The New York State Capitol (photo: Darren McGee/Governor's Office)

November 3, 2022 - Max Politics Podcast: Understanding the Numbers Game in the Governor's Race

Bruce Gyory, a political scientist and strategist, joined the show to lay out key numbers in the race for Governor; break down racial, ethnic, regional, and other demographic trends; and explain paths to victory for Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think, on Twitter @TweetBenMax. You can listen to the

Voter registration (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

New York State added over 400,000 voters to the rolls since the last gubernatorial election in 2018, a 3% increase in total enrollment, according to the latest data released by the State Board of Elections on Tuesday.

The 424,000 net additional voters since 2018 bring the total to 13.1 million registered voters statewide, roughly the number of those eligible to vote in this month’s major 2022 elections for Governor and other statewide positions, seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and the State Legislature, and other

Out to vote (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

As the ballots turn this fall, New York City voters will decide the fates of three proposed amendments to the City Charter intended to lay the groundwork for greater racial equity.

Voters throughout the five boroughs are able to flip their ballots and vote "yes" or "no" on three separate questions to, respectively, codify a statement of equity and racial justice principles as a new preamble to the City Charter; establish a city government office dedicated to racial equity and require a regularly-updated racial justice plan from city

Then-Lt. Gov. Hochul opens a solar farm (photo: Philip Kamrass/ New York Power Authority)

On the back of every New Yorker's ballot this fall is a question: whether or not to allow the state to borrow $4.2 billion to pay for major clean environment and climate change mitigation infrastructure.

The provision, known as the "Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act," would authorize the state comptroller to sell bonds on behalf of the State of New York to pay for projects related to greenhouse gas emissions, flood risk, clean water, land conservation, and other climate-related

Chuck Schumer, left, and Joe Pinion

Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democratic and the majority leader of the U.S. Senate, is running for reelection for another six-year term this year, facing Republican and Conservative Party nominee Joe Pinion, a political news commentator. 

Schumer, who has been in office since 1999, has only risen to prominence since ascending to majority leader when Democrats took the Senate through the 2020 election. He holds commanding leads in polls and fundraising against his relatively unknown opponent, often faring far better in polling than his fellow Democratic incumbents in this

Letitia James and Michael Henry

Since Attorney General Letitia James dropped her short run for Governor and announced her bid for a second term as New York State’s top legal official, she has spent limited time on the campaign trail. James, a Democrat whose work as attorney general has elevated her to national prominence, has had commanding polling and fundraising leads over her little-known opponent and, in a break from her fellow statewide incumbents, has declined to even debate him.

Her Republican challenger, commercial litigator Michael Henry from Queens, is running as a political

Sochie Nnaemeka (photo: @MaketheRoadAct)

October 26, 2022 - Max Politics Podcast: The Working Families Party Works to Keep Its Ballot Line, Win Key Races

Sochie Nnaemeka, director of the New York Working Families Party, joined the show to discuss the WFP's campaign to keep its ballot line, key races it is focused on in the 2022 election, its relationship with Gov. Kathy Hochul, and more.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think, on Twitter @TweetBenMax. You can listen to the show through the

Tom DiNapoli, left, and Paul Rodriguez

The State Comptroller is New York’s top fiscal officer, a position that has been held by Tom DiNapoli, a Democrat, for nearly 15 years. As DiNapoli seeks a fourth full-term in office this year, he is being challenged in the general election by Paul Rodriguez, the nominee of the Republican and Conservative parties and a veteran of several Wall Street financial firms.

A relatively obscure position from a public point of view, the comptroller’s office acts as a watchdog over the

Gov. Hochul celebrates Hispanic Heritage (photo: governor's offiice)

She once adamantly opposed the idea of giving drivers’ licenses to undocumented immigrants; she even went so far as to threaten their arrests and deportations. No Latinos were on the original list of speakers for the convention of the State Democratic Party, of which she is thede facto leader.TheNueva York Initiative...

Lee Zeldin and Kathy Hochul at Tuesday's debate

Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat seeking her first full term as governor, faced off against her Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin of Long Island, on Tuesday night in the only debate of the governor’s race.

In an hour-long debate hosted by Spectrum News, the two candidates attacked each other’s records and clashed on crime and public safety, the economy, abortion, ethics, democracy, and more. They outlined vastly different assessments of where New York stands today and visions for where to take it in the future, seeking to make an impression

Lee Zeldin & Kathy Hochul at their debate

October 25, 2022 - Max Politics Podcast: Breaking Down the Hochul-Zeldin Debate

After Gov. Kathy Hochul and Rep. Lee Zeldin debated Tuesday night in the race for Governor, two experts joined host Ben Max to analyze the big event: Dr. Christina Greer, political science professor at Fordham University, and Casey Seiler, editor of the Albany Times Union.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think, on Twitter @TweetBenMax. You can listen to the show through the

Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin

In what should be must-see TV for New Yorkers, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin are set to debate tonight for the first and only time in the general election for Governor.

The debate, held at Pace University in Manhattan, will take place from 7 to 8 p.m. on Spectrum News and be moderated by anchors Errol Louis and Susan Arbetter (and broadcast online for those who don’t get Spectrum television). It comes two weeks before Election Day, November 8, with absentee balloting underway

Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin

With under three weeks till Election Day, a set of recent polls in the New York governor’s race show U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, the Republican nominee, catching up to incumbent Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul. They appear to indicate a growing possibility that New York could elect its first Republican governor since George Pataki won a third and final term in 2002, despite that such an outcome seemed like a big longshot just weeks ago.

But a deeper dive into polling trends shows that Zeldin continues to face an uphill battle and

NYS Comptroller candidate Paul Rodriguez (photo: Rodiguez campaign)

October 20, 2022 - Max Politics Podcast: Paul Rodriguez, Republican Nominee for NYS Comptroller

Paul Rodriguez, the Republican nominee for New York State Comptroller, joined the show to discuss his campaign, vision for the office, and argument for choosing him over incumbent Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, a Democrat.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think, on Twitter @TweetBenMax. You can listen to the show through the embedded audio below or

NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli (photo: DiNapoli campaign)

October 20, 2022 - Max Politics Podcast: Democrat Tom DiNapoli Seeks Another Term as NYS Comptroller

New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, the Democratic incumbent who has held the office since 2007, joined the show to discuss his reelection campaign, how he has fulfilled the responsibilities of the office, and his case for choosing him over Republican opponent Paul Rodriguez.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think, on Twitter @TweetBenMax. You

Rooftop solar panels (photo: Gabriel López Albarrán)

October 13, 2022 - Max Politics Podcast: The Environmental Bond Act Ballot Proposal and Other Key Climate Issues

Proposal 1 on the 2022 general election ballot is a statewide referendum on the $4.2 billion Environmental Bond Act, which New York voters will approve or disapprove this fall. Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters, and Amy Chester, managing director of Rebuild by Design, joined the show to discuss the bond act and other major New York climate issues.

Listen to the

Racial justice bills set to be signed by the mayor (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

October 13, 2022 - Max Politics Podcast: Racial Justice Proposals on the New York City Ballot

New York City voters can approve or disapprove three proposed City Charter amendments on the 2022 general election ballot. Questions 2-4 on the ballot for city voters (Question 1 is on the statewide Environmental Bond Act) are proposals from the

Then-Gov. Cuomo and Lt. Gov. Hochul (photo: Governor's Office)

Since Kathy Hochul became governor in August 2021, 47 people have given the maximum amount – $69,700 – directly to her campaign, according to campaign finance filings through October 3.

In total, the governor's campaign has brought in $46 million in her first 14 months in office. That massive sum will not be as easy to accumulate in future elections thanks to a new state campaign finance system that will lower individual contribution limits and establish a

Gov. Hochul with electric vehicles (photo: office of Governor Kathy Hochul)

In a race with many clear differences, there may be no issue on which Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin are offering more divergent visions in this year’s New York gubernatorial election than on climate and environmental policy.

While Hochul seeks a full term to continue implementation of New York’s sweeping shift to renewable energy and advance many policies related to environmental protection, Zeldin has been

Assemblymember Mike Lawler (photo: campaign of Mike Lawler)

October 11, 2022 - Max Politics Podcast: Mike Lawler on His Campaign to Flip NY-17, Unseat DCCC Chair Sean Patrick Maloney

Republican Mike Lawler joined the show to discuss his campaign for Congress in the new NY-17, a Hudson Valley district where he is seeking to not only flip a seat blue to red but unseat Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think, on Twitter ...

Get ready to vote (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

September 29, 2022 - Max Politics Podcast: Resetting the 2022 Race for New York Governor with Under 6 Weeks To Go

Bob Hardt, New York Political Director for Spectrum News, joined the show to discuss where the 2022 race for New York Governor stands with under six weeks until Election Day, what the latest polling says, how Gov. Hochul and Rep. Lee Zeldin are positioning themselves, whether there will be a debate, and more.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think, on Twitter

Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin

This is Part 2 of a two-part article on the issues dominating the 2022 general election for New York Governor between Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and Republican U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin.Read Part 1 here.

As Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin face off in this year’s election for Governor of New York, several top issues have emerged based on what the candidates

Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin

This is Part 1 of a two-part article on the issues dominating the 2022 race for New York Governor.

After winning their respective primaries, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and Republican Congressional Representative Lee Zeldin are now competing in the general election to become New York Governor from 2023 through 2026.

The favorites from the start, Hochul and Zeldin both won by comfortable margins in the June primaries. Hochul, a moderate from the Buffalo area and the

A look at the voting ahead (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

Election Day 2022 is less than two months away and there’s much at stake in New York, both at the state and national levels. After a messy redistricting process led to a bifurcated primary, the general election is well underway for statewide, state legislative, and congressional seats.

At the top of the ballot are the races for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and Comptroller, as well as one U.S. Senate seat (currently held by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is seeking reelection).

In the State Legislature (photo: NYS Senate Media Services)

Governor Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders did not intend to hand map-drawing power to the courts when, in 2012, they hashed out a state constitutional amendment that recast the decennial redistricting process. Nor did they envision, after months of contentious public debate and closed-door negotiations, that the first pass at the new system would result in a hastily-organized, bifurcated election season with two major primaries taking place separately in a single summer.

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