trump himself — that Vance will have any significant impact one way or the other. And Trump’s strategy, in part, leans into a more testosterone-fueled campaign that has featured celebrity endorsers Hulk Hogan and Kid Rock. “If you watch the convention, if you watch everything that’s going on with the campaign, they’re diving deeper on younger men,” said David Catalfamo, an adviser to Rep. Marc Molinaro’s campaign. “JD Vance’s selection is part of that math. It’s a boys versus girls election.” — Nick Reisman IT’S MONDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
| | | | A message from Equinor: Can offshore wind power America’s energy transition? Yes, and Equinor is playing a key role. Empire Wind 1 will be the first offshore wind project to connect directly into the NYC grid. It will help New York deliver its climate goals, create more than 1,000 union jobs, boost local economies, and decrease emissions. Equinor is proud to be a global leader in the innovation and advancement of offshore wind. Learn more. | | | WHERE’S KATHY? Convening a youth mental health roundtable in Yonkers. WHERE’S ERIC? Delivering remarks at a flag-raising ceremony for Jamaica, then making a housing- and older adults-related announcement. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Whatever trepidations the Hamptons finance set had about Trump are melting like frozé in the sun.” — Communications strategist James McCarthy, talking with the Daily Beast about a fundraiser thrown Friday for Donald Trump co-hosted by Howard Lutnick of Cantor Fitzgerald.
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | | 
City Council member Susan Zhuang told Playbook her team has recently registered about 1,700 new voters. | John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit | THE ZHUANG EFFECT: An under-the-radar bloc of Chinese New Yorkers is ready to test its political clout after City Council member Susan Zhuang allegedly bit a police officer during a recent protest, POLITICO reports. The bite was a moment that energized a movement, say some of the supporters who have rallied by the thousands to defend Zhuang — and by extension themselves — following the chaotic scuffle two weeks ago. Zhuang, a Democrat who caucuses with Republicans, told Playbook that she and her team have spent recent days registering about 1,700 new voters. “We basically tell people, if you want government to care about you, you have to vote,” Zhuang said. But will those voters cast ballots against Mayor Eric Adams over his shelter policies? The council member won’t say, apparently determined to protect her fragile alliance with the mayor. But some who stood with her at the protest weren’t as restrained. “They’re going to vote against Adams, at least a majority of them,” said Kenneth Chiu, a former Republican state Assembly contender, adding more generally, “In our culture, respect comes first, and in America, we’re just not seeing that.” Adams and Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn appear to understand Zhuang’s influence. Bichotte Hermelyn, who’s reliant on the council member for district leader seats that help keep her in party leadership, accompanied Zhuang to a closed-door meeting with the mayor after the biting incident. Adams, a retired police captain and moderate Democrat, has refrained from condemning Zhuang the way he has left-leaning council members who criticize the NYPD. — Emily Ngo
| | | | Millions of retiring Americans rely on Social Security benefits, but the program is running at a deficit and Congress has struggled to find a solution for years. Join POLITICO on August 7 to explore what can be done to save the program. What other steps can Congress take to ensure its future? And how could Social Security impact the affordability and housing crisis facing aging New Yorkers? REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | CITY HALL: THE LATEST | | | | 
Some City Council members are still unimpressed by Mayor Eric Adams' pick for the city's top lawyer. | Pool photo by Kevin R. Wexler | NO MASTRO PUSH: Some council members aren’t impressed with City Hall’s lackluster lobbying effort to make Randy Mastro corporation counsel. The mayor’s team blasted four press releases last week featuring 61 endorsers providing nice quotes about Mastro. A spokesperson also shared 33 letters of support that have been sent to Speaker Adrienne Adams’ office over the last three months. But “they’re people from yesteryear,” one member quipped about the supporters. “If you asked Chi Ossé who Freddy Ferrer is, he’ll look at you like ‘what are you talking about?’” Ossé did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the former Bronx borough president, who last ran for office in 2005 when Ossé was seven years old. The member said nobody had called yet asking for them to vote for Mastro’s nomination. Another moderate member, who could theoretically have their vote swayed, said the same. A City Hall spokesperson said that some of Mastro’s supporters would be calling members to appeal to them. But civil rights attorney Normal Siegel, whose name was included, said he would only talk to people who called him, and that he hadn’t talked to any members yet. Siegel said Mastro was “an excellent lawyer” and loved his plan to do more affirmative social justice litigation — which Mastro told Playbook about last week. A senior staffer for the council told Playbook they “don’t see a world” in which his nomination is approved. Because his record has proven he would be “a loyalist” to Mayor Adams, the person said, “Nobody will trust that he’s going to be an attorney for the whole city.” — Jeff Coltin … FOR HARRIS: City Comptroller Brad Lander, whose running-for-mayor news is officially out of the bag, is representing left-leaning Democrats as a participant in a “Progressives for Harris” call set for tonight to benefit Harris’ bid for president. Another Brooklyn progressive, former Mayor Bill de Blasio, has jumped aboard the Harris train, recently boasting about being among the proud “White Dudes for Harris” and referencing a call with the ultimate Dude who is white, Jeff Bridges. — Emily Ngo More from the city: — The NYPD searched the asylum-seeker shelter on Randall’s Island for “dangerous contraband” as many of the 3,000 residents waited outside on a sweltering summer day. (The Associated Press) — Adams aide Tim Pearson owes tens of thousands of dollars to the IRS, according to his financial disclosure, but he also reports the NYS Claims Department, which doesn’t exist, owes him money. (Daily News) — Hotel owners plan to raise $20 million to launch a new lobbying group to counter the City Council’s hotel licensing bill that would be “an existential threat.” (New York Post) — That hotel licensing bill was amended to address restaurant and bar industry concerns. (POLITICO Pro)
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Gov. Kathy Hochul is facing calls to bring reliable cell phone service to the Adirondacks. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP | CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW: Gov. Kathy Hochul learned about unreliable mobile phone service in the Adirondacks firsthand when she tried to connect with Harris when the vice president was locking down necessary support to become the party’s presidential nominee. And she’s being urged to do something about it. Republican state Sen. Dan Stec in a letter to Hochul urged the governor to address the cellular service issues that continue to plague the Adirondack Park. “While a lack of it prevented your ability to make a congratulatory call to the Vice President, an inability for our residents to use a cell phone to call 911 is literally a matter of life or death,” he wrote in the letter to Hochul, which was obtained by Playbook. And for the North Country lawmaker, that means having the Adirondack Park Agency — a key regulatory body that oversees land use issues behind the blue line – make it easier to build cell towers. The agency’s current regulations for tower placement are “woefully outdated,” he wrote in the letter. “Remedying unreliable cell service for the 130,000 permanent residents of the Adirondack Park and its visitors doesn't require executive action or legislation, just a change in policy,” Stec wrote. The Adirondacks are a global destination for tourists, but for some residents, the challenges of living in a rural area have been amplified by the Adirondack Park Agency – a kind of super planning board that can determine the pace of development in a vast region that is constitutionally required to remain “forever wild.” And cell phone tower construction is part of the tension between the agency and Adirondackers. For the last 22 years, the agency has required towers to have “substantial invisibility” — a rule Stec wants to be updated. Hochul spokesperson Kara Fesolovich said the governor’s office would review the letters. — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — Hundreds of people rallied to oppose the closure of Great Meadow Correctional Facility. (Times Union) — State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and other New York Democratic delegates cite a tone shift ahead of the DNC. (NY1) — Kenneth Cole, the brother-in-law of ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, is selling his Westchester mansion. (Realtor)
| | KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION | | | 
Some New York Republicans had lukewarm reactions to Trump's comments at the NABJ convention. | Charles Rex Arbogast/AP | TRUMP TALKS, THEY PIVOT: Battleground House Republicans in New York responded to Trump’s recent remarks disparaging Jewish Democrats and questioning Harris’ racial identity with disapproval, albeit very muted disapproval. And they followed their reactions with the jabs at Harris that the vulnerable GOP members wished Trump would take instead. “I think any time the focus is on race, religion, gender and personality as opposed to the issues, you’re losing,” Hudson Valley Rep. Mike Lawler told Playbook, pivoting to a lengthy list of cost-of-living, border security and international relations priorities he said the Biden-Harris administration is fumbling mightily. “I call Balls and Strikes, and don’t agree with the comments,” upstate Rep. Marc Molinaro said in an email to the Daily Freeman. “Kamala Harris is a bad candidate because she supported opening the border, cashless bail, and drove up costs.” Molinaro had been asked about comments Trump had made last week about Harris, whose mother is of Indian descent and whose father is of Jamaican descent. “She was always of Indian heritage and she was only promoting Indian heritage,” Trump said, prompting audible gasps from attendees of his remarks at the National Association of Black Journalists’ annual convention. “I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago until she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black.” Lawler was asked about Trump’s remarks that Harris “happened to turn Black” as well as the GOP presidential nominee telling radio host Sid Rosenberg, “If you’re Jewish, if you vote for a Democrat, you’re a fool, an absolute fool.” Lawler and Molinaro are relatively moderate Republicans with past and potential future statewide ambitions. Molinaro ran for governor in 2018 and Lawler is talked about as a possible gubernatorial candidate. — Emily Ngo
| | | | A message from Equinor: The energy transition is the defining opportunity of our time. Our world needs reliable and accessible renewable power that reduces emissions and stabilizes the grid. Offshore wind is part of the solution, and Equinor is doing its part. Equinor has deep experience in this industry and is already powering more than a million homes worldwide with offshore wind. Now, we’re building Empire Wind 1 for New York. Homegrown energy and homegrown jobs. The project serves the people who live and work in the community. And we’re just getting started, from clean air and innovations to investments that make Equinor in New York a wind-win. Plug in at www.equinor.com/US. | | | | | NEW YORK STATE OF MIND | | — Oneida County Judge Erin Gall was suspended with pay for two years after threatening to shoot Black teenagers at a graduation party, while the Court of Appeals considers removing her. (Balls and Strikes) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. admits in a bizarre video that he dumped a dead bear in Central Park, an apparent attempt at preempting an article on him. (San Francisco Chronicle) — The Buffalo News’ parent company finalized the sale of its longtime office space. (Buffalo News)
| | | | During unprecedented times, POLITICO Pro Analysis gives you the insights you need to focus your policy strategy. Live briefings, policy trackers, and and people intelligence secures your seat at the table. Learn more. | | | | | | | SOCIAL DATA | | Edited by Daniel Lippman YOU’RE INVITED! — Join us for a special POLITICO Live event in NYC on Wed., Aug. 7. What is the future of Social Security? New York Rep. Pat Ryan (D) will discuss the challenges and solutions lawmakers are considering for the aging benefit on which millions of retiring Americans and New Yorkers rely. We’ll also talk with Jonathan Bowles, executive director of the Center for an Urban Future, Julietta Lopez of the Hispanic Federation and Stephen Miran of the Manhattan Institute, about Social Security’s impact on New York, including the housing crisis. RSVP to attend here. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: A.G. Sulzberger … Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman … Darma Diaz … Queens College’s Jay Hershenson … COELIG’s Keith St. John … Lyft’s Jordan Levine … ABC’s Luis Martinez … Pete Snyder … Alicia Amling … Donte Donald … (WAS SUNDAY): Former President Barack Obama … House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries … NYC-DSA’s Arielle Swernoff … Empire Center’s Bill Hammond … AP’s Seung Min Kim … Bret Baier … Alex Mallin of ABC … CBS’ Katie Watson … CNN’s Greg Krieg … Brett Loper ... former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin … Dr. Ellen Schrecker ... Rabbi Eliyahu Ben Haim ... Frederic Bloch … Michael Gelman … Sinan Salaheddin ... … (WAS SATURDAY): Mandela Jones of the New York City Council Speaker’s Office … Marti Speranza Wong … ABC’s Ben Siegel and John Parkinson … Brian Morgenstern … City Journal’s Brian Anderson … NYT’s Clarissa Matthews … Jacob Weisberg of Pushkin Industries … Andrew Craft … Emily Goldberg … Reuters’ Brad Brooks … Brian Kateman … John S. Ruskay ... Mitchell S. Steir ... Joshua Cherwin ... Karlie Kloss … (WAS FRIDAY): Jack Jacobs ... Henry Elghanayan ... Robert Rae Missed Friday’s New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it here. | | | | 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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