Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Elections

Elections

  • In Surprise to Some, Diana Ayala Victorious in Tight Primary

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    Speaker Mark-Viverito with Diana Ayala (photo: Samar Khurshid/GothamGazette)


    The primary election on Tuesday saw incumbents retain power across most of the city and few upsets in contested races. But in one of the most competitive races of the day, a first-time candidate prevailed over a long-time elected official, overcoming an expected gap in name recognition and other deficits, in a City Council district struggling with concerns for its future and looking for its next local leader to advocate for its interests.

    District 8, which covers East Harlem and the South

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: What Happened on Primary Day & What It Means

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    Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


    September 13, 2017 - Max & Murphy on the 2017 primary election results

    The day after the 2017 New York City primary elections, Ben Max and Jarrett Murphy recap the results, discuss key takeaways, and preview the two months ahead until the November general elections.

    25 Things Nicole Malliotakis Promises To Do As Mayor

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    Nicole Malliotakis (photo: @NMalliotakis)


    Staten Island Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis is the Republican nominee for mayor and, with the primary election over, the city’s political focus has now shifted toward her bid to unseat incumbent Democrat Bill de Blasio, who handily won his primary on Tuesday. In that effort, she’ll have to also best independent Bo Dietl and others on the ballot in November.

    Malliotakis is seeking to become the first female Mayor of New York City, as well as the first Latina and, at 36, the youngest since

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  • Meet The Three State Legislators Likely Heading To The City Council

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    Mark Gjonaj & Bronx Democratic leadership (photo: @MarkGjonajNY)


    With the New York City primary election behind us, it appears that at least three state legislators are likely to be leaving behind the trips to Albany for plush City Council seats.

    Following the path of former State Senator Bill Perkins, who was elected to the City Council in a special election earlier this year, two Assembly members and one state senator are likely to be making the same jump come January: State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr, Assemblymember Mark

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  • 2017 New York City Primary Election Results

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    NYC Votes sticker, design by Marie Dagata and Scott Heinz


    Mayor Bill de Blasio prevailed convincingly in the Democratic primary Tuesday as he seeks a second term. De Blasio was facing four challengers, most prominently former City Council Member Sal Albanese. With 98% of precincts reporting, de Blasio had secured 74.4% of the vote, to Albanese’s 15.4%, and Michael Tolkin’s 4.7%, Robert Gangi’s 3.1%, and Richard Bashner’s 2.4%. De Blasio had about 317,000 votes; Albanese with about 65,450 in a very low turnout election, where about 15% of

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  • Risks and Rewards in De Blasio’s Bevy of City Council Endorsements

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    City Council candidate Diana Ayala (photo: @DianaAyala2017)


    Mayor Bill de Blasio is a heavy favorite heading into Tuesday's primary election, which includes numerous races across the city for which the Democratic primary is determinative of the next officeholder. In certain City Council races, de Blasio has endorsed candidates for the primary, including a small flurry of support just a few days before voters head to the polls, in what could be a sign that the mayor and his allies are concerned about turnout.

    But it’s unclear what effect, if any, the

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  • 2013 Voter Turnout Numbers Help Preview 2017 Primaries

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    (photo: Samar Khurshid/Gotham Gazette)


    New York City voters head to the polls Tuesday in this year’s party primary elections, mostly contests among competing Democrats. It is expected to be another low turnout election. Four years ago, only about 691,000 of the city’s 3.4 million (20%) registered Democrats voted in a high-profile, exciting, and hugely consequential mayoral primary with no incumbent in the race. Bill de Blasio won that primary and went on to cruise in the general election, which also saw terribly low voter turnout.

    In 2013, there

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: A Candidate's Final Campaign Hours

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    Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


    September 11, 2017 - Max & Murphy with guest Gifford Miller, former Speaker of the City Council and mayoral candidate

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    The day before the 2017 New York City primary elections, we spoke with Gifford Miller, former City Council Speaker and 2005 Democratic candidate for

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  • The Threat Lurking on Primary Day

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    State Senator and City Council candidate Ruben Diaz Sr. (photo: @RevRubenDiaz)


    The New York City Council is under threat. There is a force exerting immense pressure to dangerously influence the session beginning in January. That threat goes by one name: Albany. And it is bearing down on the city this week.

    We need to take stock of what is happening, and vote accordingly on Tuesday, September 12, or the 2018 City Council class will be far less progressive than the current.

    What do I mean by the Albany threat? State legislators who

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  • Dietl, Malliotakis Make Last-Minute Play for Reform Party Nomination

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    Bo Dietl (photo: Samar Khurshid)


    GOP mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis and independent candidate Bo Dietl are both making a last-minute push to win the Reform Party ballot line for November’s mayoral election. While Sal Albanese, who is also challenging Mayor Bill de Blasio in the Democratic primary, has been backed by the Reform Party, Dietl and Malliotakis are each attempting to convince their supporters to help them steal the ballot line by voting on primary day -- Tuesday, September 12 -- using a provision in state election law that effectively

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  • Can Anyone Defeat Eric Gonzalez for Brooklyn DA?

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    Acting Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez with Public Advocate Tish James


    With just days before Brooklynites head to the polls and decide who will be the borough’s next district attorney, a position briefly held and transformed by the late Kenneth Thompson, the field is crowded with Democratic candidates, each vying to present him or herself as the most progressive, best-suited option to carry on Thompson’s legacy.

    Of the six Democratic candidates who will be on Tuesday’s ballot, the frontrunner -- having raised the most money and scooped up endorsements

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  • Forecasting the Upcoming City Council Gender Imbalance

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    CMs Chin, left; Rose, center; & Rosenthal, center right (photo: Gotham Gazette)


    There are currently only 13 women in the 51-seat New York City Council, a troubling 25 percent. The number is down from 18 women in the Council a few years ago. With the city’s quadrennial elections upon us, a new Council class will be inaugurated in January, with the September 12 primaries largely determining who will fill the city’s legislative body for the next four years in this very Democratic city.

    Most would agree that gender balance in the City Council

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  • Candidate Endorsements in the 2017 City Elections

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    Mayor de Blasio is endorsed by 32BJ SEIU (photo: Ben Max/Gotham Gazette)


    Do endorsements matter in elections? In short, yes. How much they matter depends on who is endorsing whom, amid many factors. As candidates run for office they almost always seek as many endorsements as they can get from elected officials, labor unions, newspaper editorial boards, political clubs, advocacy groups, and others. These endorsements can help give candidates more caché -- something to boast about as they seek other endorsements or votes or funds -- and can lead to important help with

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  • De Blasio & Albanese Argue Through Second of Two Primary Debates

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    Bill de Blasio, left, & Sal Albanese


    The second and final Democratic mayoral primary debate on Wednesday was a frenetic hour-long affair in which Mayor Bill de Blasio spent much of his time on the defensive, facing probing questions from debate moderators and tough criticism from his opponent, Sal Albanese. At the same time, Albanese appeared to come up short yet again in terms of clearly articulating a vision for a mayoralty beyond tearing down many of de Blasio’s current policies.

    Right off the bat, de Blasio was

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Previewing Primary Day

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    Jarrett Murphy, left, of City Limits, and Ben Max, right, of Gotham Gazette


    September 5, 2017 - Max & Murphy with Brigid Bergin of WNYC radio

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    One week from primary day 2017, Max & Murphy were joined by Brigid Bergin of WNYC radio to discuss the final week of campaigning before voters head to the polls on September 12; key races and themes to

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  • Malliotakis Banks on Fundraising Blitz to Be Competitive with De Blasio

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    Nicole Malliotakis, left, with John Catsimatidis, center (photo: @NMalliotakis)


    Republican mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis does not need to worry about defeating a primary opponent, and running unopposed is cheap. That dynamic will very quickly change on September 12, primary day, after which the Staten Island Assemblymember will have all of 55 days to campaign against the winner of the Democratic primary, likely incumbent Mayor Bill de Blasio, in a city with roughly a 7-to-1 Democratic-to-Republican enrollment

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  • Incumbent Brooklyn City Council Rep Attempts to Fend Off Prominent Challengers

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    City Council Member Menchaca (photo: Samar Khurshid/Gotham Gazette)


    As he runs for reelection this fall, Carlos Menchaca, the City Council member for District 38, which includes Red Hook, Sunset Park and Windsor Terrace, faces several challengers in the Democratic primary. In a rare occurrence, one of his opponents is another sitting elected official from the same party, Assemblymember Felix Ortiz.

    Though he was not an elected official at the time, Menchaca himself challenged and unseated an incumbent from the same party in a contentious 2013 primary that focused on

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  • Queens Council Candidates Attempt to Offer Stability to Burned District

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    Candidate Richard David (photo: David campaign)


    The July corruption conviction and August sentencing of City Council Member Ruben Wills created a newly-open seat representing Council District 28 in southeast Queens. Because of the timing of the vacancy, the seat will be filled through the normal electoral calendar, with the determinative September 12 Democratic primary rapidly approaching.

    The 28th Council District includes neighborhoods such as South Jamaica, Rochdale Village, Richmond Hill, and Ozone Park. Along with the

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  • Voters Guide for the 2017 City Primary Election

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    (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


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    by Ben Max, Gotham Gazette
         

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  • Mass Mailer Loophole Gives State Legislators Advantage in City Council Races

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    The top of Assemblymember Felix Ortiz's recent constituent mailer


    Members of the New York State Legislature have a key resource at their disposal to communicate with their constituents: mass mailers. Both the Senate and Assembly allow lawmakers to send public communications through different media -- chiefly employed in the form of direct printed newsletters and mailers -- to inform residents of their districts about recent legislation or special events, or to alert them of emergencies, and more. While these mailers are subject to certain restrictions in the run up to an

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Public Advocate Candidate David Eisenbach

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    Jarrett Murphy, left, of City Limits, and Ben Max, right, of Gotham Gazette


    August 28, 2017 - Democratic Public Advocate Candidate David Eisenbach

    public adv candidate david eisenbach277pxDavid Eisenbach is a history professor at Columbia University seeking to unseat incumbent Public Advocate Letitia James in this year's Demcratic primary. Eisenbach, who has raised minimal funds for his

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  • The Week Ahead in New York Politics, August 28

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    New York City Hall


    What to watch for this week in New York politics:

    It was a busy campaign weekend for Mayor de Blasio, who exchanged reelection endorsements at events with Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., as well as making several other campaign stops. De Blasio will mix governing and politics this week, including, on the government side, a bill-signing and press conference on Monday, and a town hall Wednesday night in Williamsburg with City Council Member

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  • Public Advocate Candidate Outlines Election Reform Agenda

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    JC Polanco on BronxNet


    With candidates vying for votes ahead of New York City’s September primary and November general elections, many in and around campaigns know that the state’s antiquated election laws will, in part, ensure that a small percentage of potential voters will cast ballots among limited choices.

    One candidate, Juan Carlos Polanco, known as J.C., is currently the presumptive Republican nominee for Public Advocate and has released an extensive package of proposed reforms to New York voting laws.

    As a former member of the New York City Board of

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  • Lower East Side City Council Candidates Make Their Case in Debate

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    The CD2 Democratic candidates at Manhattan Neighborhood Network


    There are five candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in the race to replace term-limited Rosie Mendez as the City Council representative for District 2, which includes the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The candidates -- Carlina Rivera, Ronnie Cho, Mary Silver, Jasmin Sanchez, and Jorge Vasquez -- gathered recently at the Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) for a debate to be televised by the station.

    The debate, moderated by Gotham Gazette’s Ben

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  • Heated Rematch in Central Brooklyn, Where Incumbent Seeks to Hold City Council Seat

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    Council Member Laurie Cumbo (@cmlauriecumbo)


    Hundreds of Crown Heights residents and community activists laughed and jeered at a recent community forum as a lanky man wearing a paper mask of Mayor Bill de Blasio joked about bringing affordable housing to their neighborhood.

    The event was punctuated by moments of levity but mostly dominated by anger from residents who feel their elected representatives have sold out their interests to the real estate industry, with a focus on the proposed redevelopment of the vacant Bedford Union Armory. The

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